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A lively dialogue with Ruth Haley Barton about forging and maintaining a life-giving connection with God in the midst of leading. Learn more at www.transformingcenter.org.
Episodes
Tuesday Jul 11, 2023
Tuesday Jul 11, 2023
This is a replay of a previous episode of The Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership podcast. While we take a small hiatus from normal programming to attend to the work of The Transforming Center as well as a special Digital Film Capture project we invite you to revisit some of our previous seasons. Please enjoy this episode from Season 16: Transforming Leadership: Managing Anxiety Within our Communities.
Please visit our website to learn more about the work of The Transforming Center and our Digital Capture project!
Sometimes our greatest anxieties can surround areas of stuckness, places where we know what we are doing isn’t working, but we can’t seem to find our way out. This week, Ruth and Steve will discuss second order change and how we can recognize and dissolve our stuck patterns. How does paying attention to process over content help us with this? And how can changing our own behaviors actually change the behaviors of others? Find out all this and more in this episode.
Helpful to this episode:
Everything Isn’t Terrible by Dr. Kathleen Smith
Steve Cuss Resources:
Managing Leadership Anxiety, Yours and Theirs by Steve Cuss
General Resources for Systems Theory:
Season 9 Episode 6 of the Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast
Season 9 Episode 7 of the Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast
Family Systems and Congregational Life: A Map for Ministry by R. Robert Creech
Lombard Mennonite Peace Center
Generation to Generation: Family Process in Church and Synagogue by Edwin H. Friedman
Extraordinary Relationships: A new Way of Thinking about Human Interactions by Roberta M Gilbert
Music Credit:
Kingdom Come by Aaron Niequist
Support the podcast! This season, patrons will receive exclusive bonus content that includes conversations with Ruth and Steve that delve into episode topics a little deeper. This week we will offer a conversation about universal sources of anxiety. Become a patron today by visiting our Patreon page!
The Transforming Center exists to create space for God to strengthen leaders and transform communities. You are invited to join our next Transforming Community:® A Two-year Spiritual Formation Experience for Leaders. Delivered in nine quarterly retreats, this practice-based learning opportunity is grounded in the conviction that the best thing you bring to leadership is your own transforming self!
Tuesday Jun 27, 2023
Tuesday Jun 27, 2023
This is a replay of a previous episode of The Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership podcast. While we take a small hiatus from normal programming to attend to the work of The Transforming Center as well as a special Digital Film Capture project we invite you to revisit some of our previous seasons. Please enjoy this episode from Season 10: Invitation to a Journey
Please visit our website to learn more about the work of The Transforming Center and our Digital Capture project!
We begin this episode by redeeming the word “disciplines" by offering up the word “practices” and looking at disciplines through the lens of desire and about opening ourselves up to God, reminding us that we are not in charge of our spiritual journey. Ruth Haley Barton and Steve Weins discuss four practices: prayer, spiritual readings, lectio divina, and liturgy. They sound familiar, but be prepared for some refreshing ideas on how to use them to open yourself up to God.
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Listen to other episodes from Season 10 | Access past podcast seasons
Mentioned in this podcast:
Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation, M. Robert Mulholland
Become a patron: Join a growing movement of transforming leaders. We’ve received fantastic feedback about the podcast, and we would like to create even more episodes. We need you! Become a patron this summer!
Music Credit:
I am New by Joel Hanson. Kingdom Come by Aaron Niequist
Tuesday Jun 13, 2023
Tuesday Jun 13, 2023
This is a replay of a previous episode of The Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership podcast. While we take a small hiatus from normal programming to attend to the work of The Transforming Center as well as a special Digital Film Capture project we invite you to revisit some of our previous seasons. Please enjoy this episode from Season 6: Invitation to Retreat.
Please visit our website to learn more about the work of The Transforming Center and our Digital Capture project!
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 with Ruth sharing a personal story of how the rhythm of retreat opened up space for God to speak to her.
Go deeper with this content and purchase Ruth's newest book, Invitation to Retreat: The Gift and Necessity of Time Away with God.
Mentioned in this podcast:
Invitation to Retreat, Ruth Haley Barton
Transforming Community
Exploring Further:
Music in Solitude Ruth Haley Barton Steve Wiens
Become a patron: Join a growing movement of transforming leaders. We have gotten fantastic feedback about the podcast, and we would like to create even more content. We need you! Become a patron and receive exclusive bonuses and our gratitude.
Music Credit: The intro and outro by Aaron Niequist.
