Simply Jesus Gathering podcast

7:08

Q & A: Floyd McClung & Cheryl Bridges Johns

Simply Jesus Gathering Podcast

1
Bonus: Q & A: Nish Weiseth & Conrad Gempf 15:22

5 years ago15:22

15:22

Q & A: Nish Weiseth & Conrad Gempf

Simply Jesus Gathering Podcast

1
Bonus: Q & A: Andy Braner, Rick Lawrence & Kathy Maskell 26:16

5 years ago26:16

26:16

Q & A: Andy Braner, Rick Lawrence & Kathy Maskell

Simply Jesus Gathering Podcast

1
Bonus: Q & A: Jonathan Martin, Tamrat Layne & Jawahar Gnaniah 24:56

5 years ago24:56

24:56

Q & A: Jonathan Martin, Tamrat Layne & Jawahar Gnaniah

Simply Jesus Gathering Podcast

1
Bonus: Q & A: Floyd McClung & Dick Foth 29:00

5 years ago29:00

29:00

Q & A: Floyd McClung & Dick Foth

Simply Jesus Gathering Podcast

1
Bonus: Q & A: Leah Kostamo & Mark Braverman 14:58

5 years ago14:58

14:58

Q & A: Leah Kostamo & Mark Braverman

Simply Jesus Gathering Podcast

1
Bonus: Q & A: Idelette McVicker & Len Sweet 9:10

5 years ago9:10

9:10

Q & A: Idelette McVicker & Len Sweet

Simply Jesus Gathering Podcast

1
Bonus: Q & A: Brian Zahnd & Jonathan Martin 7:57

5 years ago7:57

7:57

Q & A: Brian Zahnd & Jonathan Martin

Simply Jesus Gathering Podcast

1
Bonus: Q & A: Dave Schmelzer & Lina Abujamra 17:58

5 years ago17:58

17:58

Q & A: Dave Schmelzer & Lina Abujamra

Simply Jesus Gathering Podcast

1
Bonus: Q & A: Lynne Hybels, Paul Young & Ted Dekker 19:52

5 years ago19:52

19:52

Q & A: Lynne Hybels, Paul Young & Ted Dekker

Simply Jesus Gathering Podcast

1
35. Germs and Jesus - Jonathan Salgado 9:35

5 years ago9:35

9:35

A boy whose parents continually reminded him of washing hands, saying prayers, not getting germs, learning more about Jesus, eventually wondered about the importance of these two things — germs and Jesus — neither of which he could see! We can, though, see both germs and Jesus. The important thing, Jonathan suggests, is getting infected by them. In the story of the lawyer who asks Jesus what he must do to have eternal life, Jesus brought him to a different level that was not just cultural or theological. He wanted the man to be infected by Jesus, to experience his love. A love that comes from an inner makeover that changes one’s worldview, a love that comes only by grace, a love that is both contagious and dangerous.…

Simply Jesus Gathering Podcast

1
34. Jesus Saving Everyday - Nish Weiseth 15:16

5 years ago15:16

15:16

Nish shares with us her story of becoming a mom. Through pregnancy and birth and the dark moments of postnatal depression, she reminds us of that small voice that speaks when we are at the edge, the voice that speaks when the lies are loud. It is the voice that says, “You are not alone. You are rescued. You are seen. You are valued.” And it is the voice of the one who went to find the one lost sheep when the 99 were already safe. That same Jesus who rescues us for eternity rescues us daily. He is a resurrected, alive, saving Jesus.…

Simply Jesus Gathering Podcast

1
33. Jesus Bringing Down Walls - Mark Braverman 10:23

5 years ago10:23

10:23

Mark, feeling at home in the synagogue where the Simply Jesus Gathering is taking place, reminds us of the meaning of “synagogue”: a place of assembly; and he tells the story of his becoming fully Jewish as he progressively knew more of Jesus, the best Jew. Among other incidents, this happened when he was in the Holy Land, daily walking back and forth across the dividing wall between East and West. A woman living in the heart of the conflict told him that to live with all the walls she followed Jesus, the Palestinian Jew who lived in an occupied land. When he was once asked in a Catholic church building which was his synagogue, he responded: “You’re sitting in it.” When it’s all about Jesus, what he’s doing and what he wants us to do, there is joy in the assembly place because he has brought down the walls.…

Simply Jesus Gathering Podcast

1
32. Holding the Ropes for Miracles - Dick Foth 10:25

5 years ago10:25

10:25

Dick loves miracles. And he believes the world is hungry for them. He shares about miracles in his life and draws our attention to the miracle of Jesus first forgiving and then physically healing the paralytic who was lowered through the roof by his friends. Those friends, whose actions were affirmed and whose faith was commended by Jesus, literally held the ropes so their friend would receive a miracle. First responders, like those who saved Dick’s wife’s life, are rope-holders for modern miracles.…

