We all need people in our lives who provide us with help, encourage us in hope, and compel us to change.  My Pastor Lee Jackson was one such person in my life.  After many conversations, sermons, and interactions over the last 16 years with Lee Jackson it is quite evident to me that his pastor, Rev. Kenneth Reeves of Granite City, IL was an integral part of Lee Jackson life and ministry.  In this episode I only scratch the surface of who Kenneth Reeves was and his connection with the Oneness Pentecostal movement and one of its pioneers, Howard Goss.  I hope that by sharing of his life and honoring him it will also honor my Pastor, Lee Jackson, while blessing others as well.

We do not make this broken journey of life on our own.  We certainly will not make it through this life with any measure of success without the care, concern, and compassion of others.  This episode is special to my heart as it tells the story of one such person in my life, Pastor Lee Jackson.  It is only a small portion of his life, but I hope the telling of it blesses you as much as it has me.

“Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one…”  The oneness of God contains a wealth of meaning framing a vast foundation upon which to build our lives.  Creation is our beginning and it is here  we gain a holistic view of His Oneness forming with Him an identity of interdependence and concern while restoring relational intimacy for this is what broken people most desperately need.  Genesis opens with a simple statement.  “In the beginning God created…”   The heart of creation beats with the rhythm of One.  Creation is the drum beat of our living providing the pacing and direction for our lives.  The one God of scripture is our foundation for the hope of intimacy.  Recommended Reading:The Unseen Realm by Michael HeiserLife Death and the End of the World by David NorrisIn a couple of weeks we will begin a book club discussion of the book, More Like Him by James Littles Jr.

Discipleship is a process, a trajectory of knowing, being, and doing together which shapes us in His image.  This series is a journey into the opening pages of Scripture where we discover in Genesis how creation helps us understand His story while guiding our efforts to become more like Him.  We must trust that Christ’s decision to be openly broken is enough evidence for us to pursue living which models His approach.  We must settle for nothing less than a restoration of the garden.  As Apostolics we approach the Word of God as His very breath in our lungs.  It is His words for our lives and we give it a primary place in informing how we live and be in the world.  Therefore, when we interpret for intimacy we will live in oneness, be restored in salvation, covenanted in community and focused in mission discovering healing for brokenness and a return to relational intimacy with God and others.Truth must first be interpreted if it is ever to be integrated.  Interpretation is not a choice; it is an inevitability interwoven into every fiber of reality.  When God first spoke in the garden, long before sin and the Fall had entered the picture, the act of interpretation was begun.  Interpretation is the activity which initially engages us in our pursuit of knowing Christ.  In and of itself interpreting another’s words in the search for their meaning is an incredible act of intimacy.  We believe the Bible to be the very words of God for us.  With this in mind it is imperative that we take great care and consideration with how we read Scripture guided by the proper ‘why’ we interpret.

Genesis 2 relays the narrative of Adam and Eve prior to the Fall. The picture is painted of man and woman dwelling naked and unashamed, for this is our original state. Nothing to hide, nothing to gain, just alive in His presence. This week The Broken Journey examines the invitation to trust in Him, to live vulnerable and open before God and others and rest assured that He is with us and a life of intimacy is available.Recommended Reading:A Stranger to Self Hatred - by Brennan Manning

Intimacy requires intentionality. There are no shortcuts or loopholes through our stories if we long to experience the joy and purpose found in the space between God and our longings.  Journey into your hardest places and discover that when we are broken open by grace we find the intimacy our hearts desire.

.  In this first episode we will taste and see that the Lord is Good, discover a connection between the account in Luke of Christ on the road to Emmaus and the epic saga of Don Quixote, and embark on a beautifully broken journey.