Tuesday May 16, 2023
Tuesday May 16, 2023
Hello! We’re popping in the podcast feed with a little “State of the Podcast” announcement (don’t worry! It’s not ending!). Ruth gives a peak behind the curtain as to what is happening over at the Transforming Center this year and shares about our Alumni Retreat in July. Then, we’ll hear from some Transforming Community alumni about their experiences applying for and participating in a Transforming Community. It’s not too late to sign up for TC19, which starts in June!
As an added bonus we’re offering to waive the application fee for podcast listeners who apply to Transforming Community 19. Simply go to the application page for TC19 and use the code TC15CVL45 at checkout!
Alumni! Come join us on retreat! We’re having a special Sabbath retreat exclusively for alumni on July 9-11, 2023. Sign up today!
Interested in learning more about the Digital Capture Project and how to support this work? Check out what we’re doing!
Music Credit:
Kingdom Come by Aaron Niequist
Support the podcast! Patrons receive exclusive bonus content and other perks! Become a patron today by visiting our Patreon page!
The Transforming Center exists to create space for God to strengthen leaders and transform communities. You are invited to join our next Transforming Community:® A Two-year Spiritual Formation Experience for Leaders. Delivered in nine quarterly retreats, this practice-based learning opportunity is grounded in the conviction that the best thing you bring to leadership is your own transforming self!
Monday Apr 10, 2023
Monday Apr 10, 2023
He is Risen, indeed! Happy Easter Monday, friends. Today, Ruth helps us celebrate the Risen Christ with five stories of post-resurrection encounters with Jesus. In each story she helps us consider our own invitations to transforming encounters with Jesus that God might have for us. Which story resonates most profoundly with you and what healing or transformation is God wanting to bring as you sit with God and these stories? We invite you to take some time today to listen to these stories reflectively, imagining yourself in them. Then take a moment to be with Jesus in the biblical story as you find him and yourself there.
Transforming Post-Resurrection Encounters with Jesus
Weeping in the Garden (John 20:11-18)
Encountering Jesus’ Behind Locked Doors (John 20:19-22)
Being with Jesus in the Midst of our Doubts (John 20:24-29)
The Emmaus Road: Encountering Jesus on the Road between the Now and the Not Yet (Luke 24:13-35)
Breakfast on the Beach: Resurrecting Relationships (John 21:1-19)
Journey with us this Lent! Our season is inspired by A Just Passion: A Six-Week Lenten Journey, and many of our guests are contributors to this resource.
Music Credit:
Kingdom Come by Aaron Niequist
Yesterday Today Forever from Music in Solitude
Support the podcast! This season, in addition to receiving overflow conversation from the episode, patrons at all levels will receive weekly reflection questions intended to help them journey through Lent with both the podcast and the resource A Just Passion! Become a patron today by visiting our Patreon page!
The Transforming Center exists to create space for God to strengthen leaders and transform communities. You are invited to join our next Transforming Community:® A Two-year Spiritual Formation Experience for Leaders. Delivered in nine quarterly retreats, this practice-based learning opportunity is grounded in the conviction that the best thing you bring to leadership is your own transforming self!
Monday Apr 03, 2023
Monday Apr 03, 2023
This season we are focusing on justice as an aspect of spiritual formation and we believe Lent to be the perfect season to explore this connection. Using A Just Passion: A Six-Week Lenten Journey, and the lectionary, we will look at various aspects of justice, its importance to God and why the modern church has often regrettably failed to live out God’s call to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with the Lord.”
As we head into Holy Week Ruth is joined by Rev. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah to discuss the importance of Lament as a part of justice work. What is lament and why is it important? How does it help us to counter American Christianity’s penchant for triumphalism? How does lament move us to justice and right action? Then, Ruth gives us some guidance as we walk through Holy Week toward Easter.
Lectionary scripture for this week:
or
Mentioned in this episode:
Prophetic Lament by Soong-Chan Rah
Rev. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah is Robert B. Munger Professor of Evangelism at Fuller Theological Seminary and the author of many books including Prophetic Lament. Rah is formerly the founding Senior Pastor of Cambridge Community Fellowship Church (CCFC), a multi-ethnic church living out the values of racial reconciliation and social justice in the urban context. He has previously served on the boards of World Vision, Sojourners and the Christian Community Development Association.
Journey with us this Lent! Our season is inspired by A Just Passion: A Six-Week Lenten Journey, and many of our guests are contributors to this resource.
Music Credit:
Kingdom Come by Aaron Niequist
The Way of The Cross from Lent Music in Solitude
Support the podcast! This season, in addition to receiving overflow conversation from the episode, patrons at all levels will receive weekly reflection questions intended to help them journey through Lent with both the podcast and the resource A Just Passion! Become a patron today by visiting our Patreon page!
