This conversation I have with Dr. Baxter Krueger is one I've been sitting with since we recorded it. Barry and I get to spend over an hour with a theologian who has spent his life recovering what the early church actually believed about the kind of God we have... not a distant, watching God with a disgusted heart, but a Father who brought His Son, His Spirit, and Himself to live inside every human being. If you've ever felt like you're trying to close the gap between you and God, this one is for you.Baxter Krueger is a theologian, author, and speaker whose work has been described by a Greek Orthodox bishop as "straight out of the heart of Athanasius." He studied under JB Torrance in Scotland and has written several books including The Great Dance, Patmos, and The Mediation of Jesus Christ. His life's work is helping people move from the idea of a faraway God they have to appease... into the lived reality of a Father who is already in them and has never let go.Expect to hear the story of Baxter's son and a camouflaged friend flying through the air on a Saturday afternoon, and how that moment became the clearest picture of the gospel Baxter had ever seen, what it means that the average Christian is committed to the "real absence of Jesus" without even knowing it, how reading Athanasius at a library in Mississippi completely changed how Baxter understood God's nature, why there's no such thing as "just me" and what it looks like to see the Holy Spirit in your ordinary humanity, what it means to take sides with Jesus against the way you see God, yourself, your neighbors, and even your enemies, the practical homework Baxter gives almost everyone he meets, and how to ask Jesus your real name and actually receive an answer.Chapters:00:00 Intro00:03:26 The Real Absence of Jesus in Western Christianity00:13:05 The Book That Changed How Baxter Saw God00:28:45 The Commando Story and the Heart of the Gospel00:41:45 Why Jesus Promised Joy, Not Just Religious Duty00:53:04 Taking Sides With Jesus Against the Way You See01:01:28 The Holy Spirit Is Already in Your Ordinary Life01:07:08 Ask Jesus to Show You Five Ways You've Shared His Life01:22:03 What Could Try to Derail This Awakening01:31:56 Ask Jesus What He Calls YouIf something in this conversation stirred something in you, I'd just invite you to sit with it. And if you want to go deeper into actually hearing from God for yourself, I'd love for you to join us in the Hearing God Challenge. The link is below.🔗 Sign up for the next Hearing God Challenge - https://hearinggodchallenge.com/Connect with Baxter Kruger:https://perichoresis.org/

This conversation I have with Tim Shuck is one that kept surprising me. Tim is a facilitator with Novo who has walked thousands of ordinary people into praying for others... and what he shares about the prayers that "don't work" is something I think a lot of people need to hear.Tim Shuck is a guide and facilitator with Novo, an organization equipping ordinary people to hear from God and minister to those around them. He's walked over 10,000 people through cohort-based training in listening prayer and Spirit-led ministry.In this conversation, we get into what happens when prayer doesn't go the way you expected, why God seems to touch hearts far more than he touches bodies, how ordinary people are doing extraordinary things when they just dare to say "may I pray for you?"... and so much more.Here's what we explore:▪️ The "botched" prayer that started a years-long relationship with a salty neighbor named Bob — and what God was actually doing▪️ Why 100% of the time God does something when we pray, even when it's not what we expected▪️ How to create space for people who feel spiritually stuck or disconnected — without shame or pressure▪️ Why God speaks in the middle of ordinary life (even Baby Shark sing-alongs)▪️ The humility muscle you have to grow alongside the listening muscle — or things go sideways▪️ What it looks like to be a "supporting character" who finally realizes God wants to use them just as they areChapters:00:00 The Prayer That Didn't Work03:24 Tim's Work with Novo and Ordinary People05:20 What Happens Every Time We Pray, No Matter What07:36 Two Stories — A Healing and a "Botched" Prayer13:08 How a Failed Prayer Became a Years-Long Relationship16:38 Helping People Who Struggle to Connect With God20:09 Why We Get Stuck in Our Heads — and What to Do Instead23:00 How God Speaks in Everyday Life, Not Just Prayer Time26:27 Growing Humility Alongside the Listening Muscle32:16 You Don't Have to Become Anyone Other Than Who You Already AreIf something in this conversation stirred something in you, I'd love for you to sit with it. And if you want to go deeper, the Hearing God Challenge is a great place to start — link below.🔗 Sign up for the next Hearing God Challenge - https://hearinggodchallenge.com/Connect with Tim at Novo:https://novo.org/

This conversation I have with Jason Clark is one I walked away from changed. Jason hosts the Rethinking God with Tacos podcast and has spent two decades exploring what it looks like to live fully convinced in God's affection... and that comes through in every part of this conversation.Jason Clark is the author of "Prone to Love", "God is Not in Control", and "Leaving and Finding Jesus", and the host of the Rethinking God with Tacos podcast.Expect to learn what it means to grow more confident in God's affection today than yesterday, why love is the long game and how that takes the pressure off everything, how to recognize when you're building a case for separation even when your theology says there isn't any, why Jason says our natural state is righteousness and not depravity, and more...00:00 What It Means to Grow More Confident in His Affection04:08 You Don't Have to Have the Answers08:25 What Does It Actually Look Like in Daily Life?14:09 Building a Case for Separation Even When You Know Better19:02 Jesus Only Did What He Saw the Father Doing26:25 From Servant and Master to Son and Friend28:41 Learning to Trust Your Heart35:33 How to Handle the Fear That Freedom Leads to Sin43:21 What Would Love Do Right Here?50:01 Our Natural State Is Wholeness, Not Depravity52:39 Trust and the Long Game of LoveIf something stirred in you, I'd love for you to sit with it. And if you want to go deeper, the Hearing God Challenge is a good next step.🔗 Sign up for the next Hearing God Challenge - https://hearinggodchallenge.com/Connect with Jason:🔗 Jason Clark's podcast, Rethinking God with Tacos - https://afamilystory.org/rgwt/🔗 Jason Clark's website and books - https://afamilystory.org/