In this podcast, I share the 6 unique contributions Emotionally Healthy Discipleship brings to the challenge of bridging barriers of race, culture and class.  These gifts emerge out of journey at New Life Fellowship Church as we committed ourselves to be a multiracial community core to our witness to Christ here in New York City. God met us powerfully in our 32 year journey, shaping us into an incredibly diverse community with over 75 nations. The theological, personal and practical gifts that came with our failures and successes were innumerable. In this podcast, nonetheless, I talk about the final four contributions of EH Discipleship to this pressing global issue that confronts us as the church in the 21st century: Calling people to a radical desert spirituality with Jesus Utilizing genograms for self awareness and transformation Valuing brokenness and vulnerability Creating a new language with a new culture as the new family of Jesus Embracing. Read more.

In the midst of a Roman Empire marked by severe prejudices and hatreds, the first Christians viewed themselves as part of world-wide family that transcended national, class, cultural, and racial barriers. They understood Jesus, through his blood shed on the cross, had destroyed these barriers and created a “new human race,” a new society, a new people, i.e. the church (Eph. 2:14-15). It is significant that millenials and Generations Z’ers are so passionate for a multiracial, multicultural church in our day. And it is also significant that one of the biggest stories of our time is the mass movements of people around the world (i.e. migrants, refugees, internally displaced people, and asylum seekers). In this podcast, I share my own journey and story in coming to grips with this complex reality over forty years ago as a new believer, and how it led us to plant New Life Fellowship Church in New York City. Read more.

It has been said that all of life is one person handing off their anxiety to another. There are few places this applies more clearly than in leadership. After the mass defection of thousands of disciples, Jesus withdraws to the despised, “un-strategic” region of Galilee to continue his ministry. His brothers arrive, apparently frantic with worry that Jesus’ ministry is in deep trouble. They offer him a strategy, urging him to go to Jerusalem for the upcoming national festival so the crowds can see his miracles and he can rebuild his following. Jesus refuses to take on their leadership anxiety, replying: “My time has not yet come; for you any time will do” (John 7:1-9). How did Jesus so calmly deal with their anxiety? He remained in loving union with the Father in a posture of ongoing surrender of his will. He understood deeply that his Father was in charge of the global mission. Read more.

On August 17th of this year, our daughter, Faith, was married to Brett, a wonderful young man from Australia. They were married here in the New Jersey which meant we were hosting an international wedding with 20-25 guests coming from the other side of the world. As a result, a one-day wedding grew into a larger five-day event. The wedding offered a window into a unique, high-level application of Emotionally Healthy Discipleship. (Our first wedding was six years ago but didn’t have as many moving parts.) After reflecting on the event, Geri and I reflected on the qualities of an Emotionally Healthy Wedding. Here they are: We Kept the Focus on the Most Important Part of the Day: the Exchange of The Vows. We invested the necessary time to keep first things first, and served them in shaping a beautiful, sacred ceremony. We Monitored our Own Hearts and Anxieties. Not only was this an. Read more.

What is the greatest obstacle that you are facing today? In this podcast, I talk about moving beyond an intellectual belief in the resurrection of Jesus to a practical trust that transforms our obstacles into gifts. Each of us encounters storms and circumstances we cannot overcome. That is the normal Christian life. Why? It is one major way God transforms us and reveals himself to the world. In a famous passage in John 11, we look at Mary’s struggle to trust Jesus after Lazarus’ death.  Jesus had delayed his coming two days. By the time he arrives, Lazarus, her brother, has been dead four days! While rabbis taught that a soul lingered for three days after a person died, on the fourth day it was considered gone permanently. In other words, there was no hope in this situation. Into this situation Jesus asks Mary a question: Did I not tell you that if you. Read more.

The whole core of the Christian life can be summed up as praying, abiding, and being with Jesus. Our first work in life is not to get something from God but to be with God. Sadly, many of us can fall into a cultural Christianity if we aren’t intentional. The core of the EH Discipleship Course is for people to learn to be with Jesus and cultivate their own first-hand relationship with Jesus. In this podcast Pete shares a message from John 2 on prayer and trusting in a wine that never runs out. May it be an encouragement to you to trust in Jesus and cultivate a life of deep connection and being with Jesus each day. P.S. This Thursday, Aug. 29th, we are offering our LAST live stream training for the year. After that, training will only be available on-demand through our Course Launch Bundle. Register now and get 20% off your. Read more.