[00:00:00] Speaker A: You are listening to the Recovering Fundamentalist Podcast, where faith and real life collide in a world full of noise, division, and debate. We're here to cut through the clutter with honest conversations, bold truth, and a whole lot of grace. Whether you're questioning, growing, or just trying to make sense of it all, you've got a seat at the table. Let's join JC Groves for today's episode.
[00:00:24] Speaker B: Let's go.
The Recovering Fundamentalist Podcast starts in three.
[00:00:41] Speaker C: You know what makes women stupid is.
[00:00:42] Speaker B: Colin, Jesus was not a bartender.
[00:00:47] Speaker C: You have lost your mind. Long tongue. Heifers have given me a lot more trouble than heifers wearing britches, and you know that. Say amen right there. 1. Let me tell you something, bozo. They'll be selling Frosties in hell for this. Boy puts on a pair of pink underwear.
[00:01:04] Speaker B: I sucked my thumb till I was 14 years of age.
Everybody. Welcome back to the Recovering Fundamentalist Podcast. I'm your host, JC Groves. This is episode number 197, Sonship. Talking about grace and what makes it amazing.
[00:01:21] Speaker D: No condemnation for you, and every requirement of all that God expects has already been met. Okay, then. When you go out on Monday morning to live holy life, when you try to say no to sin on Wednesday, okay. Never, ever try to earn his favor. Don't ever try to earn his. No attempts at earning his favor because you can't.
There's nothing you can do on Monday morning that will earn his favor if indeed you're in Christ. Why? Because you couldn't be any more loved and accepted than you are in Christ.
Because there's no condemnation for you and there's nothing that is required of you that hasn't been fulfilled.
No attempts at earning his favor.
When you go do good works. Please don't think that way. Just like you don't want your kids.
[00:02:04] Speaker C: Thinking that way, do you?
[00:02:05] Speaker D: Do you want your kids to come in after taking the trash out and saying to you, oh, I did it. Can I be your son for another week?
What?
What are you talking about? Oh, I'll sweep the kitchen.
[00:02:19] Speaker C: Can I.
[00:02:20] Speaker D: Can I stay in the family?
[00:02:22] Speaker B: Right?
[00:02:23] Speaker D: I clean my room so that you'll love me. Can you see your kids, Anna? Like, what is wrong with you, man? You don't understand this whole parent thing, right? You're in.
That's what the whole son. That's why I call you son. Kids at church, I call, hey, kid. No, they're not. That's different.
You're my son.
And so you know what? I'm glad you took the Trash out. I want you to take the trash out. But you're not trying to earn a place in my family.
Don't tell me, Dad. I took the trash out. Now do you love me?
What? Do you see how perverse that is? That's how perverse this is. And it's called religion. And most people live that way.
That's how most people think.
It's wrong.
It's not right.
[00:03:08] Speaker B: Before you were a pastor, a leader, a father, a failure.
Before the shame, before the mask, before the striving, before the performing, you were a son.
And you still are.
Today on the Recovering Fundamentalist Podcast. We're not talking about religion. We're not talking about performance.
We're talking about identity. About coming home to the one thing the enemy works the hardest to make you forget.
That you, my friend, are fully known, fully loved, and fully accepted as a son of the father.
My guest is Lynn Gibson, the author of the book One Man's Search for Adequacy and the founder of Wild Heart Adventures, where he leads men into the wild to rediscover and recover what religion and shame have stolen. A deep, unshakable sense of sonship.
What if everything you thought made you worthy actually didn't?
What if the approval that you've been chasing from people, from performance, even from God, was already yours before you even tried to earn it? Well, today's episode is all about grace. Not a watered down version, not a theological concept on a shelf, but raw, untamed grace that wrecks shame, silences the inner critic, and invites us into a true sonship. This isn't just an episode. No, this is an invitation to stop performing, to stop proving, and to finally start living as a beloved son. If you've ever struggled with feelings like you don't measure up, if you're a man fighting to figure out where faith, identity and purpose collide, well, this conversation is for you. This is episode number 197, Sonship. It's all about grace. And what makes it so amazing.
Hey, I want to thank some of the sponsors of the Recovering Fundamentalist Podcast, Mission University. You can find them today at Mission.
