Episode 75 Brian Russell on How God Uses Silent Meditative Prayer to Transform Us

In this week's episode I talk about how God uses centering prayer, i.e., silent meditative prayer, to transform us. I take you on a deep dive into how to respond to the thoughts you encounter when you sit in silence. In particular, I discuss the "evil" or "distracting" thoughts that will most trouble you if you practice consistently. I hope that it serves you powerfully. My latest book Centering Prayer: Sitting Quietly in God's Presence Can Change Your Life (Paraclete Press) is now available in paperback and ebook formats. Buy from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3AroGYf or directly from Paraclete Press: www.paracletepress.com Connect with Brian Russell: Sign up for Brian's email updates: www.centeringprayerbook.com Twitter: @briandrussell Instagram: @yourprofessorforlife Coaching for Pastors: www.deepdivespirituality.com Business and Life Coaching: www.drbrianrussellcoaching.com Brian Russell’s Book on the Missional Interpretation of Scripture: (Re)Aligning with God: Reading Scripture for Church and World https://amzn.to/3qln258 Links to Amazon are affiliate links. Dr. Russell receives a small payment if you order resources through these links. There is no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the podcast through your purchases. Please tell your friends about the Deep Dive Spirituality Videocast. It's also available on Spotify, Podbean, and iTunes as a podcast.

Episode 71 Lisa Colón Delay– The Wild Land Within: Cultivating Wholenes Through Spiritual Practice

In this episode, Lisa Colón Delay discusses her outstanding book The Wild Land Within: Cultivating Wholeness Through Spiritual Practice (Broadleaf Books, 2021). We do a deep dive into spiritual formation including common blocks/obstacles. Lisa also discusses some tools and habits that will allow you to grow even deeper in grace. Buy Lisa's Book: The Wild Land Within https://amzn.to/3meOnXI Lisa's Bio: Lisa Colón Delay is a teacher, spiritual director, and host of Spark My Muse, a top-rated religion and spirituality podcast. Originally from Puerto Rico, DeLay has an MA in spiritual formation and has taught in many settings, from graduate schools to workshops. Her work has appeared in several anthologies and in dozens of places in print and online, and she offers spiritual companioning and retreats. DeLay lives with her family outside Philadelphia. Connect with Lisa: www.lisadelay.com www.patreon.com/sparkmymuse Twitter: https://twitter.com/LisaDelay Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisacolondelay/?hl=en Books recommended by Lisa: Henri Nouwen Inner Voice of Love https://amzn.to/3k5ttaM Thomas Merton New Seeds of Contemplation https://amzn.to/3sxT0xm James Cone The Cross and the Lynching Tree https://amzn.to/3sCJNnz Howard Thurman With Head and Heart https://amzn.to/3iRKd68 Connect with Brian Russell: Information about Brian’s Fall 2021 book Centering Prayer: How Sitting Quietly in God’s Presence Can Change Your Life www.centeringprayerbook.com or preorder: https://amzn.to/3pDpN2E Twitter: @briandrussell Instagram: @yourprofessorforlife Coaching for Pastors: www.deepdivespirituality.com Business and Life Coaching: www.drbrianrussellcoaching.com Brian Russell’s Book on the Missional Interpretation of Scripture: (Re)Aligning with God: Reading Scripture for Church and World https://amzn.to/3qln258 Links to Amazon are affiliate links. Dr. Russell receives a small payment if you order resources through these links. There is no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the podcast through your purchases. Please tell your friends about the Deep Dive Spirituality Videocast. It's also available on Spotify, Podbean, and iTunes as a podcast.

