Podcasts about Zahnd

What does the story of Absalom have to do with Jesus and the cross? In this sermon we explore the striking parallels between two sons of David who reveal two radically different ways of becoming king. Discover how humility, self-giving love, and obedience bring a kingdom unlike any kingdom of this world.

"I have no internal resistance." Wally Zahnd knew Virginia Satir personally — and in this raw, intimate conversation, he opens up about her spirituality, her healing, and why he believes she was as close to Jesus as anyone he's met. In this episode of The Self-Connection Podcast, Tim sits down with Wally Zahnd — a retired social worker, longtime friend and student of Virginia Satir, and author of The Spirituality of Virginia Satir (available here: https://a.co/d/0dyU4r41) — for a deeply personal look at who Satir really was. Wally shares firsthand stories spanning decades: hosting Satir for the Chico tapes, being pulled aside on a staircase and told "I have no internal resistance," watching a packed auditorium overflow because people wanted to be near her, and a breakthrough moment with a teenage boy that reshaped how he understood human goodness. Together, Tim and Wally explore the big question at the heart of the book: how did the healer heal herself? They trace Satir's roots in a German Lutheran and Christian Science household, her near-death experience as a child, her belief in the "I Am" as the spiritual seed within every person, and why Wally believes comparing her to Jesus isn't blasphemous — it's an honest look at what happens when someone lives fully congruent with love. If you're drawn to the spiritual dimension of Satir's work — beyond technique, beyond theory — this conversation offers a rare, intimate window into her essence.

Missouri Map Craziness, Trump vs. TV Networks, and MSHP vs. Zahnd Continues | 9-22-26See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd died last week. In April, Zahnd said the job, which he held for nearly 24 years, brought him joy and also “considerable pain.” Up To Date spoke with two former prosecutors about the toll the job had on their mental health.

What happens when we receive God's mercy but struggle to extend that same mercy to others? The story of Jonah shows how easily disappointment and bitterness can keep us stuck in our own perspective. But the mercy of God meets us in the belly of the whale and invites us to lay down our bitterness and become the embodiment of the mercy of God to others.

Eric Zahnd Suicide Brings Up Several Tough Conversations and Questions That MUST Be Discussed | 9-18-26See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

D&P Highlight: Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd has died. full 418 Thu, 17 Sep 2026 18:57:00 +0000 WpHSakosGrLg7j4OKE4EORl9PEz5em6K news The Dana & Parks Podcast news D&P Highlight: Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd has died. You wanted it... Now here it is! Listen to each hour of the Dana & Parks Show whenever and wherever you want! © 2025 Audacy, Inc. News https://player.amperwave

No Man Is an Island No man is an island,Entire of itself;Every man is a piece of the continent,A part of the main.Any man's death diminishes me,Because I am involved in mankind.And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;It tolls for thee.–John Donne (1571–1631), English poet and priest

"Love alone is credible; nothing else can be believed, and nothing else ought to be believed." –Hans Urs von Balthasar

COEXIST (I Will Bless The Lord At All Times?)U2"Am I the best or the worst or the worst of the best?" she sangIce cream smile wide as a mile back then"Say a nice prayer, be a good girl, finger on my lips"When she returned her lipstick had learned how not to kissI can't fix her, can only love herCan't keep her pocket fullI can't keep her face in smilesSomeone's stolen what was beautifulI can't sing her home to me in rhymesBut I will bless the Lord at all timesBless the Lord at all timesI will bless the Lord at all timesI will blessI will bless the Lord at all timesI will bless the LordI will bless the Lord at all timesEvery night we hope and pray for a new day to riseEvery morning when the sun shows up it's still a surpriseAny child is every child in any mother's eyesI will bless the LordI will bless the Lord at all timesI will bless the Lord at all timesI will bless the LordI will bless the Lord at all timesThat child you hear has been crying for years in the wildernessA child without armour had no hatred to harbour, only lovelinessThe driver of the ambulance unpacks his shirt pressed and neatTo honour the hurt and the hungry he will later greetThere's not so much road left here and no road signsDrones hover without any consciousness over war crimesI will bless the Lord at all times?The tide is rising, all ships are sinkingNew poets must despise all old ways of thinkingWhoever made language must've been drinkingTwenty-six characters own all the ink and printingI got so many words in my head but I can't find the linesI will bless the Lord at all timesChanges, these changesWill rain on this paradeChanges, these changesI am not afraidNo one there to write it downBut when the prophet came aroundSaid "I've a stranger with meIn the fight none can compareBut food and shelter we shareBeloved community"Every night we hope and pray for a new day to riseEvery morning when the sun shows up, it's still a surpriseAny child is every child in any mother's eyesI will bless the LordI will bless the Lord at all timesI will bless the Lord at all timesI will bless the LordI will bless the Lord at all timesChanges, these changesWill rain on this paradeChanges, these changesI am not afraidThe pages that enrage usShe tears them from the book"Save us, save us" sings the girl of Guadalupe

