Gary Thomas: guarding our mission from toxic people

Whit's End: Real People, Hard Questions

In this episode, I have the privilege of sitting down with bestselling author and speaker Gary Thomas.

He and his wife Lisa have been married 40 years and have 3 kids and 2 grandkids. He actually lived in Houston near my home base in La Grange for about 12 years, but now resides in Colorado, which we joked about as a great place to end up after the heat and humidity of Texas.

Gary has written many well known books and phenomenal resources, including a Sacred Marriage, Authentic Faith, and Sacred Pathways. But the book we dive into in this conversation is called When to Walk Away.

Folks, this book was groundbreaking for me - as a people pleaser, I believed that any toxic person I encountered who didn’t change through our friendship must be some failure on my part. This book shifted my perspective in such needed ways not merely based on his opinion or experience, but a unique look into Christ’s interactions with people as we see in the gospels.

Today’s conversation is challenging, insightful, and filled with scripture, It may even shift your thinking on what our lives are intended to be about as Christ-followers made for eternal purpose and called to bear much fruit. I recommend taking notes on this one!

We dive in with Gary’s 1-minute elevator pitch of his book When to Walk Away.

Show Notes:

• website: https://garythomas.com/
• substack: https://garythomasbooks.substack.com/

• IG: @garythomasbooks
• FB: @ Author Gary Thomas

• When to Walk Away by Gary Thomas

• Nehemiah 8:10, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.”
• Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of god and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
• Joshua 24:15, “Choose this day whom you will serve.”
• 1 Corinthians 14:32, “The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets.”
• John 10:10, “The thief comes only to kill and steal and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
• Colossians 3:8,12, “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth… Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience”
• Matthew 7:6, “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.”
• Matthew 8 - Jesus delivers a man from demonic possession.
• Matthew 10:34-36, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household.”
• Matthew 12:48-50, "He replied to him, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ Pointing to his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.'"

• Luke 11:27, “As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!”
• Matthew 28:19-20, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
• 2 Timothy 2:2, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.”
• John 15:8, “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”