The Transforming Center exists to create space for God to strengthen leaders and transform communities. You are invited to join our next Transforming Community:® A Two-year Spiritual Formation Experience for Leaders. Delivered in nine quarterly retreats, this practice-based learning opportunity is grounded in the conviction that the best thing you bring to leadership is your own transforming self!
Monday Mar 27, 2023
Monday Mar 27, 2023
This season we are focusing on justice as an aspect of spiritual formation and we believe Lent to be the perfect season to explore this connection. Using A Just Passion: A Six-Week Lenten Journey, and the lectionary, we will look at various aspects of justice, its importance to God and why the modern church has often regrettably failed to live out God’s call to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with the Lord.”
Our dream team from episode one returns this week to discuss communal suffering and the Paschal Mystery. Ruth is joined again by David Bailey and Tina Harris to explore these topics. How do oppressed people experience the Paschal Mystery? What is redemptive suffering? How do we determine where we are in the cycle of suffering, death, burial and resurrection and how can we discern if God might be calling us towards the next movement in this cycle?
Lectionary scripture for this week:
Mentioned in this episode:
Martin & Malcolm & America by Dr. James Cone
David Bailey is a public theologian, culture maker, and catalyst focused on building reconciling communities. David is the founder and Chief Vision Officer of Arrabon, a spiritual formation ministry that equips the American Church to actively and creatively pursue racial healing in their communities. He is the co-author of the study series, A People, A Place, and A Just Society, and the executive producer of the documentary 11 am: Hope for America's Most Segregated Hour and the Urban Doxology Project. David is rooted at East End Covenant Fellowship, serving on the preaching team, and his greatest honor is to be married to his wonderful wife, Joy.
Journey with us this Lent! Our season is inspired by A Just Passion: A Six-Week Lenten Journey, and many of our guests are contributors to this resource.
Music Credit:
Kingdom Come by Aaron Niequist
Music Kyrie Eleison (Lord, Have Mercy) from Lent Music in Solitude
Support the podcast! This season, in addition to receiving overflow conversation from the episode, patrons at all levels will receive weekly reflection questions intended to help them journey through Lent with both the podcast and the resource A Just Passion! Become a patron today by visiting our Patreon page!
The Transforming Center exists to create space for God to strengthen leaders and transform communities. You are invited to join our next Transforming Community:® A Two-year Spiritual Formation Experience for Leaders. Delivered in nine quarterly retreats, this practice-based learning opportunity is grounded in the conviction that the best thing you bring to leadership is your own transforming self!
Monday Mar 20, 2023
Monday Mar 20, 2023
This season we are focusing on justice as an aspect of spiritual formation and we believe Lent to be the perfect season to explore this connection. Using A Just Passion: A Six-Week Lenten Journey, and the lectionary, we will look at various aspects of justice, its importance to God and why the modern church has often regrettably failed to live out God’s call to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with the Lord.”
Ruth is joined by Gary Haugen on today’s episode. Gary Haugen has spent most of his career fighting injustice at the systemic level as a lawyer and founder of International Justice Mission. Ruth and Gary discuss the moment Gary realized he’d grown up his whole life in the church never once hearing a message about how much God cared about justice. They talk about the ways in which the poor are chronically vulnerable to violence, how the church often isn’t doing work that addresses this issue, and how, at IJM, attention to their own spiritual formation is crucial in sustaining their justice work.
Lectionary scripture for this week:
Mentioned in this episode:
Just Courage by Gary Haugen
The Locust Effect by Gary Haugen
Gary Alan Haugen is an American attorney who is the Founder, CEO, and former President of International Justice Mission, a global organization that protects the poor from violence throughout the developing world. Gary has been recognized by the U.S. State Department as a Trafficking in Persons “Hero” – the highest honor given by the U.S. government for anti-slavery leadership. He is the author of several books, including Good News About Injustice (Intervarsity Press) and, most recently, The Locust Effect: Why the End of Poverty Requires the End of Violence (Oxford University Press).
Journey with us this Lent! Our season is inspired by A Just Passion: A Six-Week Lenten Journey, and many of our guests are contributors to this resource.
Music Credit:
Kingdom Come by Aaron Niequist
O Sacred Head, Now Wounded from Lent Music in Solitude
Support the podcast! This season, in addition to receiving overflow conversation from the episode, patrons at all levels will receive weekly reflection questions intended to help them journey through Lent with both the podcast and the resource A Just Passion! Become a patron today by visiting our Patreon page!
