Halfway There

073: Ronda Nelson and the Gift of Grace

Ronda Nelson is an advocate for the power of the grace of God. Her story is the perfect example of the reason for Christmas. While most of us will never experience the dramatic fall that Ronda shares today, we all need to know that God sent his son for us because he loves us. In Ronda’s life love and acceptance came through community. She wants everyone to know “that we don’t have to waste time away from God in shame” because his grace is enough for us no matter what you’ve done.
Please listen and share, my friend. And Merry Christmas!
Stories Ronda shared:
How she got into music and abandoned opera for rock
The moment she held her daughter and realized how much God loves her
Finding her joy in serving the church while her husband was a worship pastor
The phone call from an old boyfriend that changed her life
How community helped nudge her in a direction she did not expect
The shame that engulfed her when the affair became public
Living with her boyfriend, the horrible  and the horrible feeling of guilt she felt
The grace offered when she came back to the church (Thank you, Ryan Paulson!)
Rediscovering the joy of signing to the Lord
The pain of losing her daughter, Mollie
Great quotes from Ronda:
I knew that I was coming back. I felt like I was turning around.
I knew God wanted me back.
It’s really satisfying to know that God does not waste experiences.
Resources Ronda mentioned:
South Fellowship sermon podcast feed
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072: Mike Elder and the Legacy of Faith

Mike Elder is an old friend from back in the day and a gifted conversationalist. Today, he shares the story of the legacy of faith he inherited, the unexpected way he learned about grace firsthand, and what he hopes to pass on to his family. You will hear his struggle with a calling and how events led him is a direction he never wanted to go. His passion for sharing truth through words extends from a gracious social media presence to the dream of writing a book one day and when you hear him share it, you’ll know why.
Please listen and enjoy!
Stories Mike shared:
Growing up in a Christian family with a solid church foundation
Finding out why fireworks were prohibited on a youth trip
The house caught on fire that taught him God can be trusted
His desire to be a youth pastor that led him to TIU
How God taught him about being his adopted child
The disillusionment he felt after college when he realized he wouldn’t be a youth pastor
The can of worms that is calling
How conversation with others connects him to the Lord
Why writing means so much to him
Great quotes from Mike:
It taught me I could be disciplined and not rejected.
That’s how God uses those terrible things, they either remain terrible or the become neat as you look back and see how God uses them.
Even in the darkest times…it can actually be his mercy saving you from something worse and at the same time directing you to something so much better.
It was really mercy because he didn’t leave me there.
We’re the Elder family and we love Jesus.
Resources mentioned:
What’s So Amazing About Grace? by Philip Yancy
In the Grip of Grace: Your Father Always Caught You. He Still Does by Max Lucado
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071: Henry Hon and the Oneness Body of Christ

Henry describes himself as a business guy and a recent author of One: Unfolding God’s Eternal Purpose from House to House (Amazon affiliate link). He even invented a folding bicycle. His passion today is the oneness of the body of Christ and he raises good questions about why many churches operate as they do. We spend time unpacking what Henry sees in Jesus’ prayer in John 17 and the unity found in Romans 16, one of the more neglected chapters in Scripture.
Please listen and enjoy!
Stories Henry shared:
Emigrating to the United States as an 8 year old
Being filled with the Spirit at a spontaneous worship gathering
Having to trust God when he left his comfort zone to move to San Francisco
Developing a speaking and preaching ministry
Discovering home churches and open fellowship
Why he wrote his book One: Unfolding God’s Eternal Purpose from House to House (Amazon affiliate link)
The tremendous impact John 17 has on him and what we can learn from it
The experience that contributed to his reconsider the oneness of the body
The gifts Jesus offers his Church in John 17
Romans 16 and why it matters for today’s church
How to find his book for free
Great quotes from Henry:
A lot of the joy is in helping someone else.
It’s a powerful oneness that would convince the world to believe in Jesus Christ.
If you don’t get Jesus Christ, God, and the Spirit from the Bible, you’ve got good teaching…but it’s not the Truth.
Resources mentioned by Henry:
One: Unfolding God’s Eternal Purpose from House to House (Amazon affiliate link)
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070: Douglas Groothuis and Walking Through Twilight

Dr. Douglas Groothuis is a professor of philosophy at Denver Seminary and author of 13 books including his latest Walking Through Twilight: A Wife’s Illness–A Philosopher’s Lament(Amazon affiliate link). Today, he shares why he wrote the book and why Christians need to recover an understanding of lament. Dr. Groothuis shares about how to deal with anger toward God, the passages of Scripture that have given him comfort, and things people do and say that are helpful. He has an active Facebook presence and if you haven’t followed or friended him yet, I highly recommend doing so. More than that, get Walking Through Twilight, read it, and pass it on to a friend.
Stories Doug shared:
His early interest in spirituality through music and how he found Christ
Developing as a philosopher and campus minister
Why he thinks God did not give him a rush of spiritual experiences early in his walk
Hospitalizing his wife Rebecca Merrill Groothuis and the change in their lifestyle after diagnosis
The overwhelming response to his article in Christianity Today about lament
Why the book of Ecclesiastes is helpful for dealing with life’s disappointments
Finding honesty in music like Metallica
Why dogs are a valuable gift from God, especially his dog Sunny
What he hopes Walking Through Twilight will add to the church
Things you can do to help others in crisis
Great quotes from Doug:
The pain of living with someone with dementia is deep and searing and God seems absent sometimes.
I know too much to go back.
Sometimes poetry is the best way to express these difficult, hard to describe feelings.
Resources Doug mentioned (Amazon affiliate links):
Walking Through Twilight: A Wife’s Illness–A Philosopher’s Lament by Douglas Groothuis
Unmasking the New Age by Douglas Groothuis
The God Who Is There by Francis Schaeffer
A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis
Lament for a Son by Nicolas Wolterstorff
Pacing The Cage by Bruce Cockburn
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069:J.D. Payne Shares the Uncommon Influence of Roland Allen

