Archive for 2019
Season 8: Week 5 | From Waiting to Wonder
Join us for this series of Advent and Christmastide reflections. The seasons of the church year are meant to teach us something about the spiritual life we need to learn. In fact, by entering into these seasons we experience the deeper dynamics and rhythms of the spiritual life by walking closely with Jesus and learning…
Read MoreSeason 8: Week 4 | Joseph and the Walk of Faith
Join us for this series of Advent and Christmastide reflections. The seasons of the church year are meant to teach us something about the spiritual life we need to learn. In fact, by entering into these seasons we experience the deeper dynamics and rhythms of the spiritual life by walking closely with Jesus and learning…
Read MoreSeason 8: Week 3 | Gifts in the Wilderness
Join us for this series of Advent and Christmastide reflections. The seasons of the church year are meant to teach us something about the spiritual life we need to learn. In fact, by entering into these seasons we experience the deeper dynamics and rhythms of the spiritual life by walking closely with Jesus and learning…
Read MoreSeason 8: Week 2 | Joyful Preparations
Join us for this series of Advent and Christmastide reflections. The seasons of the church year are meant to teach us something about the spiritual life we need to learn. In fact, by entering into these seasons we experience the deeper dynamics and rhythms of the spiritual life by walking closely with Jesus and learning…
Read MoreSeason 8: Week 1 | The Importance of Waking Up
Join us for this series of Advent and Christmastide reflections. The seasons of the church year are meant to teach us something about the spiritual life we need to learn. In fact, by entering into these seasons we experience the deeper dynamics and rhythms of the spiritual life by walking closely with Jesus and learning…
Read MoreInvitation to Advent: Leaders in Liminal Space
This week, we release our Advent podcast season of the Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership podcast! If you’ve already signed up for our mailing list, you’ll get a notification for each episode. You can also watch for the episodes to be uploaded on our podcast page here: https://transformingcenter.org/strengthening-the-soul-of-your-leadership-podcast/. “Waiting is the hidden preparation through which…
Read MoreFinding God’s Will in Community: Exploring a process for corporate leadership discernment
“If we’re not discerning God’s will together in fairly intentional ways, what are we doing?” —Ruth Haley Barton It was a conversation similar to many I’ve had with Christian leaders. A pastor from a large church in Colorado was telling me his church was going through a major transition as it tried to respond to…
Read MoreSpiritual Direction (Part 2): A Space for Rigorous Honesty
Click here to read “Spiritual Direction (Part 1): A Vital Practice for Discerning Leaders.” “The whole purpose of spiritual direction is to penetrate beneath the surface of a [person’s] life, to get behind the façade of conventional gestures and attitudes which he presents to the world, and to bring out his inner spiritual freedom, his…
Read MoreSpiritual Direction (Part 1): A Vital Practice for Discerning Leaders
“A spiritual director is one who helps another to recognize and to follow the inspirations of grace in his life, in order to arrive at the end to which God is leading him.” —Thomas Merton It was over 20 years ago now when, as a young leader, I crept into a spiritual director’s office desperate…
Read MoreLectio Divina: Engaging the Scriptures for Spiritual Transformation
Lectio Divina (translated “divine [or sacred] reading”) is an approach to the Scriptures that sets us up to listen for the word of God spoken to us in this present moment. Lectio divina refers to the ancient practice of divine reading that dates back to the early mothers and fathers of the Christian faith. Referring…
Read MoreAre You Longing for More in Church?
Eventually, someone looking for a church home will ask some variation of this question: “So, what kind of church are you?” —Kent Carlson While signing books at a conference on spiritual formation a few years ago, a sharply-dressed, middle-aged woman approached who seemed to have no interest in purchasing a book. She marched right up…
Read MoreSeason 7: Week 8 | Eastertide: Living in the Mystery
The seasons of the church year are meant to teach us something about the spiritual life we need to learn. In fact, by entering into these seasons we experience the deeper dynamics and rhythms of the spiritual life by walking closely with Jesus and learning from him as we go. In the last episode of…
Read MoreSeason 7: Week 7 | Holy Week: Liturgy of the Passion
The seasons of the church year are meant to teach us something about the spiritual life we need to learn. In fact, by entering into these seasons we experience the deeper dynamics and rhythms of the spiritual life by walking closely with Jesus and learning from him as we go. In this season of the…
Read MoreSeason 7: Week 6 | Holy Week: Liturgy of the Palms
The seasons of the church year are meant to teach us something about the spiritual life we need to learn. In fact, by entering into these seasons we experience the deeper dynamics and rhythms of the spiritual life by walking closely with Jesus and learning from him as we go. In this season of the…
Read MoreThe Alumni Retreat: “We don’t know what to do with power.”
