PODCASTS 
"Are You Fighting the Wrong Thing?"
When you said 'yes' to Jesus, he gave you his own noble-hearted nature. The irony is, the brand of misguided Christianity that pins the heart to the wall -- so that it doesn't go astray -- actually produces Christians who go to war against the most holy and noble place within them! These mislead souls end up mistrusting their best self!
"Friendships and Powerful Connecting." Author Jim Robbins. Neither the pressure-based "moralist model" ["Do the right thing"] nor the "therapeutic model" ["Fix what's wrong"] can really heal us. Only powerfull connecting can. Join Jim as he explores Larry Crabb's book, Connecting, to find a better way of relating.
"Do you listen to the desires of your heart?"
This is part-two of Loren Rosser's [Untangled Podcast] interview with me.
When it comes to God's will, many Christians settle for duty: Just do what God tells you to do: "God, just tell me what You want me to do with my life." But God is asking, "What are the desires of your heart? I've written cues to your calling within your heart's desires."
Loren and I also talk about the cost of following our desires.
- There are forces set against you and your heart.
- There are people who just aren't willing or ready to go with you.
- There are times when you'll feel like you're the enemy.
- There are wounds from the past that need healing.
But to bury your heart's desires leads only to passion-less resignation.
"Why the Christian life isn't impossible." Podcast Interview: Untangled Podcast Show [with Loren Rosser] interviews Jim. Most of us live with a cruel distortion of the Gospel: The distortion sounds like this, "There but for the grace of God go I." The hope of the Gospel is not, "Jesus, You're going to have to pull off the Christian life for me because I'm too much of a mess." Rather, the hope of the New Covenant is, "Jesus, by your Spirit release the new appetites and cravings you've already deposited within my new nature." The Christian life is no longer impossible.
Loren Rosser, host of the Untangled Podcast really understands freedom in Christ. We explore my book, "Recover Your Good Heart;" and dive deep in this podcast, exposing the distortions most of us have been told our whole lives.
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Radio Interview: Masculine Journey Radio interviews Jim Robbins. The guys at Masculine Journey Radio really get the message of good and noble heart. These guys have a great sense of humor; yet this was also a really rich conversation. Hear more of Jim's personal story. [Listen now.]
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"Revolution Within-PART TWO:" This is the second part of my interview with best-selling author, Dwight Edwards. I often recommend his book, Revolution Within to those interested in discovering the surprising resources of their new hearts.
In Part Two of our converstion, Dwight and I talk about four resources of our new -hearted nature:
A new purity
A new identity
A new disposition
A new power
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"Revolution Within-PART ONE:" Jim interviews best-selling guest author, Dwight Edwards. "It's not about fixing something, it's about releasing the good."
Dwight Edwards has also served as advisor and friend to Larry Crabb. His book is one I often recommend to those who want to live an unpressured Christian life.
[Note: There are a few pops and clicks here and there. We didn't hear them 'live,' yet they somehow found their way into the recording. I think the message will come through loud and clear anyway.]
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"If my heart really is good and noble, then why does the evidence seem to suggest otherwise?" - special guest, Joel Brueseke, from "GraceRoots" joins Jim.
Joel Brueseke [see his insightful GraceRoots podcast] joins me as we try to offer encouragement for Christians who do want to believe that their heart is now good and noble because of Christ's redeeming work for them, but who continue to struggle to live from that new-hearted goodness.
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GOD WITHOUT RELIGION: Part Three: Guest author Andrew Farley joins Jim.
This is the final episode, part three, of the podcast mini-series, "GOD WITHOUT RELIGION."
Drawing from Andrew Farley's new book, God Without Religion, Drew and I dig deeper into the confusing mess that religious compliance and performance has made of things:
- Discover why it can't be your old nature that causes you to sin, or that tempts you.
- Learn why we often mistake the voice of sin for our own heart's voice, believing our heart is still "prone to wander."