Kansas CityThe New Basement TapesI listen to you time and time againWhile you tell me just what's rightAnd you tell me a thousand things a dayThen sleep somewhere's else in the nightI'm going back to Kansas CityAnd I love you dear, but just how longCan I keep singing the same old songAnd I love you dear, but just how longCan I keep singing the same old songI'm going back to Kansas CityAnd you called me to come, then I doThen you say you've made some mistakeYou invite me into your houseThen you say gotta to pay for what you breakGoing back to Kansas CityAnd I love you dear, but just how longCan I keep singing the same old songAnd I love you dear, but just how longCan I keep singing the same old songI'm going back to Kansas CityGypsy woman, you know every place I goEven a thousand miles away from homeAnd you don't care if I'm asleep or I'm awakeThis fickle heart just turned to stoneGoing back to Kansas CityAnd I love you dear, but just how longCan I keep singing the same old songAnd I love you dear, but just how longCan I keep singing the same old songI'm going back to Kansas CityAnd I love you dear, but just how longCan I keep singing the same old songAnd I love you dear, but just how longCan I keep singing the same old songI'm going back to Kansas City

Into The MysticVan MorrisonWe were born before the windAlso, younger than the sun'Ere the bonnie boat was wonAs we sailed into the mysticHark now, hear the sailors crySmell the sea and feel the skyLet your soul and spirit flyInto the mysticYeah, when that fog horn blowsI will be coming homeYeah, when that fog horn blowsI wanna hear itI don't have to fear itAnd I wanna rock your gypsy soulJust like way back in the days of oldThen magnificently we will floatInto the mysticWhen that fog horn blowsYou know I will be coming homeYeah, when that fog horn whistle blowsI gotta hear itI don't have to fear itAnd I wanna rock your gypsy soulJust like way back in the days of oldAnd together we will floatInto the mystic

ThrasherNeil YoungThey were hiding behind hay balesThey were planting in the full moonThey had given all they had for something newBut the light of day was on themThey could see the thrashers comingAnd the water shone like diamonds in the dewAnd I was just getting up, hit the road before it's lightTrying to catch an hour on the sunWhen I saw those thrashers rolling byLooking more than two lanes wideI was feelin' like my day had just begunWhere the eagle glides, descendingThere's an ancient river bendingThrough the timeless gorge of changesWhere sleeplessness awaitsI searched out my companionsWho were lost in crystal canyonsWhen the aimless blade of scienceSlashed the pearly gatesIt was then that I knew I'd had enoughBurned my credit card for fuelHeaded out to where the pavement turns to sandWith a one way ticket to the land of truthAnd my suitcase in my handHow I lost my friends, I still don't understandThey had the best selectionThey were poisoned with protectionThere was nothing that they neededNothing left to findThey were lost in rock formationsOr became park bench mutationsOn the sidewalks and in the stationsThey were waiting, waitingSo I got bored and left them thereThey were just dead weight to meBetter down the road without that loadBrings back the time when I was eight or nineI was watchin' my mama's TVIt was that great Grand Canyon rescue episodeWhere the vulture glides, descendingOn an asphalt highway bendingThrough libraries and museums, galaxies and starsDown the windy halls of friendshipTo the rose clipped by the bullwhipThe motel of lost companionsWaits with heated pool and barBut me I'm not stopping thereGot my own row left to hoeJust another line in the field of timeWhen the thrasher comes, I'll be stuck in the sunLike the dinosaurs in shrinesBut I'll know the time has comeTo give what's mine