I also want to thank all the patrons of Patreon for their constant support and continued support of the Recovering Fundamentalist Podcast. Find them today at Recovering Fundamentalist podcast. JC that's
[email protected] Recovering Fundamentalist podcast. JC hey, we're going to be doing one of the largest giveaways that we have ever done here on the podcast. Our 200th episode is coming up. In just a few short weeks. And on August 3rd, we're going to be doing drawing. It's a $4,000 prize. And you want to stay tuned to the end of this episode to find out how you can get into this drawing. It's going to be life changing. It's going to be the trip of a lifetime. Be sure to stay tuned to the end of this episode to find out more. Well, like I said, today is episode number 197, Sonship. And we're talking about grace and what makes it amazing. And I've got a guest with me today, a man that I have not seen in about 25 years. We went to church together back when I was a teenager and I ran into Lynn a few weeks ago and we have rekindled our friendship and just started talking and realized that our paths need to cross for a purpose. And this episode is birthed out of that. And Lynn, it's exciting to have you on the Recovering Fundamentalist podcast today.
[00:06:39] Speaker C: Well, thank you. And the good news is, in 25 years, nothing's changed but about, what, £50, £100 for both of us? I don't know.
[00:06:48] Speaker B: Yeah. And I lost all of my hair.
[00:06:51] Speaker C: I'm coming right in there behind you.
[00:06:53] Speaker B: Oh, man. Well, Lynn, we went to Temple Baptist Church together there on Rossville Boulevard and ran into you and we got to talking and you are part of something absolutely incredible. And we'll get to that towards the end of this episode. But I'd love for you to set the stage today with what you're doing with where God has you in life and how you're helping men discover sonship.
[00:07:16] Speaker C: Wow. Well, I tell you, it's been a crazy path as it is with all of us, isn't it?
You know, I gosh, I never grew up in church. I grew up in a real blue collar family and just four strapping boys. And my parents are great people, but they just didn't have a lot of social skills. So we did not really come up in church. But I got married very early, had kids early, and just felt this compelling thing to be a good dad. And on that list was, you know, take the kids to church.
And so while it was kind of in those early years, way back when when you and I met, that my kids were small and I was just trying to drop them off and let do my job, you know, I guess I hung around a little too long and heard the gospel and found that, that it was for me. But in those, in those early years, I tell you, J.C. it was. I don't know, it sounds so unemotional because it was emotional, but it was almost like a business transaction. I was so overwhelmed with being a father and a husband. And I was young, trying to make it in business, and boy, it was a struggle trying to do things well. And really I was just trying to hang on.
And I think that's why I accepted the gospel. I just felt God's promise of saying if I would lean in and trust him, I could then just do the best that I could do and that would be enough, you know? Yeah, but it was. It felt still a little legalistic and that to accomplish that I was going to have to follow the rules. And I held back for a long time from leaning into God because I just didn't think I could measure up. I didn't think I could pass the test, you know, But I guess I just took a chance, hoping that I would somehow figure it out.
And what was interesting is that in those early years I was a financial guy. And so in order to do well in business, I needed to run a very straight life and to be a father the same way and a husband. So I was really looking good because I. It was easy for me. I wouldn't dare use bad language or drink or anything because it was. Wasn't good for business, you know, So I was just passing the test. And. And then 25 years went by, I guess, and my kids grew up and got off into their own families and just kind of stopped, you know, going to church and just kind of started to become me. And that me was a guy who would smoke a cigar and drink a little bit of bourbon and say a bad joke every now and then. But I still had this close relationship with Christ. I started having this feeling that somehow at my age I had some experiences and the ability to give something back. And I thought, okay, I've got to get back in church, but to do that, boy, I'm gonna have to clean myself up. I mean, they're not gonna have me down at church anymore with just being the normal me. I gotta go back and be that guy that looked much better.
And so I, I started thinking, you know, I want to go back and teach a Sunday school class. And then I'd hear that voice, yeah, right, you smoking those cigars, that's gonna be real good for a Sunday school leader. And then I dumb it down. Well, maybe I could just do something in the youth department. Yeah, your language is going to slip up. And that's exactly what they need. And boy, it Just got so confusing, it was almost debilitating. Till finally I just gave up on it, wrestled with it. And then one day, this was the peak of it. I went into.
