Lifestream.org Podcast

Imagine you laying back in your easier chair or being caught in an exasperating commute to work and me sitting right beside you reading to you from https://www.lifestream.org/content/finding-church. OK, that doesn't even sound fun to me. I wouldn't sit next to you and read, we would get to talk. But the audio version of...

The final episode makes it clear that we haven’t arrived yet, but merely stand on the edge of the most amazing adventure available to us—how can we explore the vastness of God’s love and character not only in this age, but also for all eternity? On this last day of the year, I get to post the final episode of the video series,...

Everything God does in our lives is so that his joy might be in us and that our joy might be full. He makes a way for us to be at home in him and he disciplines us so that we can find the fruitfulness and fulfillment of his life instead of being tyrannized by the twistedness of our flesh. Engage is our unfolding video series...

Many of us were taught to find security in the approval of others, monetary success, religious activity and belonging to the right group. What if those aren’t the best signals to follow? It may seem difficult to separate the static of the world from his frequency, but it really isn't. Here are some insights to help you...

We find our way into the simplicity of following him as we ignore the obligations and expectations that others can put on us and live in the confidence that there’s only one thing that matters to God—that whatever we do is the fruit of a growing trust in him expressing itself in our love for others. Here are some practical...

Let me take this opportunity to share some of what's going on around here these days. First, for those in the San Diego area, I'm headed that way this weekend and will be gathering with people from the area who want to discuss the relational journey this Saturday, November 16, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm in a private home in...

Faith is not a tool we’re supposed to produce to manipulate God to do what we want. God wins us into faith by showing us who he is and how he is working in our lives. The more we grow to trust him the less we’ll react to trouble by trying to save ourselves and then we’ll be able to embrace how God is working in our...

You do not learn to live this life in Jesus by wrapping your head around a different set of principles. You actually grow to understand this life as you respond to the Spirit guiding you into his truth. Over time the draw of the Spirit will become more powerful than the pull of the world or our religious training. Then,...

Few of us really live in the moment, where God is most easily seen. At times we live in the past by our regrets or by trying to recapture some past experience with him. Sometimes we live absorbed in the future with anxieties about what might happen, or trying to fulfill the plans and hopes we have. God is best seen in the...

Jesus invites us into a kingdom that thrives in love. Learning to live in the reality of his love for us and sharing that love with others, leads us away from the tyranny of always having to have our own way. Then instead of seeking what we want, we can lay down our lives for others and see more clearly how he makes himself...

Our trust in God is undermined every time we try to win God to our agenda and measure his love for us based on our own expectations. If we can live not attached to the outcomes we desire, we’ll discover that he knows best about everything and will lead us into far greater joy and purpose than we’d ever see for ourselves....

Religion is a shame-management system that only increases our captivity as we try to be better for God. The reason God forgave our sin in Christ, is so that we can come to know him without the shame of our failures and by doing so become transformed by his love. Engage is our unfolding video series designed to equip and...

The Bible was never meant to be a rule book filled with condemnation, but the story of humanity coming to understand God’s nature over thousands of years. Learn to read it that way and it will be a valuable resource of insight and wisdom into God and how he works in the world. Engage is our unfolding video series designed to...

Just blazing through a noisy and demanding world will not make it easy for us to know him. He is found in the quiet of our hearts and sometimes a quiet place can help us settle into his reality. Engage is our unfolding video series designed to equip and encourage people to explore their own relationship with God. We are...

Sometimes despite our most ardent prayers, God seems distant. But he’s not. He’s always making himself known, it’s just that we may be looking in all the wrong places for him. Engage is our unfolding video series designed to equip and encourage people to explore their own relationship with God. We are adding a new video...

It is Jesus' joy to knit each of us into the family he is building in the earth. As you learn to follow him he will bring others into your life that can share the converstions that will encourage each other to live in him more deeply rather than bog each other down with the dynamics of religious performance. Engage is our...

Learning to follow Jesus is a process in which you'll make your share of mistakes. Unless you give up the illusion of trying to be perfect, you’ll never have the freedom to discover the joy of learning to live in him. Engage is our unfolding video series designed to equip and encourage people to explore their own relationship...

Prayer is not trying to get God to do what we want, but communicating with him about the issues and circumstances that concern us. It doesn’t happen in a prescribed period each day, but becomes a never-ending conversation where he lets us in on his insight. Engage is our unfolding video series designed to equip and encourage...

