• God Conversations with Tania Harris

  • By: Tania Harris
  • Podcast

God Conversations with Tania Harris cover art

God Conversations with Tania Harris

By: Tania Harris
Listen for free

  • Summary

  • Fascinating interviews, teaching tips and inspirational God-stories.
    Show More Show Less
activate_primeday_promo_in_buybox_DT
Episodes
  • (088) The Spirit Among the Poor with Bob Ekblad

    (088) The Spirit Among the Poor with Bob Ekblad
    Jun 23 2024
    Bob heard God speak at a Bible Study with Prisoners. Then this happened... Jesus was known for the way he interacted with those on the margins of society - the tax collectors everyone despised, the lepers no-one would touch, the cripples and the prostitutes society rejected. Jesus' teaching and interactions constantly reflected God’s heart for those who had been forgotten and left behind. So today, when we hear the Spirit as Jesus’ continuing voice, we shouldn’t be surprised that we find themselves in similar places! That is, we will be led to love the poor as Jesus did. In this episode, we talk about the revelatory work of Holy Spirit among the poor with someone who is doing just that. With his wife Gracie, Bob Ekblad lives out the heart of Jesus through the power and revelation of the Spirit. After living several years working in sustainable farming in Honduras and then studying theology in France, Bob and Gracie lead a church community known as Tierra Nueva (New Earth) in Washington state USA. Here, they come alongside immigrants, street people, addicts and prisoners to demonstrate the love of Jesus in practical and profound ways. You’ll hear about: Bob and Gracie’s fascinating story from a kibbutz in the Middle East to the cornfields of Honduras, the study halls of Paris and the streets of Washington state… How working with impoverished peasants in sustainable farming led to an unexpected request: “A lot of us are tough. Some of us are violent. We don’t put God first, but we notice you do. Could we begin our weekly farming courses with a Bible study?” Bob tells of his surprise and excitement as well as a deep sense of trepidation: “You pull out a Bible in that setting, and the people look like stray city dogs who are used to being kicked. They sleek off and lurk away, fearful of being beaten by the Bible, because that’s how the Bible has been used…” How reading the Bible with semi-literate, impoverished Latinos expanded Bob’s view of the Gospel story “When people are marginalised and from the lowest classes of society, they abandon all hope and throw themselves into a life of drinking and violence.” A defining moment in Bob’s journey towards understanding the Holy Spirit… Bob and Gracie came from a background of seeing only the abuses of Holy Spirit ministry and were fearful of engaging with Charismatic Christians. Yet, they recognised that their ministry desperately needed the power of the Holy Spirit, particularly as they were dealing with hardened criminals and addicts who easily relapsed. When Bob found himself in a charismatic conference, he felt the need to pray a prayer of protection over the Christians praying as they prayed! Then he received a piercingly accurate prophetic word that changed his life: “I see you in a circle of men in red uniforms sitting on blue plastic chairs. I think they’re prisoners. I hear the Father saying, “I love how you love my prisoners.” The shift in Bob’s ministry after receiving prayer for a healing anointing. Bob tells how Jesus’ teaching from Luke 15 became relevant for a self-confessed racist, neo-Nazi gang member in jail who wanted to learn how to get along with Mexicans. After the Bible study, a word from God and a simple prayer led to a miraculous healing for one of the jail members. The connection between hearing the Spirit and developing a heart for those who have suffered, even violent offenders. Bob shares how hearing God speak about the health conditions and root emotional problems of others revealed the kind of grace that did not require change of even faith to bring healing. In his words, "pre-emptive love doesn’t require a response - it elicits a response." About Bob Ekblad Bob and Gracie Ekblad are founders and co-directors of Tierra Nueva (New Earth) in Burlington, Washington. Together they minister at Tierra Nueva and at their home-based retreat centre, New Earth Refuge in the Skagit Valley.
    Show More Show Less
    42 mins
  • (087) God’s Voice and Healing – Kirk Delaney

