Eric March 31st, 2012

Love the pic of Susan and Jesus sitting, arms folded, at opposite ends of the therapist's couch — it takes a lot to make me laugh out loud, but this did! Seems as if I've sat in that pose toward God for most of my life…

Joby April 16th, 2012

Nice heresy you preached today. We're saved by grace to become holy sir. Did you forget that without holiness, noone will see the lord, in Scripture. Grace is Free, Not Cheap. Jesus's blood was not cheap. We should worship about it, not laught about it. Your message was disgusting.

Ken April 17th, 2012

A question for you Joby. Who's holiness are you talking about? Yours and mine? Might want to read Isaiah 64:6. Our holiness is a resulting factor, I get it. But this is a minor approximation of His perfection. I know we become like Him. But our dependence in on His Holiness, not ours. If or security rests on our state, you and I are toast man. We could never get close to what you are suggesting, let alone be able to accomplish anything eternal with it. Might as well tell Jesus that you don't need Him, since you are so secure on your own ability to obtain holiness. Sounds like the words of the people who murdered Him. My hope is built on nothing less than… well you know the rest.

Shawn Smith April 18th, 2012

Joby, I get it. Kind of. I have a little (okay, he's pretty big, actually) pharisee in my heart that holds in his hands a stone with Steve's name on it from time to time. So I kind of get it. But, man, really? This episode!? This is the one that upsets you to the point of pulling out the "H" word? That I don't get.

Steve has so many other programs that are so much more infuriating and heretical to the stone-holding religious dude in my heart, that I really am amazed that you commented on this one. You must be a first time listener. That's the only way this makes sense.

IF you should choose to keep listening, one of two things will happen:

You will encounter Steve's greater heresies and if you do, I fear for you, not for Steve. I fear for you because you'll become even more convinced of how right you were about him. That judgement will be sunshine and water to the weeds of pride already growing in your soul and you will end up in a worse state than Steve (as unthinkable as that is).

OR you'll get it. You'll understand what Steve's saying, and it will become contagious in you. You'll start to have Joy – real deep-down, nothing-can-touch-it, GOSPEL JOY. And you'll need more and more of it. It will become your strength as it exposes your weakness.

Steve and Susan aren't laughing at God, His Word, or the idea of Holiness. They are laughing at themselves, and their inability to meet the requirements of a righteous God. They are laughing because everything that was so big and so scary to them seems so insignificant now that they begin to see the enormity of grace. They are laughing because Jesus has met all the requirements for them. They are laughing because HE has healed them, freed them, released them, commanded their Joy and provided it for them. They are laughing because that's what little kids do at Disney World. And they are laughing because they are his kids, and He is so much better than Disney World.

Whether you keep listening to Steve or not, I hope you have the second experience and I hope you laugh like a little kid at how free you are.

I don't always succeed, but when that stone-holding pharisee shows up in my heart, I try to just laugh at him until he either drops the stone, or runs away in disgust at me. And then, either way, I laugh some more.

Grace to you,
Shawn Smith

Zach April 20th, 2012

Well said, Shawn.