Episode 35 Drs. Justus Hunter and Phil Tallon on The Absolute Basics of the Wesleyan Way

In this week’s episode, Drs. Justus Hunter and Phil Tallon talk about their new book: Absolute Basics of the Wesleyan Way (Seedbed 2020). We focus most of our conversation on the meaning and experience of holiness of heart and life. Phil Tallon (PhD) is an Assistant Professor of Theology at Houston Baptist University. He’s the author of The Poetics of Evil (Oxford, 2012) and The Absolute Basics of the Christian Faith (Seedbed, 2016). Twitter: @philiptallon Justus Hunter (PhD) is an Assistant Professor of Church History at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He is the author of If Adam Had Not Sinned: The Reason for the Incarnation from Anselm to Scotus.  Twitter: @JustusHunter. Resources by Hunter and Tallon: The Absolute Basics of the Wesleyan Way https://my.seedbed.com/product/the-absolute-basics-of-the-wesleyan-way/ Hunter’s books: If Adam Had Not Sinned: The Reason for the Incarnation from Anselm to Scotus https://amzn.to/2IYZm6C Tallon’s books: The Absolute Basics of the Christian Faith https://amzn.to/362KRaq The Poetics of Evil: Toward an Aesthetic Theodicy https://amzn.to/361ri2g Connect with Brian: Twitter: @briandrussell Instagram: @yourprofessorforlife Brian's Book on Missional Reading of Scripture: (re)Aligning with God: Reading Scripture for Church and World https://amzn.to/3fxatPU

Episode 34 Dr Steve Rankin on Spiritual Formation and the Practice of Holiness

Dr. Steve Rankin (director of the Spiritual Maturity Project and retired chaplain of Southern Methodist University) takes us on a deep dive into spiritual formation and the practice of holiness. Connect with Steve:  Blogs: www.stephenrankin.com and www.spiritualmaturityproject.org under the name “Pressing On.” Search for Spiritual Maturity Project Facebook page.  Twitter: @StephenWRankin Connect with Brian: Twitter: @briandrussell Instagram: @yourprofessorforlife Deep Dive Spirituality Group Coaching for Pastors www.deepdivespirituality.com Books by Steve: Aiming at Maturity: The Goal of the Christian Life https://amzn.to/2ITS7MU Books Recommended by Steve: Robert Coleman, The Master Plan of Evangelism. https://amzn.to/2ISoCL3 Robert Roberts, Spiritual Emotions: A Psychology of Christian Virtues, https://amzn.to/35K9fgV Lesslie Newbigin, Gospel in a Pluralist Society https://amzn.to/35JkKW4 John Wesley, A Plain Account of Christian Perfection http://wesley.nnu.edu/john-wesley/a-plain-account-of-christian-perfection/ Bio: Steve's a retired university chaplain from Southern Methodist University.  Before that gig, he served as professor of religion and campus minister at Southwestern College in Kansas.  Pastoral ministry for 12 or so years before then, with a 3 year stint in an expatriate congregation outside Rome, Italy.  Started adult life (post-college) as a junior high teacher and basketball and track coach.  In some form or another, he has taught every age from Kindergarten through doctor of ministry students. He's married to Joni and they have four grown children and five grandchildren.

Episode 27 Dr. AJ Sherrill on the Enneagram and Spiritual Formation

Author, teacher, and Pastor AJ Sherrill (D.Min., Fuller Theological Seminary) takes us on a deep dive into how the enneagram. Our conversation centers on his new book The Enneagram for Spiritual Formation: How Knowing Ourselves Can Make Us More Like Jesus (Brazos, 2020)
Books by AJ
The Enneagram for Spiritual Formation: How Knowing Ourselves Can Make Us More Like Jesus (2020) https://amzn.to/36hezJj
Expansive: Stretching Beyond Superficial Christianity (2017) https://amzn.to/2S8ykdE
Quiet: Hearing God Amidst the Noise (2014) https://amzn.to/2GatE4L
Books Recommended by AJ
Henri Nouwen, The Genesee Diary: Report from a Trappist Monastery (1981) https://amzn.to/3jgiSYW
Robert Louis Wilken, The First Thousand Years: A Global History of Christianity (2013) https://amzn.to/3jeiKtb
Full Bio:
AJ Sherrill (DMin, Fuller Theological Seminary) has more than twenty years of experience as a pastor from the beaches of S. California to the streets of NYC.  He has recently moved to Charleston SC where he serves as the Lead Pastor of Saint Peters Church and is in process of Anglican ordination. He is an adjunct professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, where he teaches popular courses on preaching and the Enneagram.  
Connect with AJ:
Twitter @ajsherrill
IG: https://www.instagram.com/aj_sherrill/?hl=en
Connect with Brian:
Twitter: @briandrussell
Instagram: @yourprofessorforlife

Check out Brian's (re)Aligning with God: Reading Scripture for Church and World (Cascade, 2016) https://amzn.to/3kRNjVM




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Episode 24: Dr Michael Beck Contextual Intelligence, Missional Formation and Fresh Expressions of the Church

In this week's episode, Dr. Michael Beck talks about his new book "Contextual Intelligence: Unlocking the Ancient Secret to Mission on the Front Lines" (co-written with Dr. Leonard Sweet).