    (087) God’s Voice and Healing – Kirk Delaney
    May 27 2024
    If you had to sum up the ministry of Jesus, it would include three features: teaching, exorcising demons and healing! As followers of Jesus and recipients of his Spirit, the church should also be known for healing. But how does it work, and what role does the Spirit’s voice have to play? In this episode of the God Conversations podcast, we talk with Kirk Delaney, Pastor of Pine Rivers Vineyard Church in Brisbane Queensland, Director of the Australian Vineyard Churches and a follower of Jesus who is experienced in hearing God's voice for healing. You’ll hear about: Kirk’s initial attraction to the Vineyard movement that came about because they were not just concerned with moral and spiritual transformation, but in partnering with the Holy Spirit to do the empowering works of Jesus, including healing the sick and casting out demons. "My question was, why are signs and wonders happening in the Majority world but not in the West?" The first major healing Kirk witnessed when the Holy Spirit fell on a woman with a pronounced curvature of the spine and a large protrusion on one of her shoulders. Over 45 mins of prayer, Kirk watched as her leg grew, her spine straightened and the bump on her shoulder disappeared like a deflating balloon. Kirk’s response was, “God, I don’t know you, do I?!” The connection between compassion and the the healing ministry of Jesus. Holy Spirit speaks to move us with love for hurting people in the manner of Jesus. The mandate on every person to continue Jesus’ ministry of healing. Everyone has authorisation to engage - not just the "super healers" on stage! “Everyone gets to do the work of Jesus!” The first time Kirk stepped out in hearing God’s voice and healing, involving an unusual story of a woman who had recently lost her husband and was suffering from an arthritic pinkie finger. Kirk explains how we hear God through all the senses - feeling, seeing, hearing - as God draws our attention to something in another person. “God I know you want to talk to me about healing for someone, but my right pinkie finger is really throbbing!” Advice for starting out: start simply - ask God, “is there anyone here on your heart that you would like to touch with your love today?” Kirk’s thoughts on why healing doesn’t always happen. Subscribe to God Conversations with Tania Harris and never miss an episode! About Kirk Delaney Kirk is married to Nichole and they have three young adult children and a new son-in-law. Together they pastor the Pine Rivers Vineyard Church in Brisbane and serve as the national directors of Vineyard Churches Australia (https://vineyard.org.au/). Kirk has been serving in local church ministry for 30 years and has a big heart to see God's people equipped for living the message, ministry and mission of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.
    Show More Show Less
    44 mins
  • (086) Hearing God with First Nations Peoples – Lydia Read

    (086) Hearing God with First Nations Peoples – Lydia Read
    Apr 19 2024
    All over the Western world, people are revisiting their history and in particular, their participation in colonialism. Many nations in the West were established in lands that were long inhabited by indigenous or First Nations peoples, with European settlement coming at a deadly and devastating cost. Debates rage as to how we should respond to a history that is often brutal and violent. For the Christian church, this means asking what the Spirit is saying about the topic. How do we respond to the cries of the native Indians of North America, the Inuit of Canada, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples of Australia, the Maori of New Zealand and so many others who still suffer from the effects of colonial domination? What does the Gospel of Jesus look like when it comes to reconciling our past with our future? On this episode of the podcast, we explore the question of what the Spirit is saying about First Nations people with Ps Lydia Read, leader of the New Wine Movement in New Zealand. Lydia is well-positioned to answer this question, having lived it alongside the Maori peoples of New Zealand. You’ll hear Lydia talk with Tania about: The history of the New Wine movement as well as Lydia’s personal story into her family’s adventures with the Holy Spirit. Lydia talks about the emphasis of New Wine on healing, reconciliation, justice and its role standing alongside the local church asking, “how can we help?” Lydia’s experience of reconciliation with the first peoples of her land - the Maori. Lydia explains that we start by making deep friendships with First Peoples in a way that reflect the ideals of covenant. That is, we form relationships as brothers and sisters together as the family of God. The need to watch our hearts and pursue the face of God in the journey of reconciliation. This calls us to deep humility. It involves learning together and talking about our cross-cultural differences. You start with watching your heart - the wellspring of life. Reconciliation calls us to deep humility and seeking after the identity God has for us as a nation and the people of God. How one of the earliest God conversations in the early church between people of two different cultures provides us with an example for us to follow. The Ethiopian Eunuch’s interaction with Phillip marked the first conversion in the church outside the Jewish race (Acts 8:26-40) and crossed enormous social barriers including race, sexuality and class. Lydia explain how conversations with the Maori about Scripture broadened her understanding of the Gospel. What it means to do “church” with people of different cultures - while cross-cultural integration is challenging, we are so much richer for it! Lydia shared how she learnt to play differently as a result of her relationship with Maori! The enormous significance of Jesus’ prayer that we may be one (John 17:20-23). How the process of reconciliation leads us into the heart of God as the Holy Spirit challenges how we think, even while our upbringings have shaped our thinking and often led us to avoid those who are different. When the Spirit falls and you pursue the things on God’s heart, everything falls into the right order. You start to see God’s justice and love for those on the margins. Subscribe to God Conversations with Tania Harris and never miss an episode! About Lydia Read The Spirit-stirring feeling that there must be more, and that a life of faith should mean a life of adventure is what first led Lydia (and husband Shane) to the New Wine movement (www.newwine.org.nz). A wild roller coaster ride of fun and adventure is one way to describe what’s happened since! Lydia leads the charge at New Wine with joyful devotion! She is energised by God’s church and being with ordinary people who live dynamic personal faith journeys - the true heroes of the faith. With the rest of her time, Lydia masters the role of cool grandma to six mokopuna ...
    Show More Show Less
    34 mins
Spirituality
Show More Show Less

What listeners say about God Conversations with Tania Harris

Average customer ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.co.uk reviews

Amazon reviews
No Reviews are Available