Kari Patterson

Today on Kari's birthday we have a surprise gift for her: as Kari will hear from some family and friends who love her and cherish her presence, friendship, and care in their lives. Every episode is her talking to each and all of us; this time she's invited to listen along. Notes welcome » podcast@karipatterson.com

ONENESS. What is it? Over and over and over in Scripture we see this repeated theme of being ONE. One mind, one heart, one Spirit, one Lord, one baptism—ONE body of Christ.Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.1 Corinthians 12:29You, of course, is plural. I am not the body of Christ, WE are the body of Christ. You (plural) are THE body of Christ (singular). So how do we know what this oneness is supposed to look like?The mind-blowing, awesome thing about our God is that He is both our Savior AND our Creator. We serve a God that not only saved us from sin but also who created THE ENTIRE WORLD. And because He created the world, the entire world serves as an illustration of theological truth. The heavens declare the glory of God! God is revealed everywhere–there are no excuses for not knowing Him!So as we look through the Word AT the world we see a beautiful picture of what oneness is like.Join me for Episode 33 as we dive into what ONENESS really is and how we (many!) can become ONE body, functioning for His glory and the good of our world.

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.—1 Peter 2:21-24I'm still here! So sorry for the loooong break. We went on a family vacation, made some intentional changes to slow down life a bit and unplug more ... well, I just unplugged so much I never plugged back in.But I'm here, and I love sharing bits here and there about the Second Mile, and I recently received an email I wanted to share. A bit of it reads:I just wanted to let you know I'm now on staff at my church, and we are going through a very difficult time. I know we are not alone. Covid has been very difficult on the church. My senior pastor just resigned, really because the life has been sucked out of him, and many people have left for seemingly silly reasons. I recently discovered your podcast on the second mile. I burned through the whole thing in 2 weeks. It was all so relevant to everything we are dealing with. I just want to say thank you for your words! They have inspired me to keep going, keep loving, to do good not unto man but unto God. I feel tired and alone but your podcast inspires me to stay the course. This sister is right. They're not alone. And it got me thinking it'd be good to talk a bit about the Second Mile as it relates to church unity and navigating difficulties together as the body of Christ. So here we go!Join me for Episode 32 as dive into God's heart for His church, and how the Second Mile enables us to be ONE heart, one mind, united in our one glorious purpose.

Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.1 Peter 4:19 So we know that evil is not God's will but our encounter with it can be. We know that we can suffer according to the will of God, bringing Him glory through it and actually ushering in His redemptive work when we go His way even when it hurts.We saw that we can entrust our souls to God even when what we see doesn't make a lick of sense. Even when our minds can't wrap around the injustice that seems to prevail around us, we can say, It is well with my soul.And now, it's time to get busy. We've settled. We've entrusted. Let's get busy doing good.Doing good: That's what the Second Mile is all about. Instead of dwelling on the stinging cheek, we move forward and offer the other. Instead of throwing ourselves into defending our rights and our stuff, we let go of the tunic and offer the cloak. Instead of huffing and puffing over that first unfair mile, we lift our eyes to the One we really serve and with a little hop in our step we go not just one, but two.The joy comes in the doing good. What does that look like? How do we go about that. This is where the rubber meets the road and there are some critical lessons we must learn if we're going to get to that glorious second mile where we're actually free.Join me for Episode 31 as we look at the critical truths that will equip us to joyfully enter the FREEDOM of that second mile. It's worth the struggle!

Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.1 Peter 4:19I love the Psalms because often they give voice to what we feel but probably wouldn't want to admit out loud.I can say all the right things but inwardly be thinking, "How come THEY get to do XYZ and aren't convicted whatsoever but you won't let me?" Or, "Why do the people who don't even follow God seem to get ahead while those who are faithful to Him face nothing but suffering?"If I'm honest, what I see with my eyes in the world around me looks suuuuuper unfair. Sometimes I can safely distance myself from all that feels wrong, but sooner or later we're forced to face it and honestly it can seem unbearable.Enter Psalm 73. It's one of my favorites, and it provides us a blueprint for what this process looks like — giving God our honest agony and reminding our souls of what's true: It's good to be near God.Join me for Episode 30 as dive into several Psalms together and learn, even when we can't wrap our minds around all we see in this world, how to entrust our souls to a faithful Creator. His peace surpasses understanding.

Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.1 Peter 4:19 So how do we do this? How do we navigate our interactions with a broken, fallen world? Early on the pandemic (a year ago!) I remember hearing a lot of discussion about "Is this 'from God'?" Or not?We know that death and disease are not God's will, He doesn't delight in those things, but of course we see God working good through crises of all kinds, every single day. So how do we resist evil but not resist the good God is doing? How do we "go the second mile" but still abhor evil the way God does?I usually figure it's best to answer Scripture's questions with Scripture. In this case, 1 Peter 4:19 provides us a powerful 3-point outline of how we are to respond to the inevitable evil, unfairness, and even suffering that we encounter in this world. God's Word gives us exactly what we need!Join me for Episode 29 as we talk about suffering according to God's will. We know evil is not God's will but our encounter with it can be when we allow Him to work redemption through our submission to Him. All can be redeemed for good! Such HOPE we have!

In this last leg of the Second Mile, we're talking about GENERAL INJUSTICES. Those things in life that feel maddeningly unfair. The ways that those in authority make demands that feel frustrating. The ways we might feel powerless, enslaved to a certain set of circumstances we don't have the power to change.

We sing things like "I surrender" or "laying down my life" or "whatever it takes" but then at the first whiff of being wronged we're so quick to defend everything that's ours. Or maybe that's just me!In Luke 6, Jesus shares some more words that leave us scratching heads, "Does He mean that?" And, if He does -- how does this translate to the situations I face in daily life. Jesus says,“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.32 “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.Luke 6:27-36Give to everyone who begs? Wait, what? So I'm supposed to hand out cash to every panhandler on the offramp? And what's the point of lending if we're expecting nothing in return? Isn't that just giving?While I don't think there easy answers to these questions, I love that Jesus' words are loud and clear, and He's letting us know in no uncertain terms: To follow Jesus means a willingness to get ripped off.But ... as verse 35 so clearly states: It'll be worth it.Join me for Episode 27 as we wrestle through these words from Luke 6 and learn a bit ore of what it looks like to follow Jesus and be sons of the Most High. Also we'll discuss how to navigate the complexity of Second Mile living when your spouse isn't onboard. Thanks for listening!

Have you ever wished you could just write a check to make someone come to Christ? Maybe that sounds bizarre, but I mean, haven’t you ever wished that you had that kind of power, just through incurring a cost, to actually influence a person’s soul for eternity?What if we do?Now before you totally write me off as a crazy heretic, just consider: What is it that gets people’s attention?We are accustomed to people being self-seeking. We are accustomed to people demanding their rights. We are accustomed to everyone looking out for themselves.We’re not accustomed to self-sacrifing love. We’re not accustomed to someone being willing to be wronged. We’re not accustomed to radical forgiveness.That is what grips souls.Consider this exerpt from Les Miserables, right after Jean Valjean has robbed the Bishop, and the police (gendarmes) catch him and bring him back:[The Bishop] stepped to the chimney-piece, took the two silver candlesticks, and brought them to Jean Valjean. The two women looked on without uttering a word, without a gesture, without a look which could disconcert the Bishop.Jean Valjean was trembling in every limb. He took the two candlesticks mechanically, and with a bewildered air.“Now,” said the Bishop, “go in peace. By the way, when you return, my friend, it is not necessary to pass through the garden. You can always enter and depart through the street door. It is never fastened with anything but a latch, either by day or by night.”Then, turning to the gendarmes:–“You may retire, gentlemen.”The gendarmes retired.Jean Valjean was like a man on the point of fainting.The Bishop drew near to him, and said in a low voice:–“Do not forget, never forget, that you have promised to use this money in becoming an honest man.”Jean Valjean, who had no recollection of ever having promised anything, remained speechless. The Bishop had emphasized the words when he uttered them. He resumed with solemnity:–“Jean Valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to evil, but to good. It is your soul that I buy from you; I withdraw it from black thoughts and the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God.”—ending of “Chapter XII. The Bishop Works” in Les Miserables by Victor HugoJoin me for Episode 26 as we look at the POWER we have been given, to influence others and potentially even “buy their souls” for God, just through our willingness to forgive. So much to consider here! Thanks for joining!

"Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors..."For the past few weeks we've been looking at COST. Some things that other people do cost us something. That's why they bother us! Jesus is talking about a situation where we are sued and our tunic is taken, and we are to not only NOT demand it back, we're supposed to offer our cloak as well!The gist of this is: Other people's actions often cost us. They cost us convenience, they cost us time, they cost us money. The truth is, we're often "paying the price" for other people's choices.How does Jesus tell us to respond to this?Give more. Go farther.This is so the exact opposite of how we want to respond. When I face circumstances that feel like they unfairly "take away" my preferences of conveniences, I want to push back against that! But the Jesus way is the opposite — He dives into discussions on forgiveness.Forgiveness is HUGE. Without forgiveness there is no gospel. If we miss this message, if we gloss over the significant of forgiveness, we will miss Jesus. It's that simple.Join me for Episode 25 as we look at what forgiveness really means. Cost, debt, repayment, reconciliation — all these financial terms help us understand the great gift of our salvation and what our Father expects us to offer others as well. Thanks for joining!

Do you ever find Scripture offensive? I mean, if we're honest, aren't there things Jesus says that make us like, "Really?! Does He mean that?!" The Second Mile commands might top the chart in terms of tough-to-swallow teachings.Nevertheless, they're here, so we can wrestle with them and ask God to align our lives with His Word, or we can ignore them, and be in danger of unknowingly rejecting the authority of Scripture."If someone sues you and takes your tunic, give them your cloak as well."—Jesus, Matthew 5:40 These are hard words, yes? But this sacrifice is clearly commended in other places as well:"For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one."Hebrews 10:34Remember we've been talking about reward? That's front and center here! Jesus is saying that when we willingly let go of what we could claim as ours, we secure for ourselves a better possession, an abiding one, one that can't be destroyed by moth and rust, one that can't be stolen by thieves (Matt. 6:10).Shall we dive into this? Join me for Episode 24 as we count the cost of following Jesus, recognizing what may be at stake, and resting in His promised provision for our lives. Thanks for joining!

We've been lingering a long time on the idea of a face slap, and Jesus' surprising instruction to turn and offer the other cheek as well. The essence of that is hurt and humiliation, it's being the brunt of someone's contempt, it's feeling the sting of a personal offense.Now, let's turn the corner and consider the second portion of Jesus' second mile teaching:"If someone sues you and takes your tunic, give them your cloak as well."—Jesus, Matthew 5:40 I don't know about you, but this makes my inner justice-alarm start sounding wildly. “Wait. What?! Something’s taken unfairly and you’re saying give more?” Jesus' command here clearly represents an injustice. The items were taken wrongly. The situation is unfair. And yet, Jesus words couldn’t be clearer. One item taken? Offer two.The essence of this wrong isn't hurt of humiliation, it's cost. What's been done to us costs us dearly, and we're required to offer even more? How does this bring the Kingdom of God?Join me for Episode 23 as we consider how the perks and "added value" of giving can keep us from walking in the true generosity Jesus describes, the kind that brings the Kingdom of God on earth.