- Explore why, even when we sin, as Andrew Farley points out, "There's something in us, that's not us;" and why relaxing in your new and noble nature will set you free.
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GOD WITHOUT RELIGION: Part Two: Guest Andrew Farley joins Jim
In part two of our mini-series about Andrew Farley's new book,
God Without Religion, we'll ask why Christians need to attend their own funeral.
What are the benefits of knowing you're dead already?
- We'll also talk about the popular myth of "Dying to self."
- Learn more about Drew's book at AndrewFarley.org.
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GOD WITHOUT RELIGION: Part One: Guest Andrew Farley joins Jim
This is part one of a three-part series Drew Farley and I will be doing. Drew is the author of The Naked Gospel and his new book is called, God Without Religion: Can It Really Be This Simple.
- During this interview, Drew and I talked ask whether or not the Law is still appropriate as a guide for Christian behavior, and examine why it is not.
- You'll discover that using the Law [including the Ten Commandments] as guidance for godly living will actually cause more sin, not less.
- We also talk about the troubling passages in The Sermon on the Mount in which Jesus is delivering harsh warnings and unattainable standards for righteousness. What are we to make of those passages? Is there a more accurate and hopeful way to read them?
This podcast offers hope and peace for the Christian who is tired of religious self-improvement and pressure to be spiritual.
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*The Steve Brown Interview: With a wicked sense of humor, Steve Brown, nationally-syndicated radio host, interviews Jim about his book, "Recover Your Good Heart." Steve's show is a blast. Enjoy the interview.
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CALLING SERIES: "THE GLORY OF YOUR LIFE" [seven parts] with guest author, Gary Barkalow [www.thenobleheart.com]:
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1. ORIENTATION - Calling Series - part one - guest Gary Barkalow [The Noble Heart.com], author of "It's Your Call - What Are You Doing Here?, joins Jim. How do become oriented to our location in the Story? Gary talks about three points of orientation that keep us "alert and oriented" to our place in the story: story - desire - journey. (This is part one of a 7-part series with Gary and Jim.)
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2. MYSTERY - Calling Series - part 2
Guest Gary Barkalow joins Jim again for this session.
Confusion is a normal part of the journey. How do we walk with God so that we don’t conclude: “God isn’t speaking to me,” or “I must be blowing it.”?
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3. THE UNIQUE GLORY YOU BEAR-- Calling Series - part 3
Guest Gary Barkalow joins me for part 3 of our series on calling. How do you uniquely bear the glory of God? What is your particular affect on those around you?
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4. THE ASSAULT AGAINST YOUR CALLING -- Calling Series -- Part 4
Guest Gary Barkalow joins me again for part 4 of our series on calling. What has been coming against your heart to shut it down? What is at stake as we pursue the deep desires of our hearts and the calling that is written there?
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5. DISCOVERING OUR CALLING - Calling Series -- part 5: How does God reveal our unique calling to us? What's the pattern he uses? Join special guest Gary Barkalow and Jim as they unpack how God brings us into a deeper clarity of our calling. This is part five of their seven-part podcast series on calling. _______________________________________________________________________________
6. DEVELOPING THE HEART NEEDED FOR OUR CALLING - Calling Series - part 6: What qualities of heart are needed as we mature in our calling? These are the qualities that will keep us from inadvertently sabotaging what we most truly want. Special guest, Gary Barkalow [author of the upcoming book on calling, "It's Your Call - What Are You Doing Here?" joins Jim for part six of their seven-part series.
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7. 'CALLING AS A JOURNEY' - part 7 of 7 in the Calling Series with Gary Barkalow, author of It's Your Call - What Are You Doing Here?. Jim and Gary talk about the nature of calling as a journey that unfolds with increasing clarity.This podcast will be really helpful for those who look at someone else's life and assume, "I should be where they are. What's wrong with me? Is God holding out on me?"