I'm A SongStephen Wilson Jr.I'm the showman in San AntonioMiddle of the rodeoDaddy's hand that you used to holdWhen you'd walk back to the carI'm the sound of the county fairFerris wheel kisses high up in the airA sip of brandy when your soul is bareAnd you need to share your heartI'm the words that'll hit youThat'll get you where you're goingSo you never go there aloneI'm the melody glued to the memoryThat you can't shake when it comes onI'm the part of you that you listen toRiding in the radio all night longI'm a songI'm a songI was there the day you learned to driveThe first time that you got highI even helped you realize that she wasn't right for youYou fall down, I pick you up againI helped a boy become a manWhen your best friend diedI helped you cry and finally turn him looseI'm the words that'll hit youThat'll get you where you're goingSo you never go there aloneI'm the melody glued to the memoryThat you can't shake when it comes onI'm the part of you that you listen toRiding in the radio all night longI'm a songI'm a songI'm a songI'm the part of you that you listen toRiding in the radio all night longI'm the words that'll hit youThat'll get you where you're goingSo you never go there aloneI'm the melody glued to the memoryThat you can't shake when it comes onI'm the part of you that you listen toRiding in the radio all night longI'm a song...

As we travel the paths of unseen existences in our long pilgrimage through life, we do so in the company of angels.

"Every one of us is shadowed by an illusory person: a false self. This is the man that I want myself to be but who cannot exist, because God does not know anything about him. And to be unknown of God is altogether too much privacy. My false self is the one who wants to exist outside the reach of God's will and God's love—outside of reality and outside of life. And such a self cannot help but be an illusion."–Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation

Our pilgrim journey through life need not be one of constant sorrow, but from time to time our earthly sojourn will pass through a vale of tears. And that's when Jesus weeps with us.

Tell all the truth but tell it slant—Success in Circuit liesToo bright for our infirm DelightThe Truth's superb surpriseAs Lightning to the Children easedWith explanation kindThe Truth must dazzle graduallyOr every man be blind—–Emily Dickinson

In this conversation, pastor and author Brian Zahnd makes the case that the doctrine of eternal conscious torment isn't the faith once delivered — it's a settlement that won a fight in church history. We trace where the idea actually came from: the Hebrew Sheol, the Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna), the Greek word aiōnios, and how Augustine and Dante's Inferno shaped the fire-and-brimstone hell we inherited.   We also ask the harder question: what does this doctrine DO to us? When you believe billions of your neighbors are already destined for an eternal torture chamber, does it become easier to stop seeing them as fully human? Drawing on his book "Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God," Zahnd argues the traditional view turns the gospel inside out — and reveals a chapter his own publisher refused to print. This is a discussion for believers, exvangelicals, and skeptics alike — anchored in scholarship, biblical languages, and church history, not fear.

"Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty forever beyond its reach."–The Return of the King

In this interview, Spencer Dalke sits down with Brian Zahnd to recover a deeper, richer vision of heaven in Christian thought. Zahnd argues that modern culture—and even much of the church—has drifted into a kind of default materialism, reducing reality to what can be seen and measured, while neglecting the unseen spiritual dimension that Scripture assumes as central. He reframes heaven not as a distant place but as a present, sustaining reality, inviting believers to see their lives as pilgrimages toward life in the presence God. The conversation also explores how this renewed vision reshapes the mission of the church—not to control or “fix” the world through power, but to faithfully embody a foretaste of God's kingdom here and now. Ultimately, Zahnd offers a compelling call to rediscover transcendence, live with eternity in view, and find hope in the promise that what is unseen is more enduring than anything we experience in this present world.  The greater reality of heaven.  Heaven as a dimension “right here.”  Living in light of heaven as Christians in the world.  “Christianity without transcendence degenerates into politics.”  “[Heaven] doesn't mean that we don't think that this life matters. It doesn't mean that we don't care about issues of justice. In fact, rightly understood, heaven actually provides the template of how we should begin to live into the reality of justice here and now.”  “It's Christ who is the Savior of the world. The task of the church is much more modest. It's simply to be that part of the world already transformed by Christ, so that, in its best form, the church becomes a colony of heaven on earth.”  Featured work: Unseen Existences: Of Heaven, Earth, and the Divine Mystery in All Things  Connect with Brian Zahnd on Instagram, Facebook, and Substack.  For more faith-filled, Gospel-centered content, download the Pilgrim Radio app today on Google Play and Apple, or stream at PilgrimRadio.com. 

In this conversation, Pat Kahnke sits down with pastor and theologian Brian Zahnd — one of the most important voices calling the church back from its entanglement with partisan politics. Zahnd argues that MAGA theology has fundamentally misread Scripture: America is not God's chosen nation, not the New Jerusalem. The Bible gives her a different name — Babylon. This is a conversation about discipleship, allegiance, and what it means to follow Jesus in an era when the church has traded transcendence for political power.