Happy New Year, friends! I'm so excited to be jumping back into the Second Mile together in this new year. These first episodes have focused primarily on the first part of Jesus' words (turn the cheek). Now, we're going to turn a corner and focus on the second portion of his command -- giving the tunic after our cloak has been unfairly taken. Lots to cover here!But first, let's consider an all-too-common scenario: You feel a hurt or offense, or you're facing a predicament. You pray, perhaps fast, you seek the Scriptures, and you sense God's path forward of obedience. It may not be easy, it may even involve turning the cheek, but you do it by faith.What often happens is that when we obey, we believe (without even realizing it) that the situation will work out favorably. The other person will also respond in a godly way, or the conflict will work itself out. Whatever the circumstance, we tend to expect that if we do the right thing, a positive outcome will occur.But what if it doesn't? What do we do when the right thing goes wrong? When the other person is madder? When it feels like obedience to God lands us in a hornet's nest? What then??Thankfully, the Scriptures don't follow the Hollywood trend of predicable plots and overused story-lines. We get some significant surprises in the pages of Scripture. King David gives us an up-close look at how we are to handle this frustrating, and often heart-breaking, scenario, when the right thing goes wrong.Join me for Episode 22 as we get honest about the frustration and pain we feel when the right thing goes wrong.

My family’s favorite podcast is, hands-down, the Brant and Sherri Oddcast featuring Brant Hansen who authored the outstanding book Unoffendable. In one episode, Brant was demonstrating the danger of hurry by sharing a story about college students who were given a topic to study, then told they were to go to another building where they would give a short speech on this topic.Some of the students studied the story of the Good Samaritan from Luke’s gospel, while other students studied topics unrelated to compassion or service. Before walking to the other building, an actor was staged along the path, pretending to be injured and in need. Then of the students were told they were late for their speech appointment, while other students were told they had plenty of time. That is, some students felt rushed, some didn't.To a one, the students who believed they “had time” stopped and helped the injured person, while those who believed they didn’t “have time” ignored the injured actor even if they were going to speak on the story of the Good Samaritan. That is, the fact that they’d just studied about stopping for an injured person had no impact on their decision, the deciding factor was whether or not they believed they “had time” to stop. The deciding factor on whether we do some good work or not: Whether or not we believe we have the necessary resources to do it.Will we live out the Second Mile or not? What is the determining factor?Join me for Episode 21 as we examine the ways that a "lack" mentality sabotages our Second Mile efforts. What would Jesus say to us who feel this overwhelming sense of being spread too thin? Good news ahead.

As we begin wading into Second Mile waters, we'll inevitably have some objections, or at least valid questions that surface. What about abuse? Does God call me to be a doormat? Aren't we enabling people? This looks a lot like codependence!True, at first glance, the Second Mile can look frighteningly similar to codependence. Someone slaps you and you purposefully turn your cheek, isn't that enabling that person to slap you again?Codependence says: I need you to love me, so I’ll do whatever it takes to get, or keep, your love.Christlikeness says: I don’t need you to love me, I love you because Christ loves me, so I’ll do whatever He says because I already have His love and approval.Codependence says: I need you to approve of me in order to be okay, so I won’t resist any of your sinful behaviors because I fear losing your approval.Christlikeness says: I don’t need your approval, I’m already okay because Christ has approved of me. I can therefore do whatever it takes to help you be free from sinful behaviors (even if that includes contacting authorities), because I’m not afraid of losing your approval. Codependence says: I’m desperate, and I’m nothing on my own, so I’ll revolve my entire life around doing whatever it takes to keep you near.Christlikeness says: Because I am in Christ, I’m not desperate. I'll serve you to whatever extreme Christ determines, because I only serve one Master and that is Him. Codependence says: I live to please you, person.Christlikeness says: I live to please You, God. Questions to consider:Does this person’s Facebook “like” on your post means more than anyone else’s? Does his or her not liking your post negatively affect your mood?Does this person have the power to make you cry easily? After an interaction do you find yourself moody, anxious, or depressed? Does he or she have greater say in your decision-making than God and His Word?Do you find yourself grumpy or short with your family if you have a negative interaction with this person? If plans with this person are cancelled, are you relieved? Are you willing to sacrifice significant time/comfort/money in order to please this person? Would you make the same sacrifice for your spouse or close friend? Are you afraid to vocalize an opinion that you know they’d disagree with? Do you feel guilty for making a decision you know they’d disagree with?When you need to talk to this person about something important, do you get a stomach ache or feel overly stressed? Do others (i.e. your family) get neglected because you overly prioritize this person’s needs/wants/preferences? Looking to Jesus:Jesus never shied away from speaking truth for fear of offending someone.Jesus never begged anyone to follow him, like him, or approve of him.Jesus consistently identified with socially unacceptable or unclean people.Jesus was never afraid of rejection.Jesus never let others’ criticism or ridicule negatively affect his interactions with others.Jesus continued to show love and kindness toward those who mistreated him.Jesus never showed favoritism to the rich, influential, popular, etc. Jesus never retaliated or sought revenge. Jesus never chased after someone who walked away from Him. Jesus was never overwhelmed by all the needs around Him. Jesus was never guilted into doing something that wasn’t the will of God. Jesus never hurried.Join me for Episode 20 as we discover the difference between codependence and true Christianity, as well as consider some wisdom if we find ourselves in dangerous or harmful situations...

