Backyard Chat (029)

Have you ever been taught that you're worthless, depraved, or nothing more than useless "whale spit"? In this episode, Mike and Susan talk honestly about the lingering effects of that message and how it shaped their view of themselves—and of God. They explore the freedom of discovering that God doesn't see us as disposable tools but as deeply loved sons and daughters. If you're still untangling the effects of religious shame, this conversation is for you.

Grab your favorite beverage, get comfortable, and sit with us for this informal backyard chat about the grace of God and what's been given to us freely in Jesus.

When grace shows up, resistance follows. From religious and church traditions to personal objections, we walk through some of the fear-based objections people raise concerning grace and the surprising freedom that comes when grace breaks through.

In this episode we talk about the simplicity of the gospel and how we clutter it up and make it complicated with add-ons. But it isn't complicated. Join us as we talk about Susan's recent church visit and we take a look back at our gospel roots in the Jesus movement of the late 60s and early 70s and how things have changed in today's church climate. Enjoy!

In this episode of The Grace Cafe we talk about life changes and what's important and what isn't as we grow older and grace becomes more important than ever. _____________________________ Other places you'll find us: The Grace Cafe YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@GraceCafePodcast The UnSunday Show Podcast - https://www.unsunday.com The UnSunday Show YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@unsundayshow

Many people try to live like Jesus, thinking that's what makes them right with God. But if Jesus is only our role model, we're left with an impossible standard. When Jesus is viewed only as a role model, as is often the case in religious settings, His life becomes a crushing burden — not good news. But when we see Him as our substitute and Savior, all of that changes. In this episode we interact with an email we received asking us our thoughts on the extreme legalism that can result from this kind of thinking in institutional Christianity. Enjoy! We're excited to tell you that we were recently interviewed by Emily Shepherd on the REST: Recovering from Spiritual Trauma podcast. Here's the link to part one. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rest-recovering-from-spiritual-trauma/id1724810445?i=1000710940538 As soon as part two is out, we will pass along the link. While you're there, check out Emily's podcast. She co-hosts it with her adult daughter. We think you'll like it. _____________________________ Other places you'll find us: The UnSunday Show Podcast - https://www.unsunday.com The Grace Cafe YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@GraceCafePodcast The UnSunday Show YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@unsundayshow

Has religion tied you down instead of setting you free? In this episode, we share some of our own experiences in escaping the religious mindset so prevalent in many institutional churches. We talk about the dangers of rigid leadership, legalism, and religious tradition—how they obscure our view of the gospel of grace and the freedom we have in Jesus to be ourselves. Many of us lose our true identity in the institutional church, conforming to man-made rules and expectations instead of walking in the freedom that is already ours in Christ. Join us as we unravel these issues and explore what it truly means to step away from religious conformity and back into the liberating grace of the New Covenant gospel. If you've ever felt confined by church systems or struggled to break free, this conversation is for you. Here are some of our previous episodes of ours related to topics that came up in this episode. Patriarchy and Its Affects on Women and Men https://www.gracecafepodcast.com/2213342/episodes/13205508-patriarchy-and-its-affects-on-women-and-men-02 Did Paul Command Women to be Silent in Church? (Part 1) https://www.gracecafepodcast.com/2213342/episodes/13282310-did-paul-command-women-to-be-silent-in-church-part-1-03 Did Paul Command Women to be Silent in Church? (Part 2) https://www.gracecafepodcast.com/2213342/episodes/13370653-did-paul-command-women-to-be-silent-in-church-part-2-04 Did the Law of Moses Silence Women? https://www.gracecafepodcast.com/2213342/episodes/13445967-did-the-law-of-moses-silence-women-a-second-glance-at-1-corinthians-14-34-40-05 _____________________________ Other places you'll find us: The UnSunday Show Podcast - https://www.unsunday.com The Grace Cafe YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@GraceCafePodcast The UnSunday Show YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@unsundayshow

In this episode of The Grace Cafe podcast we start out by talking about why we lose friends when we leave the institutional church. Then our conversation turns to an analogy from C.S Lewis' book, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and Spiderman and Institutional religion's preoccupation with sin. Yes, we're that spiritual! Enjoy! _____________________________ Other places you'll find us: The UnSunday Show Podcast - https://www.unsunday.com The Grace Cafe YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@GraceCafePodcast The UnSunday Show YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@unsundayshow

In this episode of The Grace Cafe, we talk about grace in the midst of suffering in the context of Mike's cancer and his ongoing treatments. In the institutional box church, where one-size-fits-all is the assumed norm, our performance is often a barometer of our spiritual condition. An upward trajectory is assumed. But suffering and not being able to perform reinforces the true nature of grace and the gospel. Namely that one is justified by faith apart from works of any kind, resulting in rest from our performance and a fresh appreciation of our relationship with the Father through Jesus. Enjoy! _____________________________ Other places you'll find us: The UnSunday Show Podcast - https://www.unsunday.com The Grace Cafe YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@GraceCafePodcast The UnSunday Show YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@unsundayshow

This episode of The Grace Cafe is a conversation from 2018 that Mike had with Mike Kapler of the Growing in Grace podcast. It centers around the content of Mike Kapler's book, Clash Of The Covenants: Escaping Religious Bondage Through The Grace Guarantee. We talked about many topics that often lead to confusion for believers, including the Sermon on the Mount, the Prodigal Son, the Old Covenant, the New Covenant, and more. I'm posting this on both the Grace Cafe and the UnSunday Show. Links we talked about in the episode: Clash Of The Covenants: Escaping Religious Bondage Through The Grace Guarantee (This is the link to the paperback version. The Kindle version can be found there) Growing in Grace Podcast Page - The podcast home of Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke. They've been talking grace on this podcast for almost 20 years and 900+ episodes. All the episodes are there for your enjoyment. You can also listen on your favorite podcast app. I'm (Mike) bringing some episodes over from the old Grace Cafe podcast while I wait for my voice to heal enough to carry on a conversation. Enjoy! _____________________________ Other places you'll find us: The UnSunday Show Podcast - https://www.unsunday.com The Grace Cafe YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@GraceCafePodcast The UnSunday Show YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@unsundayshow