A community committed to life with God as revealed in Jesus Christ.

What if the Holy Spirit doesn’t just “put up with you,” but actually enjoys you—right now, in all your mess?

In this extended class discussion at Disciples Fellowship, theologian Dr. C. Baxter Kruger unpacks a deeply relational vision of the Holy Spirit, shame, and union with the Father, Son, and Spirit in the ordinary moments of our lives.

Through stories, questions, and conversation, Baxter explores:

Why he describes the Spirit as “like a seasoned nurse in a mental ward” who has seen it all in Jesus and loves the mess
A personal moment on the road to Nashville when he realized the “wave of joy” he felt was actually the Holy Spirit enjoying him
Growing up under total depravity and “born trash, die trash” language—and how the Trinity refuses to call anyone trash
How agreements with darkness become a “beaver dam” in our souls that blocks the river of living water, and how the Spirit gently rattles the logs loose
The difference between our fruit (self-manufactured goodness) and the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faith, and self-control)
A very simple “class on evangelism”:
Jesus is in you asking. If you can’t hear him, ask why. Then ask if he brought the Father and the Spirit with him.
How the Spirit exposes sin, righteousness, and judgment not to condemn but to liberate us from trying to manufacture our own righteousness
Why “Christian faith” is not us trying harder to get to God, but our response to Jesus already in our darkness
Seeing the life of the Trinity in garbage collectors, teachers, bakers, grocery workers—ordinary people quietly participating in the Spirit’s care for the world
How real koinonia (communion) and unity become the most powerful evangelism: a fellowship where “you cannot hide relief” when performance and shame drop away
The tender story of Peter, the charcoal fire, and three questions—and how Jesus commissions Peter in his brokenness, not after perfection
Practical stories of listening for the Spirit’s nudge—like tipping garbage workers or serving communion to someone resisting contact—and discovering surprising grace
Why the church’s calling is not to create union, but to bear witness to what already is: the Father, Son, and Spirit present in us and among us
This conversation is for anyone wrestling with shame, performance, harsh images of God, or a sense of spiritual exhaustion—and for those longing to see everyday life as a place where the Trinity is already at work.

📍 Recorded at Disciples Fellowship – Birmingham, Alabama
A community for the spiritually wounded, the curious, and the open-hearted.

🕊️ Connect with Disciples Fellowship:
Sunday gatherings – 10 AM | 3064 Lorna Road, Birmingham, AL
Website: disciplesfellowship.com
YouTube: @dfchurchbham

You are not separate. You are not unloved. You are not alone.
Welcome home.

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What if the Holy Spirit isn’t a distant “force” you’re trying to get, but the redeeming genius already at work inside your own humanity?

In this message given at Disciples Fellowship, theologian Dr. C. Baxter Kruger explores life in the Spirit as an intimate encounter with Jesus right in the middle of our fear, shame, and guilt.

Drawing from his time with theologian James B. Torrance, the Gospel of John, and the benediction of 2 Corinthians, Baxter reframes how many of us have been taught to think about the Trinity, the cross, and the Holy Spirit:

We don’t just need Christology. We need Jesus.
We don’t just need pneumatology. We need the Spirit as a Person who delights to turn the lights on.
The Spirit is not an impersonal “power” but the Lord and Giver of Life, the One who reveals Jesus in us.
Baxter unpacks:

• The “unholy trinity” of fear, shame, and guilt the disciples felt after abandoning Jesus
• How the risen Christ’s presence dissolves shame: “How can you be ashamed when the One you betrayed stands with you in love?”
• Why the Holy Spirit is a redeeming genius, taking our trauma and sin and turning them into revelation of Christ in us
• A powerful vision of a beaver dam blocking the river of living water — built from our unconscious agreements with darkness
• Why the common Western picture of the Father turning his back on the Son at the cross is an aberration, not the gospel
• How Father, Son, and Spirit never separate, but descend together into our delusion to bring us home
• Why “being spiritual” is not escaping your humanity, but discovering the Trinity already sharing your ordinary human life
• How to begin recognizing the Spirit’s work in your own story by naming concrete ways you’ve already been sharing in the Lord and Giver of Life

This isn’t a talk about how to climb up to God. It’s a glimpse of how Father, Son, and Spirit have already climbed down into you—and how the Holy Spirit lovingly exposes the lies that keep the river of life dammed up in our hearts.