It was on a weekend and I'd been thinking and I just went in the house and said to my wife, listen, I've got to just tell you, I've got this angst going on and I want to get back in church and, and here's what I'm going to do. I'm deciding right now, no more smoking, drinking, cussing, bad stories, bad thoughts. I'm cleaning all that up. And then they will have me back at church again. And, and my wife just looked at me and said, are you out of your mind? I've never seen you make a change for anyone. Well then I was just lost then, you know, what am I going to do now?
And I went on this amazing fishing trip and just started seeing real and raw guys who were having such an impact on Christ. And I started realizing and learning more through that process that it isn't about those rules at all.
And then I had an experience that was just really life changing for me. I'd started finding my pathway to sharing my faith. And I was operating a marina and a lodge in a campground. And one Sunday morning I got to thinking, what are these people doing here that would they know? If they're here on a Sunday, would they normally be in church? What would they be doing? Hey, maybe that's something we should provide. I'll do a service of some kind out on the pavilion. And I thought about getting a pastor in the area to do it. And then I thought, no, I'll get one hung up on the laws and the rules and maybe I'll just do it myself.
And so all along during this time I found myself asking a question on these fishing trips and ways that I was convening men and some of the most reflective, deep moments, I would ask this question, what do you have to do to have a better relationship with Christ? Or maybe even one at all?
And over and over and over again, it felt like 99 times out of the hundred, I'd start hearing the, what I call the stops and starts. I mean, you know, well, I'd have to stop doing this and stop doing that and stop this bad language. And then I'd have to start going to church, start reading my Bible. And then I would say, well then, okay, at what point then would you be there?
And every time they'd say, well, I don't know. And you could just see this exasperation. And then they'd start explaining me the big scales in heaven. You know, I just gotta hope when I get there my good outweighs my bad.
And then I hear that and I would say, well, let's go to the Google of the Bible. You know, what if we typed in that same question, what does it say? And of course it says nothing of that. Love the Lord with all your heart and soul, you know, love your neighbor. And we would have that conversation and they would say, well, you're right. But then they would walk off and it had no impact at all.
Well, on that Sunday morning, I kind of reversed it and I said, you know, I feel that one of the closest examples of our relationship with God is the relationship between a parent and child.
And so I knew a few people there and I just started this thing. I'd say, Jim, I wanted to tell you that I talked to your son Jimmy, and I asked him this question. What would you have to do to have a better relationship with your dad? And he said, oh, I don't think that's ever going to happen. He caught me stealing some candy last week and, and I don't think he's going to ever love me again.
And then I looked at this person I knew as Sally. What would you do if your daughter Kim, if I told you that I asked her this question? What would she have to do to have a better relationship with you? And she said, boy, you're a stickler for grades and until she gets her grades up, you're never gonna love her. And I started going through this and J.C. i'm telling you, man, I. The look on these parents faces, it was a horror, sadness, one kind of started to tear up. And you know the guy, when I made that thing up about this candy, he said, well, you know what he said, I tell you, I thought, I thought that was actually kind of clever how he stole the candy, you know, and, and so, but they just had this horror look on their face. And finally I said, you know, can you imagine how God feels every day looking down on us, wanting us to just come to him, but we're hiding and we don't think we're good enough, man, how do you imagine if that's the way a parent feels? How does God feel seeing us all the time not come to him? And that just then started me down this pathway of finding as many ways as possible, as much time as possible, as many opportunities as possible to talk about this relationship based on grace instead of the law.
And that's how it all started that Sunday morning with that analogy.
[00:15:37] Speaker B: I love that. You know, so many times, especially for my listeners here, we have been stuck in this legalistic tendency where we are striving to earn acceptance.
If we're not trying to please our parents, we're trying to please our pastor or our Sunday school teacher. And it's this vicious cycle that we find ourselves on that we can't.
The goalpost is always moving and you know, it's such a miserable place to live in. Lynn, when you're striving to please, when you're striving to prove your worth, it feels like a dead end road. And you know, I would love for you to explain like, well, how did you feel when you were on that journey of trying to find acceptance? What was the feelings that you were experiencing?
[00:16:23] Speaker C: Well, for me, what was crazy about it, JC is I've never been a rule follower. In fact, you'll hear more about my history. I constantly stay in hot water about something I'm saying or doing because I'm just not a rule follower in any part of my life. I am independent.
