CWR Blog
Christianity Without The Religion BLOG hosted by Brad Jersak.
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Transforming Prayer
If you're looking for some direction about how your prayers can rise above the level of "give me this - give me that: help me - save me - heal me" then you will want to join us for "Transforming Prayer."
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/RCWR467.mp3
CWR Video – Coffee and Jesus – Friend of Jesus
In this CWR Video, join Greg as he explores what it means to walk in friendship with Jesus. When you become a friend of Jesus, everything changes. In Christ, you are a new creation.
https://vimeo.com/1196052020
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My House Will Be Full
While good, church going folk of Jesus’ day excluded many “non-members” and those they determined to be ne’er-do-wells from their banquets and festivities, Jesus proclaimed that all are invited — he said “my house will be full.”
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/RCWR466.mp3
He’s “Friended” Us! – Greg Albrecht
What a friend we have in Jesus! So goes that great old hymn—and its message is the gospel truth.
In John 15:9-17 Jesus encourages us to remain in him and with him. In the Authorized King James Version the word used is "abide." Jesus is requesting that we stay with him.
He's saying, "Don't move away. Don't wander away. Stay with me. Remain with me."
Jesus is saying, "Keep your eyes and focus on me. Don't ever stop looking to me as the absolute center of your faith. Don't allow religious ceremonies and rituals to confuse you—so that you think our relation...
CWR Video – “Fly Me to the Moon” – by Greg Albrecht
Short 4 minute video by Greg Albrecht.
If this post has helped you, please subscribe and share it freely. We also invite you to help us continue to help others with a donation. Click here if you’re able to partner with us.
The Jesus Train
The lyrics of the old gospel song "This Train is Bound for Glory" proclaim that it doesn't carry no gambler, smokers, two bit liars or small time jokers - but "The Jesus Train" welcomes all those people and many more.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/RCWR465.mp3
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
July 8, 2026 - Quote for the Day:
“The kind of love that a man and woman have for each other that is pumped into our brains and hearts by our society, by our media and by our music, and yes, even by many of our churches – is conditional love. We have been brainwashed into believing we are loved as long as we can be who and what the object of our ‘love’ wants us to be. That’s conditional love – and it’s absolutely the opposite of the love taught in the Bible.”
Originally published in:
Letters to My Friends
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Us Against Them Or Us For Him?
The world at large identifies Christians in terms of what we are against, rather than what and Who we are for. When the ministry of Jesus and his gospel is so inclusive, why is it that so many churches make it so hard to be a part of his kingdom?
How Can I Trust God? With What? – Brad Jersak
Question:
I’ve been spinning my wheels around the idea of what it means to trust God, and how we even get there. Trust God with what? We are not guaranteed safety in body, relationships, or really anything (from my experience). Is it simply God’s presence in all things, that God will never leave us? In all honesty, that feels like an empty answer—what good does presence do?
Response:
I get it. I clearly remember the day when I sat with my spiritual director and asked virtually the same question. I framed it as “I am told to trust that God cares. But ...
God’s Kingdom – Now and Forever
The kingdom of God is not experienced passively - at a distance. It does not come with observation. The kingdom of God is in session! Are you involved?
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
July 6, 2026 - Quote for the Day:
“As a Christian, I believe I have no duty to force the culture in which I reside to be a Christian society.
When any humans, Christians or otherwise, get the idea that their main identity comes from the rightness of their behavior, sooner or later they will begin to believe that they have a right, a duty, perhaps even a divine calling, to force others who do not see things the way they do to do as they do. When people become convinced that their idea of right and wrong and of truth is the only way, they will form party lines ...
Patches of Godlight – Stuart Segall
C. S. Lewis, his line opens like a clearing in the woods. It says that there are moments in life when truth doesn’t arrive through study or theory, but through encounter.
A single beam of sunlight falling through trees tells you more about the sun than any astronomical textbook, because it is experienced, not analyzed. It touches your skin, warms your face, and reveals the world in a way that no diagram ever could.
Lewis calls these moments “patches of Godlight” because they break into the ordinary with a kind of quiet radiance. They are the unplanned, ...
Are Christ-Followers Beyond Teaching? – Greg Albrecht
"As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you" (1 John 2:27).
QUESTION / COMMENT:
Greg, hope you are doing well. Thank you for the many fine articles we are receiving and reading in the monthly magazines and the monthly letter — not to mention so many other resources on the blog and posted on www.ptm.org. I have been thinking about 1 John 2:27 lately. I am wondering how much the Lord teaches us personally. If you have time I would appreciate your thoughts on this topic. Thank again for you and ...
Freedom, Festival and Fireworks – by Ed Dunn
Christ has set us free to live a free life. So, take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you - Galatians 5:1, NIV
Freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better – Albert Camus
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom - 2 Corinthians 3:17, NIV
We have a small town a few miles to the south of us in Pasadena, California. Technically, the town is more like a city in terms of its population, but the feel of San Marino, California is definitely small-town, especially on the Fourth of July. Its ...
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
July 4, 2026 - Quote for the Day:
“When you hear the two words fatal and attraction linked you may think of a movie by that title. The movie, you may remember, teaches the lesson that those who think they own you, may wind up stewing your pet rabbit.
I don’t want any political interest thinking that I will pay them the allegiance which I owe to God alone, for first and foremost I am a citizen of the kingdom of heaven.
Neither a political candidate nor a political party can replace the kingdom of God. There is no New Testament teaching that requires ...
God Shed His Grace On Thee
Christ-followers seek peace - they are, by definition, good citizens of the countries in which they live - because of God's grace. But we are citizens of the kingdom, and our primary allegiance is to Jesus, not earthly governments and its authorities.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/RCWR229.mp3
Tender Mercies: Precious Lord – by Ruth A. Tucker
Bless the Lord who crowns you with tender mercies (Psalm 103, NKJV).
I’ll never forget the fervent choir of voices ringing out in my seminary class that afternoon. I had suggested we begin the session with a hymn. Jun Kim, one of my several Korean students, requested “Precious Lord.” The students sang with gusto, particularly the Korean contingent. What surprised me was that they sang all stanzas in English—not missing a word.
Actually, I shouldn’t have been surprised. “Precious Lord” is ...
The King and His Kingdom
Jesus' presence and his essence defines the kingdom of heaven - an entirely different kind of kingdom.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/RCWR177.mp3
Q&R with Brad Jersak – The Creepy Twins of Spiritual Pride and Self-Loathing
Screenshot from Stephen King's "The Shining"
Question:
Do you have any advice in the spiritual pride behind the deeply held belief that “God can’t forgive me”? I've dealt with this for years and it's beginning to hit me how prideful it was.
Response:
Yes, ironically, rejecting the forgiveness of God "because I'm not worthy" is totally prideful but the pride is so often obscured by our self-loathing. We think that if we condemn ourselves that it can't possibly be pride. But what does self-loathing reveal except that the ego has become so deluded that it ...
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