Buy Contextual Intelligence: Unlocking the Ancient Secret to Mission on the Front Lines https://freshexpressionsus.org/product-tag/contextual/
Connect with Michael Beck:
Michaeladambeck.com
Twitter: @reverendwild1
Connect with Dr. Russell:
Twitter: @briandrussell
IG: @yourprofessorforlife
Read Brian's book on missional interpretation: (re)Aligning with God: Reading Scripture for Church and World https://amzn.to/3k86KcN

Books that Michael Beck Recommends:
(1) Gerald Arbuckle Refounding the church: Dissent for Leadership https://amzn.to/2VdFD5e

(2) Manuel Castells The Rise of Network Society https://amzn.to/2JOZCSr

(3) Graham Cray The Mission-shaped Church https://amzn.to/2UWAIXg

(4) Alan Hirsch/Michael Frost, The Shaping of Things to Come https://amzn.to/35nA9v5

(5) Michael Moynagh Church in Life https://amzn.to/3bJDRR5
Dr. Michael Beck is South Atlantic Coordinator for Fresh Expressions US and North Central District Cultivator of Fresh Expressions for the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. He also leads the Fresh Expressions house of study at United Theological Seminary. Michael serves as senior pastor of Wildwood UMC where he directs addiction recovery programs, a jail ministry, a food pantry, and a network of fresh expressions that meet in places like tattoo parlors and burrito joints. He currently lives in Wildwood with his wife, Jill, and their blended family of 8 children.
Links to Amazon are affiliate links. Dr. Russell receives a small payment if you order resources through these links. There is no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the podcast through your purchases.

Episode 23 Matthew Johnson: Entire Sanctification and the Guide to Holiness

In today’s episode, the Rev. Matthew Johnson and I talk about his interest and passion for the transformational message of Christian holiness. Matthew shares his own life experience as well as draws from mentors and his extensive research into contemporary and historical writings on entire sanctification. We also talk about his newsletter “A Guide to Holiness” that shares testimonies of God’s work of sanctifying grace.

How to connect with Matthew Johnson

revmhj.com 

scripturalholiness.com (sign up for newsletter there; content coming by end of year)

@revmhj on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook.

Here are the books Matthew mentions in answer to questions:

Amy Caswell Bratton - Witnesses of Perfect Love: Narratives of Christian Perfection in Early Methodism https://amzn.to/3hZz68s

Chris Bounds Unholiness: Overcoming the Forces That Attack Your Soul https://amzn.to/3bjJAwC 

Kevin Watson Old or New School Methodism?: The Fragmentation of a Theological Tradition https://amzn.to/31SHr8g

These are Matthew's recommendations:

Samuel Logan Brengle - Helps to Holiness. http://wesleyanbooks.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WB&Product_Code=0388&Category_Code=

Dennis Kinlaw - Prayer: Bearing the World as Jesus Did. https://amzn.to/3lITjRU 

Preaching in the Spirit https://amzn.to/3hO0iGZ 

Robert Coleman - Nothing to Do But Save Souls. https://amzn.to/2QLuPcA 

Mildred Bangs Wynkoop - A Theology of Love: The Dynamic of Wesleyanism (2nd ed) https://amzn.to/3jG3wN8 

Bio:

Matthew Johnson is one of the associate pastors at Central United Methodist Church in Rogers, AR.

He has served as an United Methodist pastor for sixteen years. He graduated from Asbury Theological Seminary in 2003, was ordained an elder in the United Methodist Church in 2007, and has served his current church since July 2018. He also received from Asbury Theological Seminary the Doctor of Ministry degree in 2017. His project was on Reintroducing the Doctrine and Experience of Christian Perfection to United Methodists.