You know, don't hesitate to jump in a battle, you know, but, but something about this where we, we just somehow feel that, that, that, that God is this taskmaster and you know, look, all it is is that we're children. And just like when we were children and had a father, we, we thought our his love was dependent upon these things that we did, we needed to do, we could have as kids. We had no comprehension that our dad loved him, loved us. All we could think about was boy, he was a stickler for the rules. Right.
And I guess it maybe comes from that, but during those years that I was in between, knowing that it wasn't about the rules, but it's still so entrenched in us, it's just hard to shake.
[00:17:22] Speaker B: Sure. You know, I think this is where that role of sonship comes into play. I'd love for you to unpack this difference between being a servant of God and being a son of God.
[00:17:35] Speaker C: Well, you know, I think if you can think back to when you were a child, you felt like you were a servant with your father.
And if you can think back to when you were a child, how that felt and you were constantly thinking, I got to do this, I got to do that.
But if you've now become a parent and you can switch over to the parent feeling and look out towards your child, it's crazy. As a parent way of thinking, it's this total dichotomy that all these rules you have for your child and you're talking about them all the time, right?
How little it has to do with your relationship.
And I think that's when a parent, you know, at that point, then understands the servant role, that it's just from having the heart to lean in and accept this gift that your parents are trying to give you.
I think it's whether or not you feel like you're trying to earn and check the box for the rules or when you become a servant is when you feel like and understand that there's a gift out there that God's trying to give you. You just got to accept it.
[00:18:45] Speaker B: Lynn, you wrote a book titled Enough One Man Search for Adequacy. What made you feel like you weren't enough in the first place? And how did Grace begin to rewrite your story?
[00:18:56] Speaker C: Well, you know, when we do these adventure trips, I ask everybody to read this book, Wild at Heart by John Eldredge. And you know, if you ever read that book, he talks a lot about how a young man is searching for confirmation that he has what it takes.
And he's looking to his father for that validation. And my dad was a good guy and really took care of us, but we just didn't have much of a relationship. And I never felt that validation from him. It started right there that I was going to be good enough.
And then for some reason I had these big aspirations when I was so young and had got married. These aspirations to be a really good dad, a really good husband, and really good in business.
And so I started setting these standards that were extremely high for a 20 year old kid, you know, and so never feeling that validation from my dad, kind of trying to prove myself and jumping into a life that had all these huge expectations, man, it just never felt like I could get there.
And the reason why it was just almost impossible. It was a big, big task, you know, but I held myself to this extremely high standard.
And so for me, that's where it was. I struggled to feel like I was enough because I just set these huge responsibilities and I didn't come out of a, of a childhood where I felt, you know, really validated.
And boy, when you're chasing, like you said, I just kept moving the goalposts, man, and just never felt like I was there. And I think that transferred over to my relationship with Christ. It felt the same kind of way. I needed to do things in a certain way or I just really wouldn't be good enough for his acceptance.
And that. That led me down this path of feeling like I had to put on the. The look of being the Christian. And inside I knew that wasn't right, but I couldn't reconcile the two.
And it was going on this unique fishing trip when I was sitting around with the most diverse group of men from all different walks of life, and seeing the power of those discussions we were having out there in the wilderness with ordinary people, sharing their life stories, I began to see that God works with us and has a relationship with us. So beyond following the rules, you know?
[00:21:23] Speaker B: Yeah, it's true.
Well, let's talk about Wild Heart adventures. You've teased it a couple times. Tell us about this fishing trip, this event, this adventure that. That you do with these men out in Montana.
[00:21:37] Speaker C: Well, it all started for me because I was a participant, and it had such an impact on my life. When I came back, I was like, I hope that I can come back again one day and bring one guy or two guys. And then I just kept building that to the point that it just became a passion of trying to take guys out into a setting that would get us away from our life, create an adventure around fishing.
And.
And there's nothing unusual about it other than I just ask everybody to read this book, Wild at Heart, and we just have no agenda other than to discuss this book. Something, though, about this environment of being out there in the wilderness and away from your. Your life that has so many constraints that these unique conversations begin to happen.
And we ask everybody who comes just to take 45 minutes and tell us who you are, you know, kind of your life story.
And, man, you don't know someone until you've heard their story.
[00:22:35] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:22:36] Speaker C: And.
And we all have a story to tell.
