Episodi

  • Episode 13: Part 1: Manifestations of the Spirit: Being you, Being Weird, and Loving Well

    Episode 13: Part 1: Manifestations of the Spirit: Being you, Being Weird, and Loving Well
    Jun 16 2025
    Summary The podcast episode from Between Heaven and Earth, hosted by Justin and Amy Howard, delves into the often misunderstood and sometimes “weird” manifestations of the Holy Spirit in ministry and worship settings. They explore how such expressions—ranging from emotional worship experiences to prophetic acts and deliverance ministry—can sometimes appear odd or unsettling to observers yet hold significant spiritual meaning. The hosts emphasize the core purpose of any Spirit-led ministry: to help people truly know and feel God’s love, rather than to draw attention to individuals or create theatrical displays. They stress the importance of balancing openness to the Holy Spirit’s movement with mature discernment to avoid exploitation, manipulation, or immaturity in ministry expressions. The conversation is candid about the challenges leaders and congregations face when unconventional manifestations occur, including emotional intensity, physical reactions such as shaking or falling, and prophetic acts that may initially unsettle the community. Amy and Justin wrestle with how cultural expectations, fear of judgment, insecurity, and pressure can lead ministry participants to act artificially or “weird.” Throughout, they highlight scriptural foundations and emphasize that true prophetic and Holy Spirit ministry must ultimately produce the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control—and bring glory to Jesus rather than focusing on human performance. They also address how physical manifestations—though sometimes uncomfortable or misunderstood—may accompany genuine encounters with God, citing biblical examples and personal stories. The hosts conclude by encouraging listeners to love well, exercise wisdom, and embrace authenticity in their spiritual journeys without succumbing to anxiety or the compulsion to control others’ experiences. Highlights 🙏 Exploring Holy Spirit manifestations that can appear unconventional or “weird” without losing spiritual authenticity.❤️ The primary goal of Spirit-led ministry is to foster genuine love and connection to God, not spectacle or control.🔍 Discernment is key: manifestations must be weighed against biblical fruit and focus on Jesus, not individual attention.☯️ Balancing emotional worship with maturity to avoid manipulation or unnecessary theatricality.🎭 Pressure, fear, and insecurity often drive people to perform or replicate strange behaviors in ministry settings.✨ Scriptural prophetic acts can be unusual or jarring but must ultimately edify and build up the church in love.🛡️ Caring leadership involves loving both the individual experiencing God in a unique way and the corporate community simultaneously. Key Insights 🔥 Manifestations of the Spirit are diverse and can be misunderstood: The podcast acknowledges that manifestations such as shaking, laughing, falling, or prophetic acts can seem strange to outsiders or even insiders but often represent genuine encounters with God’s presence and power. However, this diversity requires careful discernment to avoid mistaking human immaturity or emotional manipulation for divine activity. This insight reminds ministry leaders to cultivate an environment where authenticity and spiritual fruitfulness override the desire for control or spectacle. 🤝 Love is the ultimate litmus test for ministry practices: The hosts underscore that the hallmark of any authentic Holy Spirit activity is love—both for God and neighbor. Manifestations that cause division, offense, or self-glorification fail this test. Love involves patience, gentleness, kindness, and self-control, even amid intense emotional or spiritual experiences. This emphasis on love challenges ministries to prioritize relational integrity and community health over dramatic displays. ⚖️ Cultural and personal factors contribute to “weirdness” in ministry: Anxiety, fear of judgment, immaturity, and pressure within congregations or leadership groups often motivate exaggerated or performative behavior. For example, young or insecure individuals may mimic behaviors they have seen without fully understanding their spiritual significance, and leaders may pressure others to “look spiritual” on stage. Recognizing these dynamics is vital to fostering a spiritually mature and supportive atmosphere that honors the Spirit without fostering competition or manipulation. 📖 Biblical prophetic acts often defy social norms and include discomfort: The podcast references prophets like Ezekiel, Hosea, and Isaiah, who enacted jarring, unconventional acts commanded by God, sometimes involving suffering or public embarrassment. This contextualizes seemingly strange modern manifestations within a biblical framework, reminding listeners that God can use unusual methods to communicate and redeem, though genuine prophecy ultimately points to Jesus and ...
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    49 min
  • Episode 28: Part 1: Bridging the Divide: A Candid Conversation on Ethnicity, Racism and the Gospel of the Kingdom

