Archive for the 'Uncategorized' Category


Does Grace Excuse or Transform?

I received this question in my email box today and thought many others might care about my answer: What I would like to know from your perspective, is there a clear and growing warp in the teaching on grace that is, overtly or covertly, connotatively or emotively, saying that behavior does not matter? I realize [...]

Transitions 7: Processing the Journey

Transitions 7: Processing the Journey – Questions and discussion from the previous sessions as to how we can each live in the reality of Father’s affection for us. For more information on this series you can check the Transitions page at Lifestream. You can also subscribe to any new audio postings via iTunes.

Transitions 6: How God Changes Us

Transitions 6: How God Changes Us – Living in the reality of his love gives us a new focus that frees us from sin, grows our trust in him and shapes our lives to reflect his glory in the world. For more information on this series you can check the Transitions page at Lifestream. You [...]

Head Trip or Heart Trip?

Tomorrow I get to fly back home to enjoy a day with the friends that help us pray and listen to Jesus for what we do through Lifestream and The God Journey, and to have a day with our whole family. Looking forward to it. Last week I found this email that so resonated with [...]

New Pictures from Kenya

The refurbished building’s exterior nears completion. The walls continue to rise on new construction. Progress continues both on the refurbished structure and the new building. It’s great to see them making such headway. They hope to complete the building before the rainy season makes work difficult. We appreciate really for your prayers as well as [...]

The Standards of Love

I was in an internet exchange the other day where someone asked, “Do we meet God’s standards of love? If not, what can we do to improve?” I know many people who wonder about that because religion has taught us to see love as a command, not as a reality. I used to look at [...]

Kenya Orphanage Update

Where they are currently living The property we have now purchased and are refurbishing for them. We continue to be amazed at the generosity that has overflowed in regards to our project to move 72 orphan children and their caretakers out of a slum and into a safer and more sanitary site. We have received [...]

All the Help You Need

I am often asked if I know of a retreat or a workshop that will help people find the joy of living loved and connect with the Father, especially for those whose father’s betrayed or abused them in some way. They have never had a flesh and blood example of a loving, trustworthy father in [...]

Offices Closed Until July 7

Due to Wayne and Sara’s trip to England, the Lifestream offices will be closed until July 7. We will still be shipping Internet orders during that time and checking email, but our responses might be delayed. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.

What Does God’s Presence Feel Like?

Since many of you don’t read the comments on these blogs, I wanted to highlight a question someone asked on the last one about my friend’s funeral: What does God’s presence feel like? What do you mean when you say ‘God’s presence came powerfully into the room’? It’s one of those phrases that when people [...]

Thanks from Kenya

Cruising through the bush on a fresh set of wheels I got this email today from Michael, our contact in Kenya. They have been so blessed with the new transportation that many of you from The God Journey helped to provide for them through your contributions. Thank you so much for blessing a brother who [...]

On Behalf of Kenya, Thank You!

The brothers and sisters gathering in Kenya. I want to take this opportunity to thank many of you who have helped with the need in Kenya. Over the past two weeks we’ve taken in over $7,000.00 to help the brothers and sisters in Kenya. Some of that has gone to purchase a dependable car for [...]

Real Eldering

I got this email the other day and in answering it felt I should let a few others look over my shoulder. I know he is not alone in his concern and perhaps others will be encouraged by this exchange: Over the past year my wife and I have had some close friends go into [...]

When You’re Least Aware (Again!)

Someone sent me this quote from a book they’ve been reading that seemed to go along with my earlier posting about washing someone’s shoes and how it touched their life. I haven’t read the book and don’t know anything about the author, but I sure like this quote: The moment you are aware of your [...]

What If My Pastor Doesn’t See It That Way?

Look what question appeared in my inbox today: Wayne I have read your book So You Don’t Want to Go To Church Anymore, and I thought it was something I had written in my sleep. I feel like God has shown me the exact things John was teaching Jake and the others. In my case [...]

One More Father’s Day Post

Just found out that Charisma’s website ran a column I wrote a few weeks ago. It is called the Fatherless Epidemic. Read more here.

Come Visit the New Website

I am finishing up a trip into Wisconsin over the weekend, and will return home tomorrow. Jesus has hungry people everywhere who are no longer satisfied with the religious conventions that seek to substitute for our own relationship with him. They are crying out for more reality in their relationship with him and more authenticity [...]

How Do You Picture God?

Most depictions of God in art throughout church history have imagined a distant and exalted older man, often with a look of anger in his eye. Interestingly enough, most depictions of Jesus (except when he is clearing the temple), show him in softer and more compassionate moments. If Jesus was the exact representation of the [...]