Simply Jesus Gathering Podcast

1
31. Jim and Casper Go to Church - Paul Young 15:59

5 years ago15:59

15:59

God is a God of all people. And we, as the church are a “group of people who get to express what is already true for everybody.” Paul tells of how his friend Jim “bought” an atheist’s soul online for $500. For every $10, Casper, the atheist, would go one time to the church of the buyer’s choice. Paul then met Casper who told him that after having visited all those churches he was still an unbeliever, and Paul asked him some revealing questions about what he does believe. Surprisingly, perhaps, Casper showed true belief in love, life and truth, and, Paul asserts, we are all included in God’s love; though we do have the option to say no. If the Holy Spirit is poured out on all flesh and Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would teach us, then, though “most roads don’t go anywhere, [God] will go down any road to find you.”…

Simply Jesus Gathering Podcast

1
30. Bible: Object or Subject? - Len Sweet 18:25

5 years ago18:25

18:25

Len Sweet’s children had two different experiences of studying the same bird — one dissected it, the other observed it in its live habitat. One study was objective — objectifying the specimen, the other subjective — considering the specimen as a subject. And this, Sweet challenges, is our challenge when approaching the Bible; to treat it like a subject not an object, avoiding “versitis” and getting to know the stories. Our minds process information through narratives and metaphors, not words, so as we refer only to chapter and verse we turn stories into propositions. Just as the disciples on the road to Emmaus had cognition of who Jesus was but they needed recognition, so we need to see Jesus for who he is the great metanarrative of the Bible.…

Simply Jesus Gathering Podcast

1
29. What Does God Look Like? - Floyd McClung 12:23

5 years ago12:23

12:23

Floyd McClung’s young daughter once asked him, “What does God look like?” He doesn’t look like a mean old grandpa, an exacting judge, or Santa Claus. God looks like Jesus—welcoming little children, talking to the Samaritan woman, saving the wedding feast. Floyd tells the story of throwing a birthday party for Jesus in the red light district of Amsterdam, where the party-goers brought gifts for Jesus—poems, songs, cookies. A prostitute came to the party and, without anything else to offer, offered herself as a gift to Jesus. We all have images of God in our heads, and it is a lifelong process of getting rid of the inaccurate images. Jesus wants to break into our lives, dispelling the untrue pictures of himself.…

Simply Jesus Gathering Podcast

1
28. A Boy, His Teacher and His Identity - Ted Dekker 4:46

5 years ago4:46

4:46

Ted Dekker shares that he has spent his life on a journey to understand his own identity and that of his father. He tells the story of a boy and his teacher walking in the Savana. Happening upon a lion and a hyena, the teacher expounds upon the infinitude of God and the smallness of evil. The boy, understanding, finally, God’s greatness, questions his own value, and the teacher tells of the first and second Adams, judgment introduced into and dispelled from the world, and the boy’s ultimate identity in the image of God.…

Simply Jesus Gathering Podcast

1
27. Jesus the Outdoorsman - Leah Kostamo 9:31

5 years ago9:31

9:31

Leah reminds us that the setting of the story is important, and that Jesus’ story was largely set in the outdoors—his birth, death, baptism, wilderness experience, his parables’ settings and objects, his time of prayer with his Father. In a story of an intern finding a rare species of fish at the environmental center where Leah lives and works, she wrestles with whether it’s weird or real that God would care for the small details of our lives and the lowliest of all creatures.…

Simply Jesus Gathering Podcast

1
26. Rewriting Stories - Bart Tarman 12:51

5 years ago12:51

12:51

The story of two poets. One man’s beautiful epic saved another man’s life. The saved man went on to rewrite the saving story, distorting, as he did, the first poet’s character of hope, twisting her to despair. The first, deeply troubled by the loss, again rewrote the story. “When people read the rewritten version of the rewritten version of the beautiful story, they’re compelled to rewrite their own stories…And when they do this they create lives of great beauty.”…

Simply Jesus Gathering Podcast

1
25. Audacious Waiting - Idelette McVicker 10:59

5 years ago10:59

10:59

Idelette gives a stirring call to keep our lamps filled with the oil of hope, just as the five virgins did in Matthew 25. Alluding to her South African heritage, Idelette takes us on a journey to the prison cell where Nelson Mandela was held for 27 years of his “night of waiting” — a small and confined space. In which small and confined places can we stand in audacious waiting with our lamps burning, trusting that the light will break through in the darkness waiting for the Kingdom of Heaven?…

Simply Jesus Gathering Podcast

1
24. Touching Jesus - Jawahar Gnaniah 8:27

5 years ago8:27

8:27

Jawahar Gnaniah shares the stories of Mother Teresa and his own son with muscular dystrophy to illustrate that when we touch those who are in need, we are touching Jesus himself. Danny, Jawahar’s son, who lived with Jesus, touched many people through his life and his death. Are we ready to touch Jesus?…