Jesus is the ladder uniting heaven and earth. He is the Son of Man and the heavenly man who unites the seen and unseen. He is the incarnate interface who makes it possible for the infinite grace of heaven to flood the finitude of earth.

The Old Testament reading for this Sunday is the enigmatic story of Abraham and his three mysterious guests while he was living in tents under the oaks of Mamre. It's a story laden with theological implications…and tinged with a bit of humor.

The single best way to evaluate the practice of religion is to ask these two questions:Does it prioritize mercy over judgment?Does it make people more merciful?If yes, it's life-giving religion; if no, it's death-dealing religion.

We tend to forget about the Holy Spirit. It's helpful to understand the Holy Spirit in the context of the Trinity. To do so, often people reach for metaphors, but all metaphors fail at some point. As we work to understand God the Holy Spirit, it seems like the Spirit is a backseat member of the Trinity because Jesus gets so much attention. However, the Holy Spirit is a fully active member of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is fully God, though, at times, the forgotten God.

In explaining the remarkable events of Pentecost, the apostle Peter said that this is what the prophet Joel foretold would happen in the last days, and that this is what would happen before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. With the outpouring of the Holy Spirit ten days after the Ascension of Jesus Christ, we find ourselves living between Pentecost and Parousia.

Brian Zahnd joins me to talk about his new book Unseen Existences — and we get into why modern Western people suffer a kind of spiritual homelessness, how philosophical materialism has convinced us the spiritual world isn't real, and what it looks like to recover a sense that heaven and earth actually overlap. We also dig into the Incarnation as a doorway into mystery, wonder and awe as non-negotiables for living faith, and what it means to hold onto a God who intervenes without turning prayer into a transaction.Brian Zahnd is the founder and lead pastor of Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, Missouri. Known for his theologically informed preaching and his embrace of the deep and long history of the church, Zahnd is a frequent speaker at conferences, universities, and seminaries around the world. As a pastor-theologian, he is the author of numerous titles, including The Wood Between the Worlds, When Everything's on Fire, Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God, A Farewell to Mars, and Beauty Will Save the World.Brian's Book:Unseen ExistencesBrian's Recommendation:Wendell BerryConnect with Joshua: jjohnson@shiftingculturepodcast.comGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or YouTubeSupport the podcast and the ministry that my wife and I do around the world. Just click on the support the show link below NEW PODCAST: American Evangelicals - A History PodcastA thoughtful, deep dive into one of the most talked-about movements in American history.Support the show

For Christians, a Christological interpretation of the Old Testament is far more important than the original authorial intent. The Apostles were so committed to making scripture about Christ and Christlike, that, if necessary, they would change words in the original text to make the meaning Christlike. They understood that the supreme revelation of God is the Word made flesh and that scripture must be Christlike or it will be the letter that kills.

Paul at the Areopagus, Hill of Ares, Mars Hill, War Hill, or we might say Paul at the Pentagon. What did Paul preach while quoting two pagan poets? He preached Jesus, the resurrection, the necessity of repentance, and the coming day of judgment.

Jesus begins his farewell discourse with these words: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God.” As we face the troubles of life with honesty, Jesus calls his church to live as an expression of resurrection—bringing hope in the midst of a troubled world.

Jesus reveals himself as a good shepherd who came to give us a rich and satisfying life. He said that he was not like the thieves and robbers who came before him, referring to false Messiahs like Simon of Perea, Athronges, and Judas the Galilliean. They came to steal, kill, and destroy. The good news is that Jesus is not the destroyer. Jesus is the savior! He has come to save you from that which will steal your purpose, kill your hope, and destroy any attempts at a good life. We are those who say yes to Jesus, today and every day, and experience the good life. 

We are all born a long way from home. Home is not where we begin; home is where we need to go. More than ever we are searching for home. Strangely, the home for which we yearn is in another world. This other world, this unseen world, this spiritual world is commonly called heaven. Thus we live here, as Peter says, in exile.

"Peace be with you." This is the first the risen Christ says to his disciples, and he says it three times. Peace...Peace...Peace.

On Good Friday three women all named Mary stood near the cross of Jesus. What happened to them on Easter Sunday?

