Children of Love in a World of Wrath (#1045)

Since Wayne and Sara have been on vacation, we do not have a new podcast today.

Wayne and Kyle explore how to live out of love, especially when in conflicted situations. Drawing from Wayne and Tobie’s recent How Does Love Make Right? seminar, they walk through seven ways love can respond to hurt and injustice: presence, truth, impact, responsibility, protection, restoration, and freedom. The goal is not to control people or force an outcome, but to learn how to act from the fullness of God’s love rather than fear, scarcity, or self-protection. Along the way, they reflect on boundaries, honest apologies, safe relationships, arrogance, and the challenge of telling the truth without weaponizing it. Love does not ignore what is broken, nor does it pretend every situation can be fixed on demand. It helps us see clearly, own what is ours, protect what matters, and make room for restoration wherever it is possible.

Suzie Bell, whom we don't know, posted a list of FaceBook of things she needed to unlearn. Wayne and Kyle explore some of the lessons many of us absorbed along the way that may need to be unlearned if we are going to live more freely in God’s love. Faith is not the same as denial. Loyalty is not always the same as truth. Forgiveness does not require pretending the harm never happened, and disagreement is not rebellion. Leaving a church, relationship, or career does not necessarily mean failure. Sometimes healing begins when we finally question the assumptions that once kept us safe but now keep us stuck. Along the way, they reflect on friendship, loss, performance, telling our stories honestly without weaponizing them, and the courage it takes to face pain rather than avoid it. Unlearning is not about throwing everything away; it is about making room for what is truer, freer, and more deeply rooted in God's nature.

"I had to decide that love meant something more to God than it meant to me, or he didn't love me." That comment from a friend of Wayne's sparks a conversation with Kyle about what happens when our familiar definitions no longer fit what God is actually doing in us. Pain does not necessarily mean God is absent. Sometimes growth allows us to see through our circumstances and fears to have a better grasp of what it means to walk with him. Along the way, they talk about vulnerability, healing, unanswered outcomes, Lewis’s dreams about laying down his weapons, and the courage to tell our stories honestly. Perhaps one of the hardest aspects of spiritual growth is allowing God to redefine things we thought we already understood—and discovering that his reality is often larger, kinder, and more redemptive than the categories we inherited.

After a brief discussion about the current AI brouhaha, Wayne and Kyle continue their conversation about what it means to abide in Christ. They make an important distinction between responding to God's invitation and being pressured into it. Fear, religious performance, and the demand to “get it right” can make spiritual life feel forced, but God’s presence draws us another way. Abiding grows as we recognize his invitation in our longing and respond to what he reveals. Then we'll be prepared when difficult times come and not have to try to close the circle with our own resources. Exploring his presence is best done in love, at rest, and with playfulness. Genuine abiding is not driven by obligation; it unfolds in love, trust, and an increasing freedom to live with God in the reality of our everyday lives.