And I just became enamored with creating that in these relationships that we were having. And then I started doing them for wounded combat veterans. My gosh, these guys have been through such a struggle.
You know, they sometimes come from difficult families, and then they're thrown into this. The scenarios that no one would. Could reconcile, and hearing their stories and giving them kind of a platform to discuss that, it's just become my passion.
So, yeah, three, four times a year and other events and places. Sometimes it's just small groups, sometimes it's somewhat more local trips, but I do four to Montana that are just incredible.
[00:23:27] Speaker B: Yeah.
And that's going to be one of our giveaways here on the Recovering Fundamentalist podcast.
We're going to be giving away a trip in. What month is it this year?
[00:23:37] Speaker C: Yes, September.
The day After Labor Day.
[00:23:40] Speaker B: The day after Labor Day. And so it's real easy that you can get into this trip. It's a $4,000 prize. Go to recoveringfundamentalist.org, click on the wild at Heart Adventure tab, buy Lynn's book, and you're entered into the drawing that's going to happen on August 3rd. Such an easy way to get into it. You're getting a great book and you're getting entered to go to Montana to do a fishing trip and to get away and just become all that God has called you to be. Man, I can't think of. It's a win, win, win.
[00:24:15] Speaker C: Well, it is. And I'll tell you. Let me tell you why. This trip is 4,000. It should be 40,000.
We go to a lodge, a private lodge. We have a private chef. And I don't mean to say it's all Richie and glamorous. No, but it's built around catering to us 12 guys. We'll be fishing with the most amazing guide. And for guys who have never even fished or haven't fly fish, when you have a private tutor right there, you, you'll come away from this trip actually being able to cast like a pro.
And, and we'll be fishing in private lakes out in Montana. You'll see no other fishermen around. We just have these lakes all to ourselves and we're catching trout. I'm telling you, oftentimes we'll catch three, four, or five a day. That just one of those in a lifetime would be incredible. So it's an, it's an amazing event and opportunity. And yeah, have one of your listeners come with us. Going to be really cool.
[00:25:13] Speaker B: I may win the prize myself. I'm not lying. I may just draw my own name.
Well, once again, we want you to get connected to this giveaway. We want you to go and buy Lyn's book. Enough. And this is a great read if for anything to get entered into the contest. But for your own spiritual growth as a son, and we'd love for you to sign him up, you go to the recoveringfundamentalist.org, click on the tab that says Wild at Heart Adventures. Buy the book and you are entered into the drawing. That's going to happen on August 3rd. And man, that's going to be a great trip. Biggest prize we've ever given here on the podcast.
[00:25:50] Speaker C: And JC Let me say that when you buy the book, all the proceeds go to our organization, Grace Enough Coalition, just a movement of men who are proclaiming their relationship With Christ is based on nothing but his grace.
And we'll take that money and try to give away more fishing trips or create more events that shares this information.
[00:26:14] Speaker B: I love it. You know, Lynn, normally on Father's Day, I was thinking about this while you were talking. Mother's Day is big, everybody. It's. It's how wonderful moms are. And then dads normally just get beat up. You know, it's like, oh, do better, do better.
We don't really lean into this grace thing. We've got to pay the bills, do the part, look the part, act the part. You know, it's not really something that is exciting at times. It's just, I'm dad, you know, when I need something, they come calling.
But what we find oftentimes is that's how we view God. We only need him when we need something.
And what I love what you're doing is getting men around. Because, let's be honest, we've all been to the men's prayer breakfasts where they sit around. It's surface level and it's shallow. There's no depth to it. We eat some food, we have some guys stand up and tell us how we need to do better. We leave and nothing changes. We need men that will step up. One of my godfathers, his name's R.V. brown, he wrote a book years ago called Step up to the Plate Dad. And that book has helped me so much because it really helps me not just as a man, as a husband, as a father, just go through my routine of being duty, but it really shows me how I, out of the grace of God that is so freely given, that I am enough, that God has called me, that he loves me, and no matter where I am in this journey, I can lead from how he is directing me and guiding me in my life. You know, yesterday being Father's Day, we're recording this on Monday.
Yesterday being Father's Day, my favorite holiday, by the way. I preached on the prodigal son.
