Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast Show Notes

Steve has control issues even if surrender is one of the major movements of the spiritual life. Retreat is a powerful tool to practice surrender. Could your absence from those you love while on retreat be a ministry? Ruth discusses the ministry of absence. Ruth also shares a personal story about her daughter, and how…

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Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast Show Notes

Fixed hour of prayer. It is as simple as praying at fixed hours of the day. It is about reorienting ourselves to God. Ruth shares the four prayer movements that are used in the Transforming Community experience at the Transforming Center. Whether this is new or you have written this practice off as too rote,…

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I cannot imagine just how I did life before!

By Daniele Evans My Transforming Community (TC13) experience began with plenty excitement, anticipation and my soul tiptoeing around the edges of burnout. Fifteen years of pastoral ministry alongside raising a young family had taken the bulk of my energy. I felt weary and worn in ways difficult to express. My spouse and I were mid-sabbatical,…

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Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast Show Notes

Human beings are made with rhythms and for rhythms. A beautiful conversation ensues about the beauty of rhythms and how to find and recognize rhythms. In the Christian tradition tears are always a gift. Ruth provides a great encouragement to let the tears come. We end this episode sharing the story of Kevin and how…

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Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast Show Notes

Are you living out of external expectations instead of God’s calling on your life? Learn more about common sources of exhaustion. Could it be that our desire to serve is more about staying in control? Ruth names some of her own sources of exhaustion. Go deeper with this content and purchase Ruth’s newest book, Invitation…

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Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast Show Notes

Too busy? When is the best time to go on retreat? Join Ruth Haley Barton and Steve Wiens for episode 2, and don’t forget your pillow. A great discussion about how technology has caused many of us to feel we can never do enough to feel like we’ve done enough. Listen and discover how to…

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Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast Show Notes

The seasons of the church year are meant to teach us essential truths of the spiritual life, offering us an opportunity to practice some of the key disciplines of our Christian faith together – in community. The Advent season marks the beginning of the church year and while we have always provided reflections and gatherings…

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Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast Show Notes

Why did Ruth write another book? How does it relate to Invitation to Solitude and Silence? We start with a delicious word – invitation. Ruth moves in to define our terms and discuss how retreat has been compromised in our culture. Ruth and Steve even discuss who should go on retreat. Lets reclaim the word…

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By Nathan Albert For the last two years, I traveled to a monastery outside of Chicago every three months for a three day retreat to tend to my soul. With a group of 70 others, as part of the Transforming Center, we practiced ancient spiritual practices and rhythms such as silence, solitude, centering prayer, lectio…

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stacked rocks

“At a certain age our lives simplify and we need have only three phrases left in our spiritual vocabulary: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” –Morris West Gratitude is the ultimate virtue, undergirding everything else, even love. It is synonymous with holiness. Gratitude not only defines sanctity, it also defines maturity. We are mature to…

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Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast Show Notes

Why does Ruth end a book on silence and solitude with a chapter on for sake of others? Listen to find out. Ruth describes her own journey of moving out of silence and solitude and how it transformed her interaction with teenagers. A great discussion of words and why silence and solitude are important for…

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Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast Show Notes

Why does Elijah say the same things again? We expect Elijah’s experience of God’s presence to transform him, but there is a comforting interpretation of this passage. The good news: we don’t have to beg God for guidance. He is our shepherd and wants to guide. A great conversation ensues around how silence and solitude…

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Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast Show Notes

We begin this episode with a quick review of the story of Elijah. There is a payoff to waiting, and not running away.  God is becoming Elijah’s ultimate orienting reality. Entering a silence that is not empty but full of God’s presence. Good news, God is a much better parent than we ever could be.…

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orange fallen leaves sit in rainwater on ground

“Every movement toward the humiliation of the false self, if we accept it, is a step toward freedom and inner resurrection.”  – Fr. Thomas Keating  Many of us have no idea how addicted we are to human striving, hard work, and performance-oriented drivenness until we actually stop. This may be one of the most shocking…

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When Anjuli Seth Nayak arrived for the first retreat of her Transforming Community, she was clearly a force to be reckoned with!   Anjuli was not our typical retreatant.  She was Indian in background and a physician by profession, certified as an allergist and immunologist.   She was also a cancer survivor, enjoying a temporary…

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Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast Show Notes

We are in the chaos with Elijah. In solitude and silence we feel the battle between the false self and the true self. Some of the most important questions emerge from the chaos. Ruth and Steve discuss what facing ourself really means and how our true self is hidden with Christ in God. This is…

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Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast Show Notes

It takes stamina to stay in silence and solitude. Why does God meet us in such vast emptiness? Ruth has a thought. There is great encouragement in Elijah’s journey and how long it took. Emptiness can be very lonely, yet you don’t have to go alone. It is good to have some human support and…

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 “I have lived too long where I am reachable.”–Rumi It is a wonderful thing to be invited—especially when the invitation is particularly well-suited to our needs, our desires, our delights. A gifted communicator receives a significant invitation to speak on a topic that is important to them. An artist is commissioned to create banners for…

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Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast Show Notes

We have made it to the cave with Elijah and he is telling the whole truth. The good news is God can handle anything. Ruth shares about being in solitude and silence with gratitude and how restful and energizing it can be. What if we feel like God didn’t show up? Ruth has some advice. Faithfulness to these practices…