    Episode 28: Part 1: Bridging the Divide: A Candid Conversation on Ethnicity, Racism and the Gospel of the Kingdom
    Oct 20 2025
    1 ora e 9 min
  • Episode 12: Part 2: How to Suffer Well: Honesty and Friendship with Jesus

    Episode 12: Part 2: How to Suffer Well: Honesty and Friendship with Jesus
    Jun 9 2025
    Summary In this episode of Between Heaven and Earth, hosts Justin and Amy Howard explore the complex nature of suffering caused by other people’s sin and how followers of Jesus can engage with it biblically and practically. The discussion distinguishes between forgiveness, healing, and reconciliation—three distinct responses to suffering that often get conflated. Forgiveness is a personal choice to release retribution, healing is a divine work of restoration, and reconciliation requires mutual effort and repentance. They delve into common unhealthy ways people respond to suffering caused by others, such as codependency, where one absorbs harm wrongly, leading to emotional and physical consequences. Instead, they advocate for an “upcycling” approach of handing suffering over to Jesus and partnering with Him in healing, which requires setting healthy boundaries, acknowledging anger, and reframing pain in a Christian spiritual context. The hosts affirm the validity and importance of anger as a divine signal that propels one to action but warn against unresolved resentment and rage, which are harmful and unchristian. Through personal testimony, they illustrate how setting boundaries guided by God’s love can transform difficult relationships. They also introduce the concept of “love covering a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8), emphasizing that love does not ignore sin but chooses relationship and costly engagement nonetheless, modeled on Christ’s sacrificial love. The discussion extends to the mysterious and redemptive nature of “unitive suffering,” where believers share in Christ’s sufferings, deepening intimacy with Him and others. Finally, they offer practical pastoral wisdom: suffering is often mysterious, healing is incremental, humility is crucial when intervening in others’ pain, and prayer should be honest, raw, and persistent—marked by a shameless audacity to bring our suffering to God. The episode encourages listeners to embrace suffering as part of spiritual growth while maintaining hope and trust in divine healing and restoration. Highlights 💡 Forgiveness, healing, and reconciliation are distinct but interconnected responses to suffering caused by others’ sin.🔥 Anger is a healthy, God-given signal that calls for action and boundary-setting.🤝 Codependent responses to suffering are harmful; healthy boundaries and handing pain to Jesus are crucial.❤️ “Love covers a multitude of sins” means choosing relationship despite cost, following Christ’s example.🌿 Unitive suffering deepens intimacy with Christ by participating in His sufferings.⏳ Healing often takes time and involves gradual restoration rather than instant relief.🙏 Honest, persistent prayer with shameless audacity is essential in engaging suffering and receiving God’s guidance. Key Insights 😔 Differentiating Forgiveness, Healing, and Reconciliation: Forgiveness is a voluntary release of personal vengeance; healing is God’s work restoring brokenness; reconciliation requires mutual repentance and rebuilding trust. This clarity prevents common misunderstandings in pastoral care and personal relationships, emphasizing that forgiveness does not necessitate instant reconciliation nor does healing always follow immediately.🛑 The Danger of Codependency: Absorbing others’ sin and pain as one’s own, often justified as “being holy” or a “good victim,” leads to emotional overload, physical symptoms, and eventual relational explosion. Recognizing codependency allows believers to break cycles of dysfunction by learning to set boundaries and hand over pain to Jesus rather than internalizing it.😠 Biblical Role of Anger as a Propellant for Action: Anger in Scripture reflects God’s righteousness and motivates necessary action for justice and boundary-setting. Healthy anger is not sinful but is a bodily and spiritual signal that “something is not good.” When properly stewarded, anger leads to constructive responses that defend one’s integrity and relational health. Conversely, unresolved anger breeds resentment (bitterness and desire for revenge) and rage (dehumanizing aggression), both destructive and unbiblical.💔 Love Covering a Multitude of Sins in Real Relationships: This biblical principle, often misunderstood as ignoring sin, actually reflects costly relational engagement despite ongoing brokenness. It mirrors Christ’s sacrificial love toward imperfect people, meaning Christians are invited to sustain relationships in grace even when it hurts, thereby participating in God’s redemptive work of restoration.🔄 The Mystery and Participation in Unitive Suffering: Believers are called not only to endure suffering but to participate with Christ in His sufferings, deepening intimacy with Him and transforming suffering into spiritual union. This concept, rooted in Pauline theology and early church teaching, reframes suffering as a sacred fellowship rather ...
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    57 min
  • Episide 19: Part 3: Permission to be okay in Jesus: Freedom from co-dependancy and emotional idolatry