Jesus didn’t invite us to follow his rules or traditions about him, he called us to follow him and we do that by learning recognize how he speaks to us. Engage is our unfolding video series designed to equip and encourage people to explore their own relationship with God. We are adding a new video every two weeks on Wednesday...

Living in God’s reality doesn’t come by trying to get the things we want from him, but learning to receive what he is already giving us. Engage is our unfolding video series designed to equip and encourage people to explore their own relationship with God.  We are adding a new video every two weeks on Wednesday. Of...

We are used to being spoon-fed what others think we ought to know about God. Until we take responsibility for our own journey, we’ll never learn to look to him to teach us. Engage is our unfolding video series designed to equip and encourage people to explore their own relationship with God. We are adding a new video every...

If you constantly find yourself doing things for God, then learn to stop. God does not need you to get his attention or affection, but to simply learn to walk with him. Engage is our unfolding video series designed to equip and encourage people to explore their own relationship with God. We are adding a new video every two...

When you’re convinced enough that God is, you’ll want to learn that surrendering to his desires for you over your own agenda for your own life, is the way to open the door for this relationship to grow and deepen. Engage is our unfolding video series designed to equip and encourage people to explore their own relationship with...

Engage is our new video series designed to equip and encourage people to explore their own relationship with God. We debuted the first one two weeks ago and will add a new video every two weeks on Wednesday. Of course the most important part of this process is not the videos, but the time and focus you’ll give between them to...

Engage is our new video series designed to equip and encourage people to explore their own relationship with God. We debuted the first one two weeks ago and will add a new video every two weeks on Wednesday. Of course the most important part of this process is not the videos, but the time and focus you’ll give between them to...

We are unveiling the first video in our Engage series on this blog. Eventually these will move to their own page on our new website, but that has been delayed briefly. Engage is my attempt to equip and encourage people to explore their own relationship with God. Unfortunately, many people who want to know God default to...

We are unveiling the first video in our Engage series on this blog. Eventually these will move to their own page on our new website, but that has been delayed briefly. Engage is my attempt to equip and encourage people to explore their own relationship with God. Unfortunately, many people who want to know God default to...

During our recording sessions, Wayne paused to answer questions from those in attendance. This is some of the dialog that followed sessions 19 through 23. The Jesus Lens: Seventh Dialog Session - Here is some of the interaction that followed Wayne's teaching. If you'd like to add your questions to some of the material you're...

The final audio in our new series about the wonder of Scripture and how to read and interpret it through the revelation of Jesus. The Jesus Lens #24: Let the Journey Continue - By viewing all of Scripture as one continuous story culminating in the revelation of Jesus Christ we can continue to explore a cohesive view of God and...

The twenty-third audio in our new series about the wonder of Scripture and how to read and interpret it through the revelation of Jesus. The Jesus Lens #23: The Return to Israel - Over 106 years the exiles return from Babylon to rebuild the temple and their nation under some inspiring leaders as the prophets continue to call...

The twenty-second audio in our new series about the wonder of Scripture and how to read and interpret it through the revelation of Jesus. The Jesus Lens #22: The Collapse of the Kingdom - The northern kingdom falls to Assyria, and the southern kingdom to Babylon as God continues to woo his people back inside a relationship with...

The twenty-first audio in our new series about the wonder of Scripture and how to read and interpret it through the revelation of Jesus. The Jesus Lens #21: The Kingdom Divided - After Solomon’s reign the kingdom of Israel fractures and corruption in the monarchy and the unfaithfulness of the people to continue to destroy the...

The twentieth audio in our new series about the wonder of Scripture and how to read and interpret it through the revelation of Jesus. The Jesus Lens #20: The Books of Wisdom - How do we read the books of wisdom and poetry that we find in Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs after all we’ve discovered to be true...

The nineteenth audio in our new series about the wonder of Scripture and how to read and interpret it through the revelation of Jesus. The Jesus Lens #19: The United Kingdom - Rejecting God’s desire to lead them himself, Israel asks for a king and the first three kings provide a significant period in the history of Israel and...

During our recording sessions, Wayne paused to answer questions from those in attendance. This is some of the dialog that followed sessions 15 through 18. The Jesus Lens: Sixth Dialog Session - Here is some of the interaction that followed Wayne's teaching. If you'd like to add your questions to some of the material you're...