THE LONG DESIRE: This is an excerpt from my audiobook, Recover Your Good Heart. What has the Church done to your desires? Do you trust the desires of your good heart? [3/28/00]
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BECOMING OUR AUTHENTIC SELF: Many Christians believe that being "authentic" means being honest about your mess: But this denies the deeper [and more powerful] goodness that lies beneath the mess. The goodness is your true self. [3/16/11]
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DIALING IN YOUR CALLING: Here's a glimpse into the process I've used over the last 10 years to hone my sense of calling. You can also read my post, "Dialing in Your Calling" here. [12/8/10]
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LETTING OUR HEARTS COME OUT AND PLAY: John Lynch is a blast. He is the co-author of the popular books, Bo's Cafe and TrueFaced. John and I talked about allowing our 'new nature to come out and play' -- rather than mistrusting our hearts, or assuming our first nature is sin. Imagine a community that really believes that the heart of every believer is good and noble, and actually lives from that new identity: recognizing the mess, but knowing that the mess is not our identity. Imagine that kind of safe place.
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THE NOBILITY OF LIONS: Join me and guest Bob Regnerus [Renegade Christiain Podcast] as Bob and I share our personal stories of how God has conferred nobility upon us through word-pictures given directly to us. Explore the lessons we're learning about the nature of our noble identity, and how we're learning to live in a Kingdom at war.
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Striving vs. Action: Topic: "Striving vs. Action." When things aren't moving fast enough for us, how do we relate to God when we're feeling the pressure to make things happen? This was a fun interview. Thanks to Matthew Gillogly and Bob Regnerus, hosts of the Renegade Christian Entrepreneurs podcast for having me as their guest today.
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Discovering your calling-overview: How do we move beyond the personality inventories and spiritual gifts test that often leave us unsatisfied and still looking for our calling?
Gary Barkalow spent seven years on the men's leadership and speaking team with Ransomed Heart Ministries when God called him to launch full-time into helping others discover their place in the Story.
Gary's teaching on calling is the best and most helpful I've found. You can learn more about Gary at his website: www.thenobleheart.com.
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Why desire matters in our journey -- Jim tells the story of how his 5-year journey to find a better town for his family and a more sustainable life has now come full circle; and how desire was the glue that held his dreams together when he wanted to give up. You will also discover that your deep desires matter to God and that he will use them to give you answers and direction.
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Recovering our desire -- Jim is a guest again on Joel Brueseke's Growing in Grace Together podcast. They talk about our fears to trust our desires, because we've mistrusted our hearts. They also talked about the various sources of desires and the consequences of not trusting the desires that are in our new and good hearts.
Here's Joel's podcast site
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Misleading ourselves - Andrew Farley, author of The Naked Gospel, joined me again to talk about the misleading catch-phrases Christians use that end up leading them away from their new and good hearts.
We also address that sticky passage in the Lord's Prayer that says, "If you don't forgive others...neither will your Father forgive you." But wait a minute, aren't we already and fully forgiven? How do we reconcile other passages on our completed forgiveness with this passage that follows the Lord's Prayer?
Andrew Farley's site: www.thenakedgospel.com
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The Heart and the New Covenant - Joel Brueseke, who hosts the Growing in Grace Together podcast, is a good friend and a guy who really gets the good and noble heart. Joel interviewed me today for a two-part series. Here is part one.
Listen in for some great conversation about why Christians tend to walk around in guilt and shame, and why there seems to be such a focus in the church on behavior management and sin management - and how living with a New Covenant mentality rather than an Old Covenant mentality, as well as a proper view of the new heart, will overcome all of that.
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'THE NAKED GOSPEL' - Andrew Farley and I talked about his fantastic new book, The Naked Gospel - the truth you may never hear in church. Find out what Andrew says about our new identity and freedom. It really is a lot better than we've been told.
- Should Christians really obey the moral law in the Ten Commandments?
- Do we really have pure and good hearts - the very same that Jesus had?
- Can Christians trust their hearts?