    Episide 19: Part 3: Permission to be okay in Jesus: Freedom from co-dependancy and emotional idolatry
    Aug 4 2025
    44 min
  • Episode 10: The Power of an Encounter Weekend - A Pastor's Experience

    Episode 10: The Power of an Encounter Weekend - A Pastor's Experience
    May 26 2025
    Summary The podcast episode from Between Heaven and Earth features hosts Justin and Amy Howard interviewing Pastor Shea Fitzgibbons from Bethany Church, New Hampshire, about the transformative impact of Encounter Culture Mission Collaborative (ECMC) on his ministry and congregation. Pastor Shea shares his personal journey to pastoral ministry, highlighting the deep challenges of pastoral life, including stress, loneliness, and burnout. He emphasizes the critical need for holistic discipleship that addresses emotional, spiritual, and physical healing while fostering authentic community within the church. Shea describes his introduction to ECMC events like Encounter God weekends, Encounter Equip trainings, and Encounter Life cohorts, and how these have reshaped his perspective on prayer ministry and healing in a practical, non-weird way suited to his culturally reserved church context. The interview explores common pastoral and congregational concerns around charismatic expressions and the balance of spiritual openness with structure and respect. Shea reveals how these programs promote genuine healing, transparency, and community through practices like confession, prayer ministry, and mutual support. He shares encouraging stories of congregants empowered to bring healing prayer into everyday life and evangelism without formulaic approaches. The episode also addresses broader cultural and spiritual struggles in churches that reflect the brokenness of society, such as addiction, loneliness, and complacency. The hosts and Pastor Shea urge church leaders and followers to pursue authentic encounters with God’s love and healing power that extend beyond information to embodied transformation and mission. The conversation closes with a hopeful call for churches to foster honest, healing environments where people can bring their pain openly and experience the power of community and the Spirit. The interview highlights ECMC’s role in equipping ordinary believers for ministry and prayer that bridges heaven and earth with practical love and restoration. Highlights 🙏 Pastor Shea’s journey from engineer to pastor embodies God’s gentle, persistent call to ministry.💡 ECMC’s holistic discipleship fosters healing that touches the whole person—not just behavior change.🤝 The importance of authentic community in church for overcoming loneliness and isolation.🔥 Training in “non-weird” prayer ministry unlocks healing and evangelism accessible to reserved church cultures.🌿 Encounter Life cohorts support ongoing healing and relational growth beyond weekend events.💬 Authentic vulnerability and confession in community radically transform church culture and individual healing.🌍 Healing prayer ministry serves as a natural bridge between meeting practical needs and sharing the gospel. Key Insights 🙌 Ministry is hard and often isolating, but shared community and honest confession offer needed relief: Pastor Shea candidly discusses the loneliness and stress common among pastors, emphasizing the value of trusted peer groups and prayer teams for mutual support and resilience. This counters the damaging expectation that pastors must always “have it together,” highlighting the importance of vulnerability.✨ Encounter Culture offers a fresh model of discipleship centered on experiential healing rather than solely informational teaching: Traditional discipleship often relies on knowledge acquisition, but ECMC prioritizes encounters with God’s love that heal deep wounds—physical, emotional, and spiritual—enabling transformation rather than mere behavior modification. This approach better addresses the root causes of struggle and sin in people’s lives.🔄 Prayer ministry training grounded in relational authenticity and practical technique eases fears of ‘weirdness’ in more reserved church cultures: Many evangelical and conservative congregations worry about charismatic expression disrupting order or alienating attendees. ECMC’s “non-weird” prayer training provides safe, reproducible practices for prayer ministry that empower laypeople to minister healing in ways respectful of their cultural context.💞 Church culture that invites honesty about sin and brokenness profoundly shifts congregational health: By modeling confession and mutual intercession, churches dismantle the damaging “sin management” mentality that leads to shame and isolation. Instead, a culture of grace strengthens the body as a whole and demonstrates the power of Jesus to heal ongoing struggles transparently.🌱 Ongoing ministry through groups like Encounter Life sustains growth and deepens community beyond weekend experiences: The 12-week cohorts create safe spaces where people can progress through healing at a realistic pace, holding one another accountable with emotional, spiritual, and relational support—essential for lasting change.👣 Healing prayer ministry naturally connects evangelism ...
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    1 ora
  • Episode 7: Can Christians be Demonized?