J.D. Payne is the pastor of church multiplication with the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama. He is a missiologist and today we talk about his unique perspective on missions. JD also has his own podcast, Strike the Match, and blog. He has written or edited twelve books on missions including the one we talk about today, Roland Allen’s The Ministry Of Expansion: The Priesthood of the Laity (Amazon affiliate link). Today, J.D. shares the incredible story of an unpublished manuscript by prominent early 20th century missionary Roland Allen and how it came to him for publication 80 years after it was written.
Stories JD shared:
The ministries to unreached people groups within the US
Finding Christ through a televised revival
Resisting and eventually giving into the sense of God’s call on his life
What waiting on God feels like for him and the comfort he finds in the Psalms
The focus of his podcast called Strike the Match with J.D. Payne
The course he took on a whim that changed the direction of his life
Why he is fascinated by Roland Allen
The story of how he was honored to edit and publish an unpublished manuscript
How Roland Allen pioneered and influenced many missionary practices today
Great quotes from JD:
If I continued to say no, in all likelihood someday I was going to wake up in the belly of a fish.
The Lord is often gracious with his sheep.
What should be the response of the church when our cultural preferences are unable to keep up with the Spirit?
Resources mentioned by JD (Amazon affiliate links):
Roland Allen’s The Ministry Of Expansion: The Priesthood of the Laity edited by J.D. Payne
Indigenous Church Planting, a Practical Journey by Charles Brock
The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church: And the Causes That Hinder It
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068: Gunnar Falk and Grace Extended in Community

Gunnar is the co-host of the Unchurching Podcast with former guest Richard Jacobson. Today, he shares the story of grace in his life through the church. In fact, every story Gunnar shares with us is about the people who have made an impact on his life by listening to God, praying for him, and living with him. That might be why his ideas about living in community are a bit different than most of us have but it only serves to make his life more interesting to learn from.
I hope you enjoy hearing from Gunnar!
Stories Gunnar shared:
Growing up in a unique, large Christian family and community
The disappointment when he was not welcomed in church as a young man
The grace his manager offered him that changed his life
His conversion as the Holy Spirit led others to show him grace
The freedom he’s found through confession of sin
How God led him away from conventional church
Coming full circle and living life with others again
Great quotes from Gunnar:
Even when I walked away from God I never stopped believing in him because I had seen too much.
You know what we can do? We can obey Jesus right now.
If we can trust and obey God, not just live in our own little world but be open to whatever the Lord may prompt us to do…we have no idea how powerful that can be in someone’s life.
I’ve never heard anyone who shared their testimony without everybody doesn’t all of a sudden view them as heroic.
Resources mentioned by Gunnar (Amazon affiliate links):
Unchurching Podcast
The Way Church Ought to Be, Vol. 1: Ninety-Five Propositions for a Return to Radical Christianity by Robert A. Lund
Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices by Frank Viola
The Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee
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067: John Swanger Shares Light in Dark Places

John Swanger is a wonderful storyteller whose experience with God has to be heard to be believed. He describes his life before Christ as bank robber, prisoner, lead singer in a band, and eventually drug dealer and bouncer at a strip club. His life was wild but one couple who shared the Gospel with him changed everything. God not only turned John’s life around but gave him a mission to let his light shine. John says that his goal is to be spent in service to others sharing Christ with those most of us forget about. He wrote his story in a book called Shackled and has a sequel in the works.
John’s life is proof anyone can be changed by the love of Christ.
Stories John shared:
The ministries he has had to homeless and prisoners
His life as the most prolific bank robber
Dealing drugs, being a bouncer, running strip clubs and the fight that changed his life
The dinner conversation that answered his objections before he could even ask
Becoming a Christian while doing cocaine and reading the New Testament
How God introduced him to his wife
The ministry that God uses John’s unique personality and history to accomplish
His books sharing his story including the 1000 copies he has given away to prisoners
Great quotes from John:
he can keep people from…
If prison doesn’t count, I’m not sure I’ve ever had a home cooked meal.
I’ll be 63 years old soon and I’m not spent yet.
I haven’t had time to think about what I want to thank God for giving me. I’m still busy thanking Him for what he took away.
Resources John mentioned:
Shackled: Confessions of a Teenage Bank Robber
John’s GoFundMe to raise money to publish his second book Unshackled
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Who Influenced Your Spiritual Journey Most?

This episode of Halfway There is being published on the 500th anniversary of the start of the Protestant Reformation, an event that profoundly shaped history and the experience many of us with God today. Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the church in Wittenburg and changed the course of history.
This anniversary got me thinking that we all have influences subtle and more obvious. In today’s episode, I share who has has the most profound influence on my journey (hint, it’s an author) and how that came about. And I ask you to answer the question, too.
Please go to Halfway There’s Facebook page and join the conversation. Who influenced your spiritual journey the most?
Tell us that story.
Resources mentioned:
Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth by Richard Foster
The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives by Dallas Willard
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney
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