The answers may surprise you!
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Spiritual abuse and healing grace - Jim talks with Aida Calder, the blogger behind Forgetting the Former Things blog. Aida shares her journey out of religious abuse and into the freedom Jesus offers. She offers helpful and hopeful advice for those who are in similar situations and may not even realize it.
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Quiz - Recover Your Good Heart -- Take the quiz with Jim as he exposes the tragic assumptions we've made about our hearts as Christians. You may be surprised at the answers.
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Meaningful aliveness -- "Just take the rough edges off, God. Make things run smoothly." Join Jim as he shares how his search for comfort became a substitute for meaningful aliveness.
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Let us take the adventure - Join Jim as he talks about the adventure he and his family have been on for the last five years; the pain of unfulfilled longing, and the journey it has taken them on as they arrive at the place of their dreams (with no job, no friends, and the great unknown). (9/10/09)
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"The Misunderstood God -- The Lies Religion Tells Us About God" - special guest Darin Hufford.
Darin is the author of The Misunderstood God, and the creator of The Free Believers Network. We talked about his book, how religious thinking (vs. the Gospel) has distorted love, and what it means to be a free believer. Listen on Jim's Blogtalk Radio podcast.
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"Grace roots-- special guest Joel Brueseke, founder of GraceRoots.org."
Joel has recently created a Graceroots community on Ning network. He's a guy that gets the message of Jesus and understands the message of the new heart. Listen on Jim's Blogtalk Radio podcast.
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"A truer authenticity" 6/5/09 Grace without restoration is cruel, like releasing a man from prison without giving him new desires and strength. Grace must go beyond forgiveness (pardon) to the giving of a new and supernaturally-good heart. Otherwise, it is stunted grace. Simply seeing ourselves as a miserable mess - yet forgiven- doesn't help a person in the long run. We need a new kind of "real." A new authenticity.
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"A life of desire" 11/12/08 Is desire a snare to be avoided or the instrument through which God leads us into our very identity and calling? Jim talks about what the Church has done with desire and what God is really inviting us into.
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“There’s even more to ‘grace.’” 9/5/08. Is it possible we’re stilling framing the idea of grace within an Old Covenant mentality? Is there more Jesus is offering us than pardon?
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INTERVIEW: Special Guest, Jim Robbins. 8/20/08. Jim was interviewed by the guys at Family Room Media. Topic: Jim’s new book, Recover Your Good Heart. The promise of the Gospel goes beyond forgiveness to the promise of a new heart. God must rescue people at the level of the heart. This is why you already have a new goodness, new power and new desires. — Thanks to Bob, Dave and Loren at Family Room Media.
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“Rescuing the Heart” - 10/29/07
Jim reads excerpts from his upcoming book, Recover Your Good Heart. Is the Church really giving people the cure we claim to have? Or, are we busy managing externals?
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”A Better Way to Relate to God - part two - Better Assumptions” 9/6/07
Many of us have been taught to relate to God with wrong assumptions — particularly assumptions about the heart (will, spirit) of a Christian. For example, are we really “Just sinners, saved by grace?” Are we really “prone to wander?” Jim continues to explore some more accurate, hopeful assumptions Christians can have about their heart as they relate to God.
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“A Better Way to Relate to God” - part one 8/26/07
Assumptions will either kill or bring life. Like medical doctors, church leaders operate under certain assumptions about people’s central disease, as well as the presumed cure they need. What if we’ve got that course of treatment wrong? (If we were really getting the cure/treatment right, our churches would be filled with healed and whole individuals — not perfectly, but substantially. And that’s not what we see.)
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“Your Stories-Guest -Keith Stanton”
These are excerpts from an interview I did with a good friend, Keith Stanton, in which we describes his journey to faith and subsequent disillusionment with simplistic believing and easy answers after more than twenty years. His journey moves from external religious props to internal security. Note especially what the church’s message was to Keith about the nature of his heart - even after having become a Christian.