Prodigal sons, not prodigal son. And the father's love, you know, the young son that squandered it all, went off to the far country. How many times we heard about the far country. And we always learned that he's the young son's the bad one. He's actually a picture of repentance. He came to himself. How many times do guys get with you out in Montana or in these groups or reading these books where they come to themselves, they realize, hey, I've wondered, I'm so far away. I'm leading my family, my wife, my ministry, my job. Just me as a man.
I'm just not doing all that God has called me to do. And they come to themselves. I've had those moments in my life. And I love that the younger son is actually a picture of repentance because he goes back to the father and he doesn't ask for anything other than just being a hired servant. But I love it because the father comes running to him. I remember the day God ran to me, man, what an incredible day. And I love that the son was preparing this big, long speech in his mind. And the whole way from the pigsty to the dad's house, he's preparing this speech. And the dad didn't even let him finish. He cut him off, put a ring on him, put a robe on him. But then you also have the other prodigal son, which is the older son. That older son is the one that isn't celebrating. He's cynical, he's burned out, he's deflecting, he's pointing out the sins of others. He's always working, trying to prove his sonship. He's the one that's there with the dad, trying to prove his love for his father and prove his sonship. And the dad goes to him as well, and he's like, hey, I love you. You've been with me the whole time. There's such this dynamic of the young son that squandered it all, took everything and went to the far country. But then you have the older son that's with the father. And how many times. I think, Glenn, what happens is we hear a topic like this and we think about the guy that's not really being a good husband. He's kind of a waste of time of dad. He's just laying on the couch and playing PlayStation.
We think about the ones who aren't really. They're deadbeat, as you will. And that's kind of what we could think of as the ones that really need your book, that really need this. But it's also the ones that are going through the motions. They're doing the job, they're working the fields, if you will. They're being a husband, they're being a dad, they're going to the games, they're doing all the external things, but internally, it's just to prove their worth. And I love the story of the prodigal because the father goes to both of them and loves on them and says, you're accepted because you are my son. Grace is Incredible. It can break the chains of guilt, of shame, of performance.
And we do that when we reflect on the heart of God. Grace flows from his unconditional love and desire for a relationship with us both sons. Not just the one that went away and came home, but the older son that was there with him. It's not about what we've done or haven't done. It's about God's nature to extend grace freely to all of us. Embracing that grace, my friend, it starts with accepting that you are loved beyond measure, regardless of past mistakes or current struggles. Lynn, without going into detail, what is it like when a man has that grace come to Jesus moment, that aha moment, that coming to himself as the young prodigal did, sitting in the pigsty. I'm sure you've seen that over and over again. When, when a man comes to himself and is like, man, I have been living for such the wrong thing in life. What's that feeling like? Can you break that down?
[00:31:36] Speaker C: Well, you know, at the edge of it, it's exasperation where you're just, you're, it's rationalizing, you know, it's that process of trying to rationalize that's the nature of a man. You know, we got to figure it out, get all the ducks in a row and, and rationalize where we're going. But at some point the exhaustion just takes over and, and, and so it's the moment really of just the willingness to put all that aside and just lean in to this gift that God is offering. And that gift is to just accept us like we are. If we'll give up on that pursuit of following the rules, that's where it has to come to is our willingness to give up on that. And again, where I feel that more than anything is more like from a standpoint of a parent, if you've ever had a really strong willed child that's just bucking up against every rule and you're trying to hold the rule on them because you know they've got to stay in line.
But where the relationship starts is when that child gives up on that and surrenders and comes back to the father and says, I'm done with that, accept me like we are. And man, a good parent, how quick they'll put all that aside because that's all a good parent is wanting is for that child to turn their heart back to them and all is forgiven and can be made right.
And that's the same way with us and God. We can make all this stuff right that we've been pursuing when we're willing to turn into him.
[00:33:11] Speaker B: Yeah, I think some practical questions for our listeners this morning, this afternoon, tonight, whenever you're listening to this is I just want to put these out there. And I want you to really search your heart and ask yourself these questions.
Where in my life am I still trying to earn, earn what God has already given to me freely. Approval, acceptance, love and identity.
The next question when was the last time you truly saw yourself as a son of God, not just a servant or a follower? And what would change if you lived from that identity today? Here's a big one. What voices have shaped your definition of manhood, culture, church and family?