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Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast Show Notes

We are moving through this story slowly and it is good. At this point God asks Elijah a question. Allowing the mind rest into the heart is a helpful way to describe letting the mind rest without discounting the contribution of the mind. Ruth shares a personal example of resting and trusting God. We end…

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Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast Show Notes

What is not to like about the fact that God instructed Elijah to take not one but two naps? Why do we treat our body so poorly? Ruth and Steve discuss a powerful psalm to better understand the dynamic of silence and solitude. They also discuss how the daily examen can help us get in…

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man sitting on pew in old church

 “If we don’t come apart for while, we will come apart after awhile.” –Dallas Willard Brad is a pastor whose church is going well. Attendance at weekend services is growing steadily, and they have just completed a building project that is enabling them to grow and provide a variety of ministries to meet needs within…

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Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast Show Notes

We pick up with the story of Elijah, and why it is important that he rested first. We talk about how to recognize being dangerously tired, with Ruth sharing some concrete examples. How does one surrender to exhaustion. We get into describing what sane rhythms look like, and we close by practicing again. Subscribe on…

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Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast Show Notes

Our lives are not in danger like Elijahs, but we all have to face resistance. If you feel the push pull, then this is likely a signal God is at work.  How do we push through our fear? What if we are afraid God will not show up? It is good to know our own baggage.…

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In October of 2004, I gave each of my colleagues at International Justice Mission two gifts: a blank leather journal with the words “8:30 Stillness” embossed on the cover and Invitation to Solitude and Silence by Ruth Haley Barton. As an organization, we were experiencing incredible growth on a global scale. We were bringing rescue to…

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Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast Show Notes

Learning to be present with God alone – where do we begin? How do we get to the point where we recognize that what needs done in our lives only God can do? We define our terms in this episode – what is silence and what is solitude? Steve is already overachieving, Ruth encourages people…

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Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast Show Notes

Learning to be present with God alone – where do we begin? How do we get to the point where we recognize that what needs done in our lives only God can do? We define our terms in this episode – what is silence and what is solitude? Steve is already overachieving, Ruth encourages people…

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Leadership Lessons from the Life of Moses

“We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own.” —Bishop Ken Untener Strengthening the soul of your leadership is a journey that begins, continues and ends with a tenacious seeking after God in the crucible of ministry. It is an invitation to stay connected with your…

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Leadership Lessons from the Life of Moses

“Calling is a much abused word today. In the church it can be little more than a pious euphemism for doing what we feel like doing. Such abuse is brought to celebration in the secular culture, when doing what we feel like doing, attained by any way we feel like doing it, seems often to…

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It has been a thrilling three months since I stepped into the role of Chief Operations Officer. A bold new vision, moving our retreats to a new venue, six retreats, a cross-country move, a trip to Kenya, and contractors still at work in our new home have created a sense of excitement! All that God…

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Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast Show Notes

Leadership opens leaders up to a whole world of pain. Moses is such a great leader because he always brings the difficulties people brought to God. You don’t hear much about the role of intercession in leadership circles. A rich discussion of differentiation and its importance in leadership ensues. Ruth shares how she makes intercession…

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Leadership Lessons from the Life of Moses

“Spiritual leadership springs forth in grace from our very desire for God’s presence. This does not take effort or striving.  It takes courage, a kind of showing up, attentiveness.” –Gerald May Moses remained in a solitary, non-public existence for a long time. It was as if—in some deep and fundamental way—he just let go. He…

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Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast Show Notes

This episode begins a bit differently. Instead of starting with the biblical story (Moses) Steve dives in and turns the table on Ruth, asking her about her own calling and what it looks like right now. Steve and Ruth talk about the fatal question, and a great discussion proceeds out of understanding the difference between…

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Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast Show Notes

Don’t wait till you’re headed into a collision to recognize the need to pay attention. Ruth shares a funny, but sobering example. In this episode Ruth and Steve discuss practices to help leaders pay attention to their life in leadership, and you will find encouragement in Steve’s faith building experience of learning to page attention…

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strengthening the soul of your leadership artwork

“For what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” Matthew 16:26 (NLT) I want to talk to you about the soul—your soul, my soul, and the soul of our leadership. When I refer to the soul, I am not talking about…

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Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast Show Notes

It was 10 years ago that Strengthening the Soul of your Leadership was published by InterVarsity Press. Last year we launched this podcast by the same name, and this year to celebrate the 10th anniversary InterVarsity released an expanded edition with a group experience and an assessment tool (check it out). Ruth and Steve will…

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The expanded edition of the best selling InterVarsity Press book, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership, includes guidance for reflecting together on the soul of your leadership. This Transforming Resource also includes the popular “How Is It with Your Soul?” assessment for leaders and a new compelling forward by Gary Haugen, International Justice Mission. Order before May 31st and receive these book…

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Lectionary readings and guidance on using the lectionary Good Friday: Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm 22; Hebrews 10:16-25; John 18:1-19:42 “Stay together, friends, don’t scatter and sleep. Our friendship is made of being awake.” Rumi In her book Cloister Walk, Kathleen Norris comments that in a monastery, Holy Week is “a total surrender to worship.” This surrender allows for a greater…

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