The Transforming Center exists to create space for God to strengthen leaders and transform communities. You are invited to join our next Transforming Community:® A Two-year Spiritual Formation Experience for Leaders. Delivered in nine quarterly retreats, this practice-based learning opportunity is grounded in the conviction that the best thing you bring to leadership is your own transforming self!
Monday Mar 13, 2023
Monday Mar 13, 2023
This season we are focusing on justice as an aspect of spiritual formation and we believe Lent to be the perfect season to explore this connection. Using A Just Passion: A Six-Week Lenten Journey, and the lectionary, we will look at various aspects of justice, its importance to God and why the modern church has often regrettably failed to live out God’s call to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with the Lord.”
This week, Ruth and Tina are joined by Sheila Wise Rowe to discuss racial trauma and collective healing. What exactly is racial trauma and what is the long term impact of this trauma on people of color? How can the church play a part in the healing of this trauma? And why is this healing work a part of justice work? The three women also look at the lectionary reading this week from John, the story of the Samaritan woman.
Lectionary scripture for this week:
Mentioned in this episode:
Healing Racial Trauma: The Road to Resilience by Sheila Wise Rowe
Young, Gifted, and Black: A Journey of Lament and Celebration by Sheila Wise Rowe
First Nations Version: An Indigenous Translation of the New Testament
Sheila Wise Rowe is a truth-teller who is passionate about matters of faith and emotional healing. She advocates for the dignity, rights, and healing of abuse and racial trauma survivors, and racial conciliation. In 2020 Sheila authored the award-winning book, Healing Racial Trauma: The Road to Resilience released by InterVarsity Press (IVP), and recently Young, Gifted, and Black: A Journey of Lament and Celebration. Sheila lives in Massachusetts with Nicholas, her husband of 31 years and near their adult children; a daughter, a son and a daughter-in-law.
Journey with us this Lent! Our season is inspired by A Just Passion: A Six-Week Lenten Journey, and many of our guests are contributors to this resource.
Music Credit:
Kingdom Come by Aaron Niequist
A Prayer for Healing from Lent Music in Solitude
Support the podcast! This season, in addition to receiving overflow conversation from the episode, patrons at all levels will receive weekly reflection questions intended to help them journey through Lent with both the podcast and the resource A Just Passion! Become a patron today by visiting our Patreon page!
The Transforming Center exists to create space for God to strengthen leaders and transform communities. You are invited to join our next Transforming Community:® A Two-year Spiritual Formation Experience for Leaders. Delivered in nine quarterly retreats, this practice-based learning opportunity is grounded in the conviction that the best thing you bring to leadership is your own transforming self!
Monday Mar 06, 2023
Monday Mar 06, 2023
This season we are focusing on justice as an aspect of spiritual formation and we believe Lent to be the perfect season to explore this connection. Using A Just Passion: A Six-Week Lenten Journey, and the lectionary, we will look at various aspects of justice, its importance to God and why the modern church has often regrettably failed to live out God’s call to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with the Lord.”
In week two, Ruth and Transforming Center team member Tina Harris sit down with Terry Wildman, translator of the First Nations Version of the New Testament. The three discuss the tragic impact colonialism has had on indigenous people, the part Christianity has played in it and how he sees the First Nations Version translation as an act of justice. Terry also reads his translation of the lectionary reading in his own voice. This conversation is incredibly powerful and insightful.
Lectionary scripture for this week:
Genesis 12:1-4a
Psalm 121
Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
John 3:1-10 or Matthew 17:1-9
Mentioned in this episode:
First Nations Version: An Indigenous Translation of the New Testament
Terry M. Wildman, of Ojibwe and Yaqui ancestry, is the Lead Translator and Project Manager of the First Nations Version. He serves as the Director of Spiritual Growth and Leadership Development for Native InterVarsity. He’s also the founder of Rain Ministries and has previously served as a pastor and worship leader. Together they are the GRAMMY-nominated and Nammy award-winning musical duo and recording artists known as RainSong.
Journey with us this Lent! Our season is inspired by A Just Passion: A Six-Week Lenten Journey, and many of our guests are contributors to this resource.
Music Credit:
Kingdom Come by Aaron Niequist
Returning from Lent Music in Solitude
Support the podcast! This season, in addition to receiving overflow conversation from the episode, patrons at all levels will receive weekly reflection questions intended to help them journey through Lent with both the podcast and the resource A Just Passion! Become a patron today by visiting our Patreon page!
The Transforming Center exists to create space for God to strengthen leaders and transform communities. You are invited to join our next Transforming Community:® A Two-year Spiritual Formation Experience for Leaders. Delivered in nine quarterly retreats, this practice-based learning opportunity is grounded in the conviction that the best thing you bring to leadership is your own transforming self!