Gracious Uncertainty

I’m back from Indiana and had an awesome time with so many people, I can’t keep them all straight. The first two days I hung out with some folks who are living a bit outside the box. The last two I was interviewed about So You Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore by a [...]

A Most Amazing Meeting

Orlando, Fl April 1, 2009 — They arrived by first class or flew in on their private jets for this first-ever gathering of mega-church pastors from all over the United States. They had gathered to trade secrets of their success and form a new denomination called Church of the Champions. But in their first session [...]

Programs that Cannot Satisfy

I saw this A. W. Tozer quote at the bottom of someone’s email over the last couple of days. It is certainly even truer in our day than it was in his: We are in an age of religious complexity. The simplicity which is in Christ is rarely found amoung us. In its stead are [...]

We’re Moving—Again!

I know it’s been a while since I’ve written here, and I apologize for that. This last two months have been crazy and we’ve been horribly busy on so many fronts. What extra time we had, we grabbed to enjoy our children, grandchildren and friends. While this new year has been incredibly difficult at the [...]

The Ongoing Need In Kenya

Yesterday I wrote to our friend in Kenya and asked how they were doing since I hadn’t heard in awhile. My friend there notified me that the need persists and that they have recently had contact with brothers and sisters in a region of the country that are still suffering great need from the tribal [...]

Lifestream Offices Temporarily Closed

Sara and I are headed to the east coast and there will be no one around here to fulfill orders, answer phones or keep up with other business items during our time away. Thus our offices will be closed until November 3. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this causes you.

A View From the Inside

I got this email yesterday and it offers a perfect counterpoint to my previous blog posting. It’s important that we not ‘choose sides’ in whether everyone should attend a local congregation or whether everyone should not. There are lots of ways for God to connect his people in our day and I celebrate all that [...]

New BodyLife Posted

I’m off to Germany but completed a new issue of BodyLife. We haven’t had a new one since last September, because I’ve been way too busy with lots of other opportunities that this issue will explain. The lead article is titled The Power of Living Loved and provides three snapshots of what it means to [...]

A Great Shack Letter

The reason I have loved being involved with THE SHACK, even though it has compounded my life tremendously, is because of letters like this: I would just like to thank you so much for helping to write The Shack. I had all the questions Missy’s daddy did. I almost quit reading the book several times, [...]

The Fallacy of a Covering

You gotta read this! This came in my inbox this morning as a question. But as you’ll see only a brief answer was needed. You can throw out all your books on ‘covering’ or the lack thereof. This young mom from Central California gets to the heart of it in one simple paragraph! Do you [...]

Forgiveness and Grace

Sara and I reading some of the key conversations in THE SHACK in the mornings as she gets ready to leave for work at 6:30. This morning, we came across this: “McKenzie, even if you had been to blame, her love is much stronger than your fault could ever be.” What a way to start [...]

Getting Beyond the First Hurdle!

This is another one of those email exchanges, that I felt would also be of interest to many others… Someone has either swallowed or is about to swallow the red pill! They wanted to know if I could help! OK, I am in trouble. I discovered you and read two of you books and started [...]

Safe People

I don’t know how much this affects other people, but since I’ve gotten a couple of questions on it, I thought there might be others interested in an answer. I got this question in an email the other day: Do you have a brief opinion about whether or not Christ followers should be evaluating people [...]

Así que ya no quieres ir a la iglesia

The Spanish Translation of So You Don’t Want To Go To Church Anymore is now available in HTML and PDF formats for our Spanish-speaking brothers and sisters. A dear brother donated his time and expertise in making this translation available free of charge to anyone who wants it. If others would like to help us [...]

New BodyLife Posted:

The February 2007 issue of BodyLife has just been posted at the Lifestream website. The lead article is titled Windblown: What Life in Jesus Looks Like and is an extended look at what Jesus was trying to communicate with Nicodemus the night they met to discuss the kingdom. Living in the fullness of Christ is [...]

Orphan No More!

I absolutely love stories of God’s transforming work in other people’s lives, and judging from the mail I get in response to the ones I post, I realize they are very encouraging for others as well. These are not easy-fix stories, but stories of transformation God has been working over them for some time. Often [...]

Living in the Security of the Father’s Affection

There’s something about religion that must terrify people with God in order to get them to live according to what they think are God’s rules. That’s why religion has to treat God like an angry ruler, demanding conformity or doling out consequences to the disobedient. Even though we talk about God loving us, most believers [...]