    Episode 7: Can Christians be Demonized?
    May 5 2025
    Summary

    In today's episode of “Between Heaven and Earth,” we delve into the debate of oppression vs. possession. Key questions raise the issue of whether Christians can be afflicted by demons, exploring biblical theology and the early church’s views on deliverance. Justin and Amy draw upon personal experiences and scriptural references to argue that while believers are secure in Christ, they are still susceptible to spiritual influences and must actively engage in spiritual disciplines for healing and renewal. The episode promotes a vision of empowering individuals within communities to participate in God’s mission of restoration and healing, emphasizing the need for ongoing discipleship that includes healing and deliverance.

    Key Insights
    • 📚 Listeners are directed toward foundational resources for learning about deliverance, such as Neal Lozano’s book “Unbound.”

    • 🗝️ Affliction in Faith: It is argued that although Christians are protected in their relationship with Jesus, they can still experience spiritual affliction similar to how they can sin or encounter physical illness. This understanding is essential for approaching healing in a Christian context, focusing on the reality of ongoing spiritual warfare even among believers.

    • 🤔 Biblical Misinterpretation: Many biblical passages are often cited to support the belief that Christians cannot be demonized. The hosts invite listeners to consider that the context of these scriptures may not outright dismiss the possibility of demonic interaction but rather provide a call to vigilance and active engagement in spiritual disciplines.

    • 🏛️ Historical Context of Deliverance: The podcast draws attention to the practices of the early church regarding deliverance, revealing a time when new converts underwent thorough preparation for baptism, including exorcisms and teaching on the kingdom, emphasizing the ongoing need for deliverance.

    • ⚖️ Possession vs. Oppression: Justin and Amy explore the idea that the terms “possession” and “oppression” may not fully encapsulate the spiritual realities faced by believers. They suggest there’s a spectrum of influence, where individuals may experience varying degrees of demonic influence that affect their spiritual agency and decision-making.

    • 🌍 Valuing Community in Healing: The hosts stress the importance of community in the healing process, not only for accountability but also as a means to love and be loved. They emphasize that true discipleship and healing can’t be achieved in isolation, echoing the biblical call for the body of Christ to coalesce around one another to share in the Divine Life.

    • 💼 Curating Discipleship Models: There’s a critique of modern discipleship models that often overlook the importance of addressing demonic influence and healing in the life of a believer. Instead of solely focusing on theological understanding, the podcast advocates for equipping believers to engage meaningfully in the practice of deliverance as part of their journey of sanctification.