If you’ve wrestled with church hurt, shame, or a harsh picture of God, or if you’ve wondered whether you’re “spiritual enough,” this message offers a different vision: you’re not outside, you’re not alone, and you’re more included in the life of God than you realize.

📍 Disciples Fellowship – Birmingham, Alabama
A contemplative Christian community for the spiritually wounded, the curious, and the open-hearted.

🕊️ Connect with Disciples Fellowship:
Sunday gatherings – 10 AM | 3064 Lorna Road, Birmingham, AL
Website: disciplesfellowship.com
YouTube: @dfchurchbham

You are not separate. You are not unloved. You are not alone.
Welcome home.

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A class discussion led by Greg Newton at Disciples Fellowship on 4.12.26.

In this class discussion, we explore the relationship between Scripture and Christ as Truth. What does it mean to say that Jesus is truth? How does Scripture point us toward Christ, and how should that shape the way we read, understand, and live out our faith?

This conversation invites thoughtful reflection on the connection between the Bible, truth, and the person of Jesus. Rather than treating truth as an abstract idea, we consider how truth is revealed through relationship, revelation, and lived faith.

Whether you’re wrestling with questions about Scripture, theology, or the meaning of truth in the Christian life, this discussion offers a space to listen, reflect, and go deeper.

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A meditation led by Greg Newton at Disciples Fellowship on 4.12.26.

In John 20:19–31, the risen Christ appears to his disciples in the midst of fear, doubt, and locked doors. In this meditation, we reflect on what it means to truly experience Christ not only as a figure of belief, but as a living presence who brings peace, breath, and renewed faith.

This passage invites us to consider how Christ meets us in our uncertainty, our questions, and our need for reassurance. Whether you identify more with the fearful disciples or with Thomas, this reflection offers space to sit with the mystery of resurrection and the invitation to believe.

If this video encourages you, consider sharing it with someone who may need a quiet word of hope today.

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A meditation by Greg Newton at Disciples Fellowship on 4.5.26.

What if a new beginning doesn’t feel like a fresh start at first—but like confusion, fear, and an empty space where something used to be?

In Luke 24:1–9, a group of women come to the tomb early in the morning, carrying spices and grief. They are not expecting resurrection. They’re expecting to honor a dead friend.

Instead, they find:

The stone rolled away
The body missing
Messengers asking, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?”
A reminder of words they had forgotten
In this meditation on Luke 24:1–9, we slow down and sit with:

The quiet courage of the women who show up in the dark
The shock and disorientation of an empty tomb
The gentle rebuke and deep kindness in the angels’ question
What it means to remember what Jesus has said in the middle of our confusion
How resurrection often begins in places that feel like endings
This isn’t a debate or a detailed lecture. It’s a contemplative reflection—an invitation to bring your own endings, disappointments, and questions to the empty tomb and hear resurrection spoken into them.

If you’re longing for a new beginning but not sure what it could look like, this passage is for you.

If you’d like to keep journeying with us:

Gather with us: Sundays at 10 AM — 3064 Lorna Road, Birmingham, AL
Watch more: Explore our channel for additional meditations and teachings
Reach out: Share a question or prayer request—we’re honored to listen
Wherever you’re watching from, you’re not eavesdropping. You’re genuinely welcome here.

Scripture: Luke 24:1–9
Community: Disciples Fellowship — Open Arms. Deep Roots. Lived Faith.

#aNewBeginning #Luke24 #Resurrection #ChristianMeditation #DisciplesFellowship #DFChurchBham

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