Among the Roman soldiers carrying out the crucifixion; among the mocking chief priests and the jeering crowd hurling insults; among the Passover pilgrims hurrying past the horrifying spectacle of crucifixion, there stood near the cross of Jesus three women all named Mary.

On Palm Sunday we remember that ever since a new kind of king rode into Jerusalem, not on a warhorse, but on a donkey, bringing not hated, but healing, things have changed.

Eric Zahnd, Platte County Prosecutor on Peeping Tom at KCI?! | 3-24-26See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The raising of Lazarus after four days in the tomb is Jesus' greatest miracle. But it is also the sign in the Gospel of John with the greatest theological significance: The one who called Lazarus out of death will call us of death as well.

The light has come into the world through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But we have to be willing to leave our darkness and live in the shining light of Christ. If we want to stay asleep in our coffins we can—but the gospel calls us out of our sleep, out of death, out of darkness, and into the light.

Wars, revolutions, and grand political ambitions are often cast as heroic attempts to save the world. But let's look at saving the world in the light of Christ. Our drama plays out, not on a battlefield, not in a capital city, not in the halls of congress or parliament, but at an ancient well in tiny village.

“The movie is a prayer,” says Bryan Zahnd, about Terrence Mallick's 2011 The Tree of Life, his favorite movie of all time. Bryan has seen it forty times (I have seen it three times); Bryan has taken his pastoral team from his Missouri Church to see it; he has shown it to his Congregation in Church. The film follows a family in Texas in the 1950s. Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain are the parents; they have three sons. Sean Penn plays the oldest boy when he is grown in the 1980s. It's a sermon on theodicy, creation, eschatology, all of it, all of it. And it's just very beautiful and interesting. If you've not seen it, go see it first, and then come back and talk it over with us! Pastor Byran's website. Another talk with Bryan Zahnd about another Terrence Mallick film: Bryan Zahnd on Almost Good Catholics, episode 92: A Hidden Life: The Life and Martyrdom of Bl. Franz Jägerstätter (1907-1943) Another talk with Bryan Zahnd about his books and his theology: Brian Zahnd on Almost Good Catholics, episode 82: The Wood between the Worlds: Why Death on the Cross? A couple more episode of Almost Good Catholics on related themes: Jacob Howland on Almost Good Catholics, episode 65: Idolatry and Idle Hands: From Aaron's Golden Calf to AI Jonathan Fessenden on Almost Good Catholics, episode 58: The Book of Job: Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People? The video of our discussion of The Book of Job on the Missio Dei website and on YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

To be born from above involves a mystery. Unfortunately, taking its cues from the scientism of the Enlightenment, western evangelicalism tried to make the gospel a kind of scientific formula—a pseudo-science of biblical facts, atonement theories, and sinners' prayers—when it's more like a song, a symphony, a poem, a painting, a drama, a dance, a mystery.

The third temptation was to avoid the cross. But the cross is how Jesus re-founds the world. Instead of being organized around an axis of power enforced by violence, at the cross Jesus reorganized the world around an axis of love expressed in forgiveness.

What Peter, James, and John saw in the Transfiguration of Christ was prophetically anticipated in what Moses saw in the Burning Bush.

This replay episode features excerpts from a 2017 conversation with author Brian Zahnd, exploring his insights on Christian aesthetics and the role of beauty in faith. The discussion centers on Zahnd's book, "Beauty Will Save the World," and his argument for understanding Christianity through the lens of beauty rather than relying solely on truth claims and moral arguments. Send us a textSupport the show Get Tickets to The Breath and The Clay 2026 featuring Malcolm Guite, Jon Guerra, and Jonathan Pageau! March 20-22 in Winston-Salem, NC. Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1

To fully understand what Jesus says about fulfilling the Law and the Prophets at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, we first have to understand Isaiah's prophecy of the ancient ruins restored.

The kind of Christianity Christ blesses is on that is in harmony with the Beatitudes.

Like the Phial of Galadriel that was a light in dark places when all other lights go out, we pay attention to Jesus as a light shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the Morning Star arises in our hearts.

Four o'clock in the afternoon is just four o'clock in the afternoon…unless you encounter Jesus in some new and unexpected way. When that happens, that four o'clock in the afternoon will change your life. Divine encounters are real—and though they cannot be scheduled or manufactured, they should be expected. These divine encounters or mystical experiences need not occur at some sacred time on in some especially spiritual place—they can occur in the most ordinary places at a most ordinary hour, like four o'clock in the afternoon.