He’s been married since 2001 and he and his wife have one incredibly awesome daughter.

When he’s not reading, researching, or writing, he’s running, biking, or hanging with his family.

Links are affiliate links to Amazon. This podcast receives a small fee from Amazon. This does not increase your sale price. Thank you for supporting my show by purchasing recommended books and resources.

Episode #19 Dr. Amy Oden: Spiritual Formation and the Practice of Christ...

Amy Oden: Spiritual Formation and the Practice of Christian Mindfulness

In this episode, Dr. Amy Oden shares deep insights from her research in the early Church and Christian spirituality on hospitality, Christian mindfulness and the formation of Christians for God’s mission. Listeners will appreciate the engagement with John Wesley’s teaching on watchfulness and its connection to formation. The conversation centers on her recent book Right Here Right Now: The Practice of Christian Mindfulness. 

Bio: 

Born and raised on the prairies of Oklahoma, Amy has found her spiritual home under the wide-open sky. Over the last 30 years, she has been a college professor, a seminary professor and a seminary dean. Amy is committed in her scholarship to illuminating ancient voices for Christian life today, introducing spiritual practices that can ground and nourish lives of following Jesus into the world. Her most recent book is Right Here, Right Now: The Practice of Christian Mindfulness. 

Purchase a Copy of Right Here, Right Now:

https://amzn.to/3i91iVM 

Recommend Resources. I loved that she only listed classical Christian resources!

Book of Psalms and Sermon on the Mount

Augustine: On Psalms https://ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf108

John Chrysostom: On Hospitality; Homily on Matthew 25 https://ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf110

Connect with Dr. Oden:

www.amyoden.com 

Ep 18: The Wesleyan Means of Grace, Transformation, & Christian Perfecti...

Andrew Thompson: Wesley’s Means of Grace, Transformation, and Christian Perfection

Listen in this week as Brian interviews noted Wesley scholar and pastor Dr. Andrew Thompson. Dr. Thompson takes us deep into a Wesleyan understanding and practice of the means of grace. Brian and Andrew end the episode with a powerful conversation about entire sanctification. Andrew offers a compelling modern testimony of what true holiness looks like today.

Books by Andrew Thompson

The Means of Grace: Traditioned Practice in Today’s World (Seedbed, 2015): https://amzn.to/3gzTBHF

Watching from the Walls: Waiting for Jesus with Hope and Expectation (Advent Study) https://amzn.to/2COW7vq 

Sign up for Newsletter from Matthew Johnson on Entire Sancitification:

 http://www.scripturalholiness.com/the-guide-to-holiness/

Books recommended by Andrew Thompson

Kevin Watson and Scott Kisker, The Band Meeting: Rediscovering Relational Discipleship in Transformational Community (Seedbed)  https://amzn.to/2Wd4aZW 

Richard Foster Celebration of Discipline https://amzn.to/33kkY5d

John Wesley. The Sermons of John Wesley: A Collection for the Christian Journey (eds. Collins and Vickers)  https://amzn.to/2L6u4b5  

Thomas a Kempis Imitation of Christ https://amzn.to/30WZo3G 

Jeremy Taylor Rule and Exercises of Holy Living and Dying https://amzn.to/3f8gwbX

www.seedbed.com 

Bio: 

Dr. Andrew C. Thompson is a pastor, teacher, and scholar in the United Methodist Church. He is an award-winning author and frequent speaker, focusing on the thought of John Wesley, the history of Methodism, and contemporary Wesleyan theology. Andrew is an ordained minister and has served pastoral appointments in Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina. He currently serves as the senior pastor of First United Methodist Church in Springdale, Arkansas. Previously he taught for four years on the faculty of Memphis Theological Seminary in Memphis, Tennessee.

Twitter @TheRealAndrew

The links to Amazon are affiliate links. Amazon pays a small royalty to Brian Russell for any materials purchased through these links (your purchase price is not affected). Thank you for supporting the Deep Dive Spirituality Conversations podcast!

Episode 17 How Scripture, Spirit, Community, and Mission Shape Our Souls...

