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Life Around "The Fire"
Life Around "The Fire"
We're Developing A New Language While God Is Moving Across The World.
The spiritual language barrier is real. While many of us are witnessing an unprecedented global movement of God's presence, our specialized vocabulary often leaves newcomers confused and isolated. This isn't about waiting for revival—we're already experiencing the early stages of perhaps the most significant demonstration of God's presence since Christ walked among us.
Through candid conversation and a healthy dose of self-awareness, we explore how "Christianese" terms like "hedge of protection," "washed in the blood," and even seemingly innocuous phrases like "I've been praying for you" can sound utterly foreign to those outside our faith circles. Rather than creating barriers with our language, we're called to build bridges that allow everyone to participate in what God is doing across nations and communities worldwide.
This episode marks four years of podcast ministry that has grown from a small vision in Jacksonville, Florida to reaching thousands across more than 70 countries. With this expanding influence comes responsibility—to communicate clearly, inclusively, and without the defensive posture that often characterizes religious discourse. By examining our speech patterns with humor rather than shame, we can become more effective in sharing authentic relationship with God during these desperate times. Join us in learning how to translate our deepest spiritual truths into language that invites rather than excludes, all while participating in this remarkable global awakening.
Loving Yeshua/Jesus, Loving people... Come as you are and you will be loved!
Feel free to check out our website by typing in lifearounsthefire.com or Life Around The Fire ... We think you'll find some beneficial stuff to look at and apply to your life.
Shalom to you and your home.
in lieu of the fact that we are currently involved across the nations in a time in which a demonstration of God's presence is upon us. It's not coming. It's not coming. We are in the early stages of what is going to be known as the greatest expression of God on planet Earth. Aside from the appearing of Jesus Christ, god is into relationship. He's not interested in establishing a new religion. We have several big ones, and they really haven't foot the bill. They haven't paid for what it requires a person to have a real relationship with God and also to put an end to some of the madness that has been going on within our personal lives, the death spin that we've been involved in that we can't seem to pull out of. In fact, we can't pull out of on our own, and, fortunately, many of us have received and responded to the help that God has been offering to us in subtle ways over the course of the past several years. However, desperate times call for desperate measures, and we are living in some very desperate times, and God is not surprised by them at all, given the fact that God is God, but he also he's moved by them, his heart's moved. God understands that this is not an easy place to live. Planet Earth, by and large, is not an easy place to experience life in. It's a challenge, and in that challenge there could be things that overwhelm us, and as a result of being overwhelmed, we grasp for straws anything that's going to perhaps help, and one of those straws could be religion. Buddhism, islam, taoism, christianity all of these are religions. They don't really have anything to do with relationship per se. It's an attempt by man to somehow work their way into a relationship with God, and Christianity was never designed to be a religion. It's become one, and a dead one at that. But the true essence of relationship with Christ Jesus, the living Lord. Now that's a completely different picture, and that is what we've been focusing in on for the course of the past four years.
Speaker 1:Pretty hard to believe that this podcast has been going on now for four years. It started as a vision in a home in the Jacksonville Beach area of Jacksonville, florida, and has emerged into an international outreach covering 70 plus nations, over a thousand cities, all the continents, basically off of a bedroom, which goes to show that even a drop in the ocean of communication, when God's in it, can do amazing things. And so for us to think that we are literally touching now thousands of people and there are hundreds of people right now listening to the information that's coming through us to you is not only astounding, it's humbling, man. It's humbling to be part of. I'm thankful.
Speaker 1:And yet one of the things that periodically we need to do we all need to do, actually is take a step back and give a little review as to what's going on in our lives. And in part of that review process, it's important to take a good, healthy look at ourselves and in taking a good of humor along with it, because some of the things that we have done along the way have been not necessarily the most enjoyable to look at and to consider how other people see us, not so much how we've seen ourselves, but how we appear, how we come across other people. And the reason I'm saying that is because we want to build bridges, not build walls. We don't want to have a hallway full of walls but you have to kind of go through in a fashion like a maze. But we want to build bridges of communication. But sometimes our communication and the words that we use can become barriers. It can be like walking through a maze and sometimes spiritual communication, stuff that we talk about, things that we take for granted in our normal everyday conversation.
Speaker 1:For someone who's on the outside of our particular group of people listening to us, they can often be left in the dark, not because we want them to be or that they want to be. It's because they don't understand what's going on or what's coming out of our mouth. And if we are defensive when we look at ourselves, if I'm defensive when I look at myself, it makes it hard to have a real, open, honest evaluation concerning how I've been coming across. But if I have a sense of humor, if I can laugh, if I can laugh at the fact that I've been at this long enough to, you know, lose a little bit of hair over or the color of my hair has changed, that's good man, because the way that we go about saying things and the way that other people hear them, sometimes they don't match. And again, if I get defensive, man, all that time spent losing that hair, it's kind of a waste of time. But when I can look at certain things with a sense of humor and say, you know, there's probably room for improvement, and I can laugh at myself a little bit, we can laugh at ourselves a little bit, man, because of the desperate times that we're living in.
Speaker 1:It kind of eases the burden. We don't need one more burden. I don't want to put one more burden on you in listening to this podcast, in you hearing now, oh, now, what I got to do is I got to work on my communication. I have to do this in order to be pleading to God. No, no, no, we've been hopefully removing some of that yoke, that teaching, that way of thinking from you, where we are a performance-oriented group of people in which our relationships with God are based upon how well we behave.
Speaker 1:Yes, what we do with our lives matters, but, at the same point in time, it's God who is at work within us, perfecting us, not us perfecting each other or ourselves or ourselves. And so, yeah, I've been looking at the fact that we have a variety of people from a variety of walks in life listening right now, and some of you you have been at this for a long time and, again, some of you are brand new, and there's some things that I'd like to bring out and highlight concerning the way we say things, and when I say we, I'm primarily talking about those of us who've been around for a while, those of us who have entered into relationship with a real relationship with Jesus, and have had things take place in our lives that have altered the way that we go about doing things, which is beautiful, that's absolutely part of us. Maturing is setting aside old ways and embracing new ways. But sometimes, when we embrace new ways, we can leave other people who aren't necessarily moving at the same pace we are. We can leave them in the dust and in the dark. And that's not God's heart as he looks to develop within us his character and his nature. And, as I said earlier, god's not surprised by the condition of things, but he is moved by them. And he's also moved by us in our at times difficult situation concerning relationship with each other.
Speaker 1:That we just don't understand each other or our communication is strained. And sometimes our communication is strained because we get familiar with talking a certain way, familiar with talking a certain way, and other people are not familiar with that way and they don't understand that way and they feel left out and they feel like, well, maybe I'm just not part of it or maybe I can never get there, maybe I can never be like that person. I'm way over here and they're way over there. How can I ever be like them? I don't even know what they're talking about. I want to Looks like they know what they're talking about. I want to looks like they know what they're doing. But, man, when they talk, I don't know. I just don't understand what they're saying. It's like they're talking a different language. It's like something they're talking is might as well be Chinese. Well, we've might as well be Chinese. Well, we've termed things differently and it's not a Chinese or a Japanese. It's not a ease at all of other cultures. It's Christianese.
Speaker 1:We have kind of developed, many of us, a way of talking that is a way that we understand exactly what we mean by what we're saying, a way that we understand exactly what we mean by what we're saying, but other people listening they don't really get it. And because we want people to grow together in relationship that's part of the purpose for this podcast is relationship with God, growing more intimate in relationship with God, growing more intimate in relationship with him and in real relationship, healthy relationship with one another and communication is part of that. And a massive demonstration of his presence. God's presence around the world is going to bring in people from all different walks of life, and we need to be able to communicate with one another If we're going to be able to accomplish some of the things that are set out before us. And so there are a few things that I want to highlight concerning Christianese, things that we are comfortable talking about, but other people don't necessarily understand what we mean, and I'm going to start out first one right now quiet time, having quiet time.
Speaker 1:What in the world is quiet time? I mean if I'm on the outside, quiet time kind of sounds like something that you give to some child who is needing to stand in the corner Quiet time. But in the context of spiritual community, quiet time can mean describing a period of reflection and prayer, often with the Bible, where you have your quiet time. Ah, all right, christianese quiet time. But for someone else, quiet time sounds like I don't know what's this quiet time? Right, been praying for you. Another one, a common expression of support and concern often used in Christian context I've been praying for you, but to someone who's not been involved that long in Christian community, I've been praying for you can sound to them like something's really wrong with them and it requires you to pray for them and they're like what's wrong? What do you know that I don't know? Versus, it's just an expression of compassion and considering, saying I'm praying for you.
Speaker 1:God's got a plan. I love that one. God's got a plan. I know I used to hear that one. I'm like where do you find that? Because I haven't found that one yet. Did you find that? Where did you go to get God's plans for your life? Is there like a store you could pick that up in? Do you order it online? How do I get God's plan? Like a kitchen cabinet? Oh, redo your kitchen, all your cabinetry, and have a nice floor plan. You know God's plan? Well, it's a phrase used to comfort or reassure someone, suggesting that God has a specific purpose for their situation. That's kind of cool, man.
Speaker 1:God's plan Washed by the blood. John Wimber, one of my mentors, said when he heard that first time, the first time he heard that it was in the back of his mind. He goes when do they make you do that Wash in the blood? Because that's what it sounded like. Has it been washed in the blood? And he's like when are we going to have to do that one? Because this is all new to me. Where washed in the blood is a term referring to the cleansing and forgiveness of sins through Jesus' blood. Hedge of protection? Hedge of protection. What in the world is a hedge of protection? Is that like there's some people that are going to come in your yard overnight and they're going to put up a hedge, they're going to plant some hedges and it's going to be some protection because somebody's like like, but like there's a, a bad guy going to be coming your way, or a robber or something. Hedge of protection hedge where? In christian community, hedge protection means a metaphorical phrase suggesting god's protection and security.
Speaker 1:Faith, that's, that's, that's for anybody. Faith well, faith, faith is a core Christian concept, often understood differently by non-Christians, meaning people have faith for getting a new car, but placing faith in Jesus for their salvation are two different things. Fellowship that's not necessarily a term that's used around the shop or around the office when you're talking about having a get-together. When you're talking about having a get-together, but fellowship in Christian community often refers to the close bonds and shared experiences. Within Christian community. You have fellowship like two fellows in a ship Sanctification, the process of becoming more holy and pleasing to God.
Speaker 1:Let's go through a couple more here that I got written down speaking in tongues. What in the world is speaking in tongues? What in the world is speaking in tongues? How much schooling do you have to go to to get that one? To speak in tongues, that means speaking other languages. I have a hard enough time speaking English, let alone speaking in other tongues, but here we're referring to a spiritual gift involving speaking in unknown tongues or unknown language.
Speaker 1:A spiritual gift? Ah, a spiritual gift, yes, last but not least, fruit of the spirit. Fruit of the spirit, if you look at it face value. Fruit of the spirit indicates that we are going to develop some type of product that is much like a tangerine, but that's not what's being referred to here. It's a list of qualities associated with living according to the Holy Spirit, with living according to the Holy Spirit. Now, the list goes on, and I know that you get the point already, and that is this that we all have things that we do and ways that we do them and how we say them, that we know what we mean, but other people don't have a clue.
Speaker 1:And I think it's important for us to review what's coming out of our mouths and to make some adjustments right, but to do so without fear, without guilt and without shame. There's no should to this. This is something that we can look at and say in light of the fact that we want to participate in this great demonstration of God and we want to be able to communicate to as many people as possible. Let's take a look at how we are communicating to ourselves and to one another concerning things that have developed as a result of us stepping away from one way of life, stepping away from one lifestyle and into a new one. But sometimes we leave people in the dust or in the dark, and I believe that it's important for us to learn how to speak in a way that includes other people or, if nothing else, we can speak in a way that we can explain what it is that we mean by what we're saying.
Speaker 1:But when we look at ourselves, in reviewing how we're going about doing things, let's do it with a sense of humor, not beating each other up or ourselves, but taking the time and saying is there a way that I could improve the way that I say things, make them more understandable? Because I believe there is. That's free Father, thank you that you love us enough to point out to us ways that we can improve, to point out to us ways that we can improve, and, in relationship with you, you're committed to the process of seeing us grow from glory to glory, in becoming more and more like you. Jesus, holy Spirit, I ask that you take the simple words and that you would broadcast them around, and that you would help us, collectively and individually, adjust the way that we communicate so that we can have the doors open even wider for men, women and children to come into the kingdom and not feel barred out by the way that we go about saying things or that we're defensive on how we express ourselves, but we can become flexible. Help us remember what it was like to be on the outside, lord, and now that you have us within the community of saints, teach us to be inclusive.
Speaker 1:We ask these things standing here in the name of Jesus, and we say amen, amen, amen, amen, amen. I love you. Folks say amen, amen, amen, amen, amen. I love you, folks. If you have any thoughts, questions, concerns, please feel free to drop us a line at lifearoundthefire, at gmailcom, or type in lifearoundthefire and look us up on the web. We would love to hear from you In the meantime. God bless you. Adios amigos.