How does the father's voice challenge or correct those definitions? You know, man, so many times we try to do this on our own. And I believe the biggest step of sonship is saying, God, I can't do this on my own. I need you. And I can tell you as a husband, a father, a pastor, a man trying to earn God's favor is, is so exhausting.
But when you learn to live from acceptance rather than for acceptance, it'll radically change your life. And you will find that's where grace becomes so amazing. When you discover that you are enough.
You are exactly who God has created you to be for a reason.
You will lead your wife better, you will lead your kids better, you will lead your church, your ministry, your business, your employees.
So much better out of a place of grace, not of a place of trying to earn that grace. Lynn, I thank you for being on the podcast with me today, man. I really feel like this conversation is going to radically help some men who are in that, that performance based faith, trying to earn the favor of God. What would, what would be your last message to men that are listening to this podcast today?
[00:35:12] Speaker C: Well, I'll tell you where it's made a difference in my life, JC is that when I felt I had to follow more of the rules and I wouldn't, I would fail in some way. I would kind of go and hide from God as if there needed to be a little time and the problem would resolve itself if I just stayed away, you know, and hid. And maybe I asked for some forgiveness, but it's like it had to be solved with time and then I'd eventually have a crisis or something that would then lead me back.
But when I'm living under God's acceptance of who I am and I fail now, I find myself leaning to God immediately. And what kind of comes out of my mind is, yep, God that's me right there. That's that guy that's never gonna get it right. And it's when that happens, that's when I know who you are and who I am. So when I'm living under Grace, I get to live with him all the time, even when I screw up, because I can so quickly now go, that's me right there.
I don't have to act like I'm not that. That's not my nature, or to go over and try to find penance. I just live with him every minute because I know he's going to accept me just like I am. And, boy, does that ever foster a deeper, closer relationship.
And I feel for those. You know, I see people who either are struggling to get that relationship because they're following the rules. Sometimes even worse are those who profess that they have a relationship, but they live a miserable relationship because they feel like they're under constant judgment and failure. And man, when I started living under Grace, JC I can live with him every minute of every day. I can live in his spirit. And when I do those things that I'm prone to do, doesn't mean I don't stop and remit, repent, and admit it. I'm not saying that just gives me the ability to sin willy nilly, but it gives me the ability to just be me and know that God loves me for just who I am. And we can walk together all the time.
[00:37:15] Speaker B: That's a good word. Lynn, I appreciate you being on the podcast today.
[00:37:20] Speaker C: So much fun. Thank you.
[00:37:21] Speaker B: It's going to be awesome. Hey, go and buy Lyn's book. You can do that at the recovering fundamentalist.org it'll take you on over to his website.
When you buy a book, that'll enter you into a drawing for a Wild at heart adventure, a $4,000 gift. Going to be in Montana in September. And we want you to go and do that and go, go learn how to fly fish with Lynn Gibson in Montana.
[00:37:45] Speaker C: Buy the book and we'll spread this message that more of us can live under grace.
[00:37:50] Speaker B: Grace isn't a license. It's not a loophole. It's a launching pad for real freedom. It's not God saying you're fine. It's God saying you're mine. Today we've been reminded that the deepest part of us, the insecure, ashamed, not enough parts, are the very place that Grace is drawn to.
Not to shame us, but to heal us. Not to make us stronger, but to make us sons. And somewhere along the way, I think a lot of us have traded sonship for slavery. We've started believing that God's love had to be earned, that if we did more, performed better, or cleaned ourselves up, maybe we'd be enough. But my friend, that's not the way the father works. He never asked for perfection. He just wants his sons to come home. And here's the truth. You don't have to strive to be what you already are. You are a son. Not because you got it all right, but because Jesus did. Not because you're strong, but because the Father is good. You're chosen, secure, wanted, and home. Lynn Gibson reminded us today that grace isn't about trying harder. It's about waking up to the reality that your identity was never in question.
So if you're, if you've forgotten who you are in life, in religion, in your own shame, that whispers so loudly to you, hear this.
The Father still runs towards the sons. He's running to you. Thanks for joining us today. Go pick up Lynn's book, One Man, Search for Adequacy at the Recovering Fundamentalist podcast and get entered into the Wild Heart Adventure giveaway that's going to be happening in the month of August. It's going to be an incredible next step in your journey back to the heart of a father. And until next time, live free. Walk boldly. Rest deeply in your sonship. Love you, kids.