    • 🧠 The Necessity of Therapy and Deliverance: The conversation acknowledges that trauma and emotional wounds often intertwine with demonic influence. This highlights the necessity of integrating spiritual healing practices that address both psychological and spiritual aspects, validating a holistic approach to healing.
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    1 ora e 7 min
  • Episode 1: The Kingdom is Here: Why Jesus' Message Needs to Take Center Stage

    Episode 1: The Kingdom is Here: Why Jesus' Message Needs to Take Center Stage
    Apr 4 2025

    The Kingdom of God is here, and "the Gospel" refers to the good news of this Kingdom—the message that God is making the wrong things right through the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth - critically observed through his ministry of healing and deliverance. While Jesus often spoke about the Kingdom, it rarely makes the top ten of favorite preaching topics in most churches. Why is that? And why is it essential to prioritize the Gospel of the Kingdom as we strive to make disciples? Join us for our inaugural episode to explore these questions and empower you to embody the Kingdom of God.

    Sign up for an event or bring Encounter to your church: www.encounterculturene.com

    Purchase Amy's book: Kingdom Ministry Training Manual

    Further Resources discussed:

    A Theology of the New Testament, by George Ladd

    The Gospel of the Kingdom: Scriptural Studies in the Kingdom of God
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    47 min
  • Episode 2: From Shame to Wholeness: Introducing Directed Confession & its Healing Power

    Episode 2: From Shame to Wholeness: Introducing Directed Confession & its Healing Power
    Apr 14 2025
    Summary

    In this episode of “Between Heaven and Earth,” hosts Justin and Amy Howard, a married couple and parents to six sons, explore the themes of priesthood and spiritual duties as followers of Jesus. They emphasize the ongoing work of restoring communities to bring heaven and earth together, suggesting that listeners engage deeply with the work of God in their lives. The episode introduces the concept of "directed confession,” a vital tool for spiritual and emotional maturity. It explains how confessing one’s sins should not be a solitary act but part of a community process where believers support each other in identifying the roots of their sin and pain. The Howards advocate for a model of confession that fosters spiritual growth and community involvement. Eventually, they unpack the “Four R’s” of directed confession (Repent, Renounce, Release, Receive), emphasizing that healing and transformation come from recognizing sin, taking action through the power of community, and accepting God’s grace and healing. They encourage the practice of directed confession among families and in church communities as a means to break the cycle of shame and foster a culture of support and understanding.

    Highlights
    • 🎙️ The hosts, Justin and Amy Howard, inspire listeners to understand the role of priesthood in their lives as they pursue spiritual growth.
    • 💬 The concept of “directed confession” is introduced as a communal tool for addressing sin and shame, rather than an isolated experience.
    • ✝️ Emphasis on the significance of understanding the spiritual duties of priests and how that relates to modern believers.
    • 🌱 The Four R’s of directed confession – Repent, Renounce, Release, Receive – serve as practical steps for spiritual and emotional healing.
    • 🙏 The importance of community support in confession to combat feelings of alienation and shame.
    • 📚 The podcast calls for a re-evaluation of how churches and leaders teach and practice confession, ensuring tools for healing are accessible and understood.
    • 🌟 Encouraging a shift from a culture of “superstar ministry” to one of shared vulnerability and communal growth in faith.
    Key Insights

    • 🤝 The Role of Community in Spiritual Healing: Justin and Amy argue that the healing process must happen within a community context where individuals can be seen and supported. By fostering openness, believers can break free from the isolation that sin and shame often perpetuate.

    • 🔄 Four R’s Framework: The framework of Repent, Renounce, Release, and Receive empowers individuals to articulate their struggles, take decisive spiritual actions, and ultimately receive the healing that comes from God. This structured approach encourages believers to engage thoughtfully in their spiritual lives.

    • ⚖️ The Nature of the Priesthood: The concept of priesthood in the modern era transcends traditional roles; every believer participates in a priestly calling, enabling them to mediate and facilitate relational healing among others.

    • 🚨 The Contagion of Holiness and Sin: The hosts discuss the dangerous nature of sin and holiness, where the consequences of God’s holiness were severe, unlike the contagion that occurs today. Jesus’ perfect priesthood redefines this dynamic, allowing believers to access God’s holiness without fear.

    • 🌍 Restoration as a Collective Mission: The mission of bringing heaven and earth together reflects a collective responsibility among believers. By working together and supporting one
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    48 min