Simply Jesus Gathering Podcast

1
23. The Scandal of the Samaritan - Jonathan Martin 15:08

5 years ago15:08

15:08

In the parables, Jesus revealed grace through scandal. The parable of the Good Samaritan is much more shocking than we see because of our familiarity and hesitation to modernize parables as it may lead us to the “dangerous” place of being out of control, disordered, and disrupted. This is how it is with all the parables — multi-layered challenges to our desire for order and understanding. They bring “disillusionment that creates space where we need God to reveal truth to us.” Are we willing to be scandalized?…

Simply Jesus Gathering Podcast

1
22. The Yes that is a No - Cheryl Bridges Johns 12:03

5 years ago12:03

12:03

Another story of two sons, one who said yes and didn’t follow through, the other who said no but then did the father’s will. Ruby Turpin, a fine southern woman in Flannery O’Connor’s story, was a follower of Jesus, and respectable in her own mind. But when she encountered a “white trash” woman who spoke a piercing message to her from Jesus, she had a transforming meeting with the one to whom she had said yes, realizing she had been acting in the no. Cheryl identifies with this character so strongly that she asserts that Jesus sometimes calls her by the name of Ruby Turpin, beckoning her to come on the bus of salvation, and have a seat at the back.…

Simply Jesus Gathering Podcast

1
21. Knowing the Messenger - Rick Lawrence 9:01

5 years ago9:01

9:01

Rick shares candidly about a dark time in his life when he felt the heavy weight of many troubles. During that period he received weekly encouraging messages in his mailbox — anonymously. Rick confesses that the messages themselves didn’t actually touch him that deeply, but when he found out who the messengers were his heart was pierced through with encouragement. In the same way, we read the message of God in the Bible, not for the message itself, but to get to know the heart of the messenger. Jesus, Rick says, “is far more beautiful than his message,” and he is inviting us into deep and intimate relationship with himself.…

Simply Jesus Gathering Podcast

1
20. Turning Toward Jesus - Dave Schmelzer 10:47

5 years ago10:47

10:47

Dave tells the story of Bill, an angry Jewish guy who is changed by Jesus in Dave’s church plant in Cambridge, MA. Dave suggests that “just” turning people toward Jesus was the key in Bill’s and many others’ conversions. To address the thought that perhaps “just” listening to Jesus’ voice and turning to follow him fails to deal with the reality that sooner or later a Christian has to “grow” — develop a belief system, opinions, church culture, etc. — Dave suggests the philosophical understanding of the second innocence. After the first innocence of beginning to follow Jesus, where every spiritual encounter feels like a discovery, Christians often find that the shine fades and not everything works out how they thought. In that place of “leaving Eden,” we can try to get back in—the conservative option; we can analyze what happened — the liberal instinct; or we can turn towards the fallen world and start moving, knowing, from John 10:27-28, that we have a shepherd who is going to lead us. Then, as we move through the world, we’ll see paradise ahead of us and enter in through the back door — walking with the living God.…

Simply Jesus Gathering Podcast

1
19. Not "Us & Them" - Andy Braner 8:25

5 years ago8:25

8:25

Andy, once himself close-minded toward Muslims due to the paradigm of fear, challenges us to be open-minded as we follow Jesus and encounter Muslims. He shares three insights toward this end: explore people, invite people to explore with us, and give grace in conflict. We needn’t be afraid, Jesus is with us.…

Simply Jesus Gathering Podcast

1
18. Jesus: Best Teacher Ever - Conrad Gempf 14:01

5 years ago14:01

14:01

Conrad Gempf addresses the point of whether Jesus was actually one of the best teachers ever. He wasn’t usually clear and convincing, his answers weren’t really based on good use of facts, and he often completely avoided the stated question. When the Pharisee asked Jesus who is his neighbor, Jesus answered with a story that spoke to the man’s unspoken questions—who do I have to love and who can I get away without loving? The man, expecting to see a Pharisee in the story for a direct answer to his question, realized that Jesus wasn’t necessarily answering what he had asked, but he was answering him. If you think of the best teacher you’ve ever had, you wouldn’t probably say they were the best because they were the smartest or most convincing or had the best answers. It is probably that they addressed you.…

Simply Jesus Gathering Podcast

1
17. God Speaks Our Language - Paul Young 14:28

5 years ago14:28

14:28

God, as a great communicator, knows our love language. He acts in ways that demonstrate his profound respect for our individual ability to hear and understand him. He spoke to Abram when he asked him to sacrifice his son. But, unlike common interpretations of the story, it was not for himself that he asked the sacrifice. God was revealing to Abram, who had only a basic understanding of who God is and who had only known appeasement theology, another part of himself — that he is provider God. He will provide the sacrifice. God steps into our world and the boxes we’ve created for him to show us more of himself.…

Simply Jesus Gathering Podcast

1
16. Tigers and Strawberries - Ted Dekker 4:38

5 years ago4:38