At a recent staff meeting of the Transforming Center, Ruth shared about an energizing conversation she had recently with Gary Haugen in preparation for our upcoming Alumni Retreat. In addition to the important topics they had already planned, together they agreed to create space for the hard conversation about the misuse of power in Christian…
Read MoreSeason 7: Week 5 | Suffering: Dying That We Might Live
The seasons of the church year are meant to teach us something about the spiritual life we need to learn. In fact, by entering into these seasons we experience the deeper dynamics and rhythms of the spiritual life by walking closely with Jesus and learning from him as we go. In this season of the…
Read MoreSeason 7: Week 4 | Confession: Coming Home to God
The seasons of the church year are meant to teach us something about the spiritual life we need to learn. In fact, by entering into these seasons we experience the deeper dynamics and rhythms of the spiritual life by walking closely with Jesus and learning from him as we go. In this season of the…
Read MoreSeason 7: Week 3 | Repentance: Cleaning our Messy House
The seasons of the church year are meant to teach us something about the spiritual life we need to learn. In fact, by entering into these seasons we experience the deeper dynamics and rhythms of the spiritual life by walking closely with Jesus and learning from him as we go. In this season of the…
Read MoreSeason 7: Week 2 | Self-Denial: Setting our Minds on Things Above
We received such a great response to the practices and moments of quiet reflection that we included in our most recent episodes that we decided to do the same thing with Lent. The seasons of the church year are meant to teach us something about the spiritual life we need to learn. In fact, by…
Read MoreSeason 7: Week 1 | Solitude: Fashioning our Own Wilderness
We received such a great response to the practices and moments of quiet reflection that we included in our most recent episodes that we decided to do the same thing with Lent. The seasons of the church year are meant to teach us something about the spiritual life we need to learn. In fact, by…
Read MoreSeason 7: Ash Wednesday | Crossing the Threshold Into Lent
We received such a great response to the practices and moments of quiet reflection that we included in our most recent episodes that we decided to do the same thing with Lent. The seasons of the church year are meant to teach us something about the spiritual life we need to learn. In fact, by…
Read MoreSeason 6: Episode 12 | In Returning and Rest You Shall Be Saved
Ruth begins by sharing just how important the rhythm of retreat has been for her life. What is the one thing that must be present in a retreat center. Ruth shares about the lifting power of retreat and why you don’t pull up the plant to see if the roots are growing. Now it is…
Read MoreSeason 6: Episode 11 | Remember the Signs
How do we return from retreat? In this episode we get some much needed counsel and a little help from Aslan. Ruth gives very practical advice on how to return home after a retreat. Are you a blurter? Some warning about sharing your retreat experience. SUBSCRIBE ON ITUNES You can also access podcast on Google…
Read MoreSeason 6: Episode 10 | Spiritual Freedom
Is it really possible? We begin by dealing with Steve’s resistance to the chapter title. Steve might or might not be having an existential crisis. Are you the responsible one? Maybe you can start with considering where you do have freedom. What are disordered and ordered attachments and how does it relate to spiritual freedom? Ruth…
Read MoreTransformed Nonconformist: Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Transforming Center is closed today in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his courageous leadership in championing racial justice and equality through the use of non-violent resistance. In particular, we celebrate the fact that he provided this leadership, not merely as a social activist, but as a minister of the Gospel, proclaiming the…
Read MoreSeason 6: Episode 9 | Invitation to Recalibrate
Often time on retreat there is sadness that takes one by surprise. Who do I want to be and how do I want to live so I can be who I want to be are important questions for recalibrating on retreat. What is the question Jesus wants to be with us on retreat? Jesus wants…
Read MoreSeason 6: Episode 8 | Space for Discernment
If you have gotten this far and are still wondering if a retreat is a necessary practice, we knock it out of the park with discussing Jesus’ pattern of retreat. Jesus utilizes retreat for discernment even though he knew everything. Ruth shares three categories of discernment that can be practiced on retreat. Settle the crazy…
Read MoreEpiphany: Celebrating the Imperfect Journey
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’” Matthew 2:1 Tomorrow we celebrate the feast of Epiphany—the beginning of a season…
Read MoreSeason 6: Episode 7 | Relinquishing False Self Patterns
We start with defining what is meant by false self patterns and where it fits into our spiritual journey. Ruth shares her perspective on the current popularity of the Enneagram right now. Just noticing is an important part of the journey of relinquishing. The good news is there are spiritual practices for each number on…
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