In this week’s episode Dr. Evan Howard shares his deep knowledge and wisdom regarding the process of how God shapes our souls.
Evan B. Howard, Ph.D. is the founder and director of Spirituality Shoppe, a Center for the Study of Christian Spirituality. He is also an affiliate faculty with Fuller Theological Seminary. He is the author of The Brazos Introduction to Christian Spirituality, A Guide to Christian Spiritual Formation: How Scripture, Spirit, Community, and Mission Shape Our Souls and other books and articles. He leads workshops and seminars on Christian Spirituality and enjoys living a simple life with family and animals in rural Colorado.
websites and social media
website - spiritualityshoppe.org;
Youtube channel - www.youtube.com/channel/UCgBNf5GVUgUuqEwslXvOfQ
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/evan.b.howard

Books by Dr. Evan Howard:

Praying the Scriptures: A Field Guide for Your Spiritual Journey (IVP, 1999) https://amzn.to/32GDYdH 

The Brazos Introduction to Christian Spirituality (Brazos 2008): https://amzn.to/2CCrj0I

Discovering Lectio Divina: Bringing Scripture into Ordinary Life (IVP, 2012) https://amzn.to/30C9SFp

Guide to Christian Spiritual Formation: How Scripture, Spirit, Community, and Mission Shape Our Souls (Baker 2018) https://amzn.to/2OMwu0r 

Book Mentioned and Recommended by Dr. Howard

Toyohiko Kagawa: An Apostle of Love and Social Justice https://amzn.to/31ZGdsi 

The links to Amazon are affiliate links. Amazon pays a small royalty to Brian Russell for any materials purchased through these links (your purchase price is not affected). Thank you for supporting the Deep Dive Spirituality Conversations podcast!

Episode 11 The Wesleyan Renewal, Holiness, and Transformation with Dr Ryan Danker

In this week’s episode, Dr. Ryan Danker helps us to understand the context of the Wesleyan renewal in 18th century England in ways that will help us think about Gospel ministry in the 21st century. We take a deep dive into true power and optimism of Wesleyan theology by discussing its proclamation of holiness of heart and life. 

Bio:

An active United Methodist, Ryan Danker is a church historian with a passion for evangelical studies, and in particular the early Wesleyan/Methodist movement under John and Charles Wesley. Born in Portland, Oregon, Danker served United Methodist churches in the Western North Carolina Annual Conference. He currently serves as a member of the United Methodist/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Dialogue. He is active in the American Academy of Religion, the Wesleyan Theological Society, and the Charles Wesley Society. Before his appointment at Wesley, Danker served on the faculty at Greensboro College in North Carolina where he was also Special Assistant to the President and a member of the Advisory Board of the Royce and Jane Reynolds Center for Church Leadership. 

Education

• B.A., Northwest Nazarene University, Nampa, ID
• M.Div., The Divinity School, Duke University, Durham, NC
• Th.D., The School of Theology, Boston University, Boston, MA

Twitter: @RyanNDanker

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5F9C_humHnVSZyz4tMy0yw

Books by Dr. Danker

Exploring a Wesleyan Political Theology (editor and contributor; Wesley’s Foundry books, 2019) https://amzn.to/2U5cXvo 

Wesley and the Anglicans: Political Division in Early Evangelicalism (IVP, 2016) https://amzn.to/2MtVUPb 

Books Recommend by Dr. Danker

Geoffrey Wainwright Doxology: The Praise of God in Worship, Doctrine, and life: A Systematic Theology https://amzn.to/2z7DLDT 

Robert Louis Wilken The Spirit of Early Christian Thought: Seeking the Face of God https://amzn.to/2MuiqaW

The Book of Common Prayer 

Deep Dive Spirituality Conversations–Episode 8: Psychology, Holistic Spirituality, and Our Rule of Life with Dr. Steve Stratton

This week’s episode features a rich conversation with Dr. Steve Stratton. Dr. Stratton (for bio see below) helps us think about spiritual formation through the lens of psychology. We talk about the importance of a holistic spirituality that honors us as embodied persons. You’ll also gain insights into developing a rule or way of life that honors you as a unique person created by God and helps you grow deeper into God’s grace. 

Dr. Stