Sometimes life's journey takes us into places we hadn't anticipated.  Maybe we have been a person of fatih and have reached a point where we find it hard to believe that there is a God.  Surprisingly, there are ways of reading the bible that allow for that.  

In this episode, Jools encourages those for whom the spiritual journey has led them to a place of atheism.  Atheism may in fact be a necessary part of the journey for you.  If so, that is fine, but maybe it's not the end of the journey...

Suppose there is a kind of truth claim that is not merely proved in a short piece of logic or evidence, but by a lifelong journey lived within that claim.  The proof of the truth in such circumstances is not quickly obtained by argument but is a lived story.  In this podcast, Jools explores that reality.  Truth is like coffee - not merely described, but enjoyed for its aroma and best drunk slowly... 

Easter Saturday, or perhaps we could call it, 'The Day of Deconstruction' is the inbetween point where so many of us find ourselves sometimes.  For those who struggle with faith, it is the point of brokeness where all seems lost. Where the world is caved in and you don't know what's next.  Jesus has died and our faith seems to have died too.  It is at this place that new challenges await and new direction may be birthed even within the pain of the moment.

John 19v38-42 and Luke 23v50-56 give clues to what that might look like.

Connecting with others well enables us to discover the whisper of God in our midst. The trouble is we are not silent long enough to hear. That way of relating requires learning how to park our truth and listen deeply. In this episode Jools explores 3 ways through which we might do that effectively and practically.

It's hard to love some people isn't it?! Everybody loves it when Jesus says love your neighbour, but how do we even start?  In this episode Jools talks about the first steps in becoming more loving.  He explores the process of taking Jesus' command out of the world of theory and abstract that everyone applauds and into the real world of our daily lives.

‘How can I be at home with others unless I am at home with myself?’

We are called to love others as we love ourselves.  But loving ourselves should not be assumed.  It requires an increasing apprehension of God's love for us.  So many religious types end up being shrill about their truths and dumping their insecurities on others because of an inner script of judgement rather than the love of God.  And so many walk away from faith because of this failure to communicate love by fellow journeyers.  Christians can behave like jerks to gays, refugees, and many others not like them.  Why?  Because of how they perceive truth, humility and God's nature.

In this episode, Jools explores ways to overcome the tendency to force our will on others.  Instead he offers ways to overcome the self defeating scripts in all our heads.

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Being certain of your faith is surely a given, isn't it?  But what happens when our certainty creates a way of faith that is anything but loving?

In this episode Jools discusses the concept that our certainty is actually very often distorted even without us noticing.  And the results are not pretty.

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