The eighteenth audio in our new series about the wonder of Scripture and how to read and interpret it through the revelation of Jesus. The Jesus Lens #18: What Was God Thinking? What was God going doing through all the centuries of falleness and then subservience to the law before Jesus came and why is Christianity still...

The seventeenth audio in our new series about the wonder of Scripture and how to read and interpret it through the revelation of Jesus. The Jesus Lens #17: The Rise of a Nation - Exodus through Ruth continue the narrative as God takes slaves from Egypt and brings them back to the land of promise and establishes them as a nation...

The sixteenth audio in our new series about the wonder of Scripture and how to read and interpret it through the revelation of Jesus. The Jesus Lens #16: How It All Got Started - Genesis and Job begin the Old Testament story, one with the origins of the creation, its downfall and how God begins to make himself known to people...

The fifteenth audio in our new series about the wonder of Scripture and how to read and interpret it through the revelation of Jesus. This one begins our run through the Old Testament view of God and it builds on the previous sessions. The Study Guides and Powerpoint Presentations should be up later today on the Jesus Lens Old...

During our recording sessions, Wayne paused to answer questions from those in attendance. This is some of the dialog that followed sessions 12 through 14. The Jesus Lens: Fifth Dialog Session - Here is some of the interaction that followed Wayne's teaching. If you'd like to add your questions to some of the material you're...

The fourteenth audio in our new series about the wonder of Scripture and how to read and interpret it through the revelation of Jesus. The Jesus Lens #14: John's Letters and Revelation - Finally, John’s three letters and his Revelation provide the last words in the New Testament narrative, both a celebration of his love and our...

The thirteenth audio in our new series about the wonder of Scripture and how to read and interpret it through the revelation of Jesus. The Jesus Lens #13: The Later Letters - Paul’s later letters—1 & 2 Timothy and Titus— along with Peter’s two letters and Jude’s dealt with false teachers, suffering, and how to stay faithful...

During our recording sessions, Wayne paused to answer questions from those in attendance. This is some of the dialog that followed sessions 10 and 11. I'm sorry I should have included it earlier, but this one got past me. So it will be a bit out of order in the podcast rotation. The Jesus Lens: Fourth Dialog Session - Here is...

The twelfth audio in our new series about the wonder of Scripture and how to read and interpret it through the revelation of Jesus. The Jesus Lens #12: The Middle Letters - As their individual journeys began to play out in church communities Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, and Hebrews were written to help them...

The eleventh audio in our new series about the wonder of Scripture and how to read and interpret it through the revelation of Jesus. The Jesus Lens #11: The Early Letters - As the believers walked out their newfound relationship with Jesus, issues emerged that required greater clarity. James, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Galatians...

The tenth audio in our new series about the wonder of Scripture and how to read and interpret it through the revelation of Jesus. The Jesus Lens #10: The Elliptical Playground - The truth Scripture describes is not always a linear set of propositions, but an unveiling of two or more seemingly contradictory revelations. The...

During our recording sessions, Wayne paused to answer questions from those in attendance. This is some of the dialog that followed sessions 8 and 9. The Jesus Lens: Third Dialog Session - Here is some of the interaction that followed Wayne's teaching. If you'd like to add your questions to some of the material you're hearing in...

The ninth audio in our new series about the wonder of Scripture and how to read and interpret it through the revelation of Jesus. The Jesus Lens #9: The Most Dangerous Person In Christianity - Everyone interprets Scripture on some criteria, the most dangerous ones are those who don’t think they do and presume to merely take...

The eighth audio in our new series about the wonder of Scripture and how to read and interpret it through the revelation of Jesus. The Jesus Lens #8: Beginning At the End, The Gospels - Luke-Acts is one continuous narrative that bridges the life of Jesus while he was on earth with the life of Jesus in the early believers. Watch...

The seventh audio in our new series about the wonder of Scripture and how to read and interpret it through the revelation of Jesus. The Jesus Lens #7: The Gospels, Part II - Begin in Mark with a quick overview of the life of Jesus then view more of the details in Matthew and John. Finally read Luke to complete the narrative....

The sixth audio in our new series about the wonder of Scripture and how to read and interpret it through the revelation of Jesus. The Jesus Lens #6: Beginning At the End, The Gospels - Getting to know the Jesus of Scripture through the Gospels is critical to understanding the rest of the Bible. See how he lives, what he says,...