So, if we're not to resist the one who is evil but we ARE to resist evil and specifically the Evil One ... how does this play out in real life? How do we resist evil without resisting the person who's embodying that evil?I've mentioned a few times that a dear friend of mine has had to walk this out in ways that have amazed me time and time again. I've seen her navigate the difficulties of this very thing, and it's given me such a beautiful example. I'd love to share with you a bit of her journey.There's another person who's spoken at length on this topic, you might be a familiar with him ;)…love means understanding goodwill for all men and a refusal to defeat any individual. And so somehow love makes it possible for you to place your vision and to center your activity on the evil system and not the individual enemy who may be caught up in that system. And so you set out to defeat segregation and not the segregationist. You set out to defeat the evil system of communism and not the communist. And there is a great deal of difference there. And there must be an active love for the individuals who may be caught up in an evil unjust system while we continue to work passionately and unrelentingly to do away with the system itself. (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, sermon from March 7, 1961, "Loving Your Enemies")Join me here for Episode 19 as we learn how to be FOR people while being against the evil that so often works in and through them...

When Jesus said, "Do not resist the one who is evil," what did he MEAN? Does this mean we're just to go along with every injustice and never push back against the evils we see at work in our lives and our world? Are we just to be spineless blobs ever-turning cheeks and offering cloaks and sort of passively accepting whatever comes our way?In this short episode we dive into the clear Scriptural teaching on who to really resist, and how. Thanks for continuing with me along this journey!Join me here for Episode 18 ...

So we know the real enemy is the one behind the person who's hurt/frustrated/offended us. Remember the spit-wad from the back of the classroom? It's really Gilbert Blythe, not Josie Pye, who is to blame. It's easy to take aim at a person, but the Devil is the enemy, and he wants us to fight against our visible enemy and ignore the invisible battle where he is seeking to steal, kill and destroy.So how do we really win? The Second Mile gives us a super cool battle plan that's surprisingly simple to employ in any situation. It can even become fun. And the more we spend time in God's Word and get to know His heart, the better we'll be able to employ this method and deal a death blow to the Devil's schemes. Don't miss this simple but powerful strategy!Join me here for Episode 17 and let's learn how to REALLY win...

Scammed. Tricked. Duped. No one wants that, right? But sadly, this happens all the time, to us, when we're ignorant of what's really going on around us.In this episode, I share about an experience where I felt a level of anger toward someone that was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. Through it, God showed me a vivid picture of what takes place when we allow our anger to rest on a person rather than correctly identifying the true Enemy behind it all. Remember, virtually everything Satan does, he does through people. So, we must be wise as serpents and innocent as doves, gracious and kind, knowing the secret to overcoming evil with good. We must keep our eye on the real battle at hand.I hope this illustration can be as helpful for you as it has been for me. Plus, it's just fun to talk about Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe, and spit-wads. ;)Join me here for Episode 16 as we consider how to wisen up and defeat our one real Enemy...

Whether they meant it or not, the fact is you feel slapped. There's a sting. It hurts and you instinctively recoil, pull back, hide, distance. The truth is, we unknowingly slap each other all the time, especially during times of disagreement and tension (anybody know any times like those happening these days?). What does turning the cheek really mean? Refusing cancel culture. It means staying close. Turning the cheek means a willingness to stay close enough that your other cheek is vulnerable. It means you say with your actions: I'm willing to be hurt again if it means staying close enough to bless you. You might get stung again, but that's ok because you're choosing to the way of Jesus. I have been the recipient of this blessing, even this week, and I urge you to please listen in and consider the implications of this in your own life. Don't underestimate the power of blessing. We need it more than ever before.Join me here for Episode 15 as we contemplate the good news: Your freedom isn't dependent on anyone else. Be free...

Is there anything more frustrating (and painful) than when someone hurts you, but never acknowledges the wrong, or worse, acts like it's your fault? For example:Your husband admits he accesses pornography, but he can’t understand why you seem so upset about it.Your mom’s terrible choices deeply wounded you as a youth, but she’s oblivious, always referring to “your magical childhood," re-writing the narrative through her own skewed perspective.Your dad abandons your mom for other woman and expects you to be best friends with her kids. He can’t understand why you're not excited about having a “bonus family.”Or, as the Apostle Peter clearly struggled with, what about when someone just hurts you again and again and again. How many times do we have to forgive?Here's the thing: At first, Jesus' commands about forgiveness feel unfair. They seem insane. Too much. There's no way. But there's a profound promise hidden beneath these seemingly impossible commands and if we will take Him at His Word, we'll experience a FREEDOM that would never be possible if we only based our forgiveness on the other person's worthiness or apology.We don't have to wait around for someone else to say they're sorry. Or make it right. Or even understand what they've done wrong.Jesus says, Your healing and freedom is dependent on NO ONE ELSE but Me.Good news!Join me here for Episode 14 as we contemplate the good news: Your freedom isn't dependent on anyone else. Be free...

As we look at the particulars of Jesus' Second Mile instruction in Matthew 5, it's fascinating to see the three facets of wrong-doing that He addresses in three short sentences. First of all He speaks of the slap. This isn't an impersonal injustice. This is the up-close and personal wound of a friend. You can see the whites of their eyes. A slap is a sign of contempt, from someone you trusted enough to come within arm's reach. In this episode we look at why the slap stings so much, drawing from Psalm 55 and the experience of the mighty King David. 

"If a soldier or other government official conscripts your services to carry a load for him so far, you are under the compulsion; you are forced to do it. But when you have reached the end of your stipulated distance, you are a free person again; then you can say to him, “If you’d like it carried farther, I will gladly carry it for you.’ The initiative has now become yours, and you can take it not by voicing a sense of grievance at having been put to such inconvenience but by performing an act of grace."—F.F. Bruce, The Hard Sayings of Jesus, p. 69 “The penurious moralist stingily expending himself no farther than the law requires, is a pitifully sad fellow, who has never learned that it is hard work serving as a drafted man in a battle you would like to avoid, but it is glorious business fighting as a volunteer for a cause you love.”Harry Fosdick, The Second Mile, pp. 28-29 Turning the cheek, giving someone the shirt off your back, and slogging along a forced-mile sounds miserable. Yes? And as long as we're in that "have-to" mindset, it is miserable. But that's just it—the secret of the Second Mile is that you break the back of unfair compulsion with the power of voluntary generosity. It's a completely upside-down counter-attack of kindness that frees you from that miserable victim-feeling and turns you into a victorious fighter for the cause of Christ. Come along as we contemplate what's really at stake here, and how we can—even today—turn the tables and find joy. Join me here for Episode 12 as we follow Jesus into FREEDOM...

Tortilla chips without salt? No, thanks. Similarly, who wants the burden of religious obligations without the actual life-transforming power of Jesus that enables us to do what is humanly impossible? If the gospel doesn't empower us to love our enemies, how are we any different from the world? In this episode we look at the total transformation of one disciple, and how completely changed He was by the upside way of Christ. What if our lives were marked by this supernatural, inexplicable love for even those we most naturally dislike? Join me here for Episode 11 as we seek to be salty, just as Jesus intended...

Thankfully, we don't just have Saul, Ahab, and Jonah as our examples. The Old Testament also gives us three guys who are a great example of emotional health. Joseph, David, and Ezekiel shine as stunning examples for us to follow. What can we learn from their lives? Also, if we do identify some emotional instability or dysfunction in our lives, what are practical steps we can take toward freedom? Let's talk about all this! Join me here for Episode 10...

Have you looked at the life of someone great, or someone super not-so-great, and wondered, How did they get to this place? You know there were so many choices along the way, and it's fascinating (at least to me) to study the lives of these people and learn. Today we get to dive into the lives of three emotionally dysfunctional men in Scripture and see how their choices led to instability, fragility, and volatility. Let's take note and let their lives teach us valuable lessons for our journey into emotional health. Join me here for Episode 9...

On the one hand, we've seen how letting our emotions enslave us or dictate our behavior leads to bondage, and keeps us from being useful to serve those around us. On the other hand, our God-given emotions DO play an important role in our lives, if we wisely tune into what they're telling us, using God's Word to interpret them and inform our conclusions and actions. Sure, emotions may not tell us the truth about reality, but they do tell us a lot about ourselves, and can be a powerful catalyst for providing empathy, which is essential to going the Second Mile. Join me here for Episode 8 » 

Hey friends! Joining you pretty much in real-time here, it's Sunday evening and I'm here in Oregon in the midst of the wildfires. What a week. First chance I've had to steal away and share thoughts, we don't have internet but Jeff is uploading this via his hot spot (which is a TERRIBLE term to use right now in the midst of forest fires!). I wanted to share about our week this week in the midst of forest fires and evacuations, but also share a bit of my personal journey through learning about how we must learn to have victory over our emotions in order to be useful and serve others. Something tells me this is something we're going to need ASAP. ;) Join me here for Episode 7 ...

This would all be easy except for ...... how I FEEL. Anybody else? Second Mile living is easy when I'm "feelin' it". When I'm filled with all those happy-Jesus-vibes and generosity just seems to flow freely isn't it just so beautiful when we just all love each other?Until he says that thing, or you see that post or read the message that just sends your blood pressure through the roof. Or you feel so deeply hurt or alone or left out or wrongly judged or betrayed or whatever -- and you feel ALL THE FEELS.Even the exact same circumstance can FEEL different based on so many factors.So here's what we have to figure out: Can feelings be commanded? Can God command us to FEEL a certain way? How much control do we have over our feelings?We're starting a quick mini-series, within the Second Mile, to tackle some of these questions, because until we figure out feelings, we won't be able to figure out freedom. Join me here for Episode 6 ...

Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy, do not desire his delicacies, for he is like one who is inwardly calculating.“Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.—Proverbs. 23:6-7There is profound relational wisdom wrapped up in this proverb, with a far wider reach than mere eating and drinking. We’ve probably all encountered those relationships that, although we can’t quite put our finger on it, there seems to be a hidden scorecard tucked away somewhere. Kindness seems silently documented, and generosity received makes you feel indebted somehow.The truth is, it’s certainly not life-giving to be in relationship with someone who’s keeping a ledger of relational credits and debts. But as much as I’d love to focus on those people, the truth is, we all have a tendency to slip into a ledger lifestyle. Although we’ve not usually aware of it, when someone hurts us it is uncanny how quickly that ledger surfaces … suddenly we remember all the other things that person has done.So how do we find freedom from this stingy-grace, from the ledger-lifestyle, and learn instead to keep no record of wrongs? Join me here for Episode 5…

"Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see."—Corrie Ten Boom, The Hiding PlaceI don't think anyone saw this coming. Maybe a few had an inkling, but for the most part, no one knew 2020 would be like this. What a great reminder that only God knows the future, and therefore only God knows how to prepare you for the future. I love those words by Corrie Ten Boom, and they always come to mind when facing challenges, hardship, or situations I wouldn't choose. I think: This is preparation for a future that only God can see.Today I want to share with you a few experiences that gave me a heightened sense of urgency about The Second Mile, and why we need to be prepared.

The Second Mile can be summed up fairly simply: Whatever is unfairly required, demanded, or taken—joyfully give even more. That’s the spiritual secret to lifelong freedom, the secret to breaking the power of injustice, the secret to living above the fray of unfairness. Super simple. Also, it seems, totally backwards. But isn't that exactly how Jesus' kingdom is? Jesus came to give what everyone desires: life.  But, strangely enough, this life comes at a cost—death.  His death brought eternal life, and we also find life by losing ours. No less than six times throughout the gospels we see Jesus presenting this surprising path to life:  Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it (Matthew 10:39).For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it (Matthew 16:25). For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it (Mark 8:35).For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it (Luke 9:24).Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it (Luke 17:33).Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life (John 12:25).  If there was ever a repeated theme in all four gospels, this is it! He’s reminding us again and again that this new life he’s giving isn’t found through a few small behavior modifications. Jesus knows that we’ll never be truly free as long as we’re content to tinker around with our inner person, tweaking this or that, busying ourselves with small adjustments while keeping him at arm’s length. His outrageous claims demand our absolute attention and an honest self-evaluation: Am I willing to die in order to live? Join along for an honest conversation about this surprising path to life in Episode 3...

I've been following Jesus (closely or distantly) since childhood, for about 35 years. For most of those years, I shunned the most obvious sins—10 Commandment stuff: sexual immorality, lying, stealing, cursing, that sort of thing. When wronged or hurt, I responded with general kindness. I didn’t gossip, backbite, throw a fit, or respond hatefully. I was a speaker and Bible teacher, a pastor’s wife, a homeschool mother of 2, a graduate of seminary. I had taught scores if not hundreds of Bible studies. But if you had, figuratively speaking, viciously slapped me across the face, if you had sued me for absolutely no reason and taken the very clothes off my back, if you had unfairly forced me to humiliating and exhausting work that was actually YOURS to do, in short if you would have attacked me in some way… I would’ve done exactly what virtually every Christian counselor would have told me to do and what most well-meaning Christian friends would tell me to do:I would’ve stood up for myself. I probably would’ve couched it in Christian terms, of course. Something like: I know my identity and I’m a daughter of the king so I don’t have to be treated like this.This feels an awful lot like the world's wisdom, doesn't it? Something along the lines of: Get even. Fight back. Stand up for yourself.I think there’s a reason we gravitate to this option—there’s actually a strong biblical case for this call-down-fire Christianity. In fact, it's possible to know Jesus, even walk beside Jesus, and still react to offenses the exact same way as the world. A few of Jesus' disciples did exactly this.Today we talk about call-down-fire Christianity, what eventually transformed Jesus' followers, and what will transform us ...

I got 2020’d again.Have you heard this phrase? Or maybe its variant: 2020 strikes again. I don’t usually like wide-stroked painting of an entire year, but I have to admit if there was a year that deserved to be a verb, it’s 2020. It has like it’s one thing after another.Honestly? I think more is in store. I think now is the time to figure out what to do with everything we didn’t ask for. Unkind people. Mistreatment. Unfair situations. Frustrations and disappointments.Today’s the day, we’re diving in–what to do with everything you didn’t ask for, and a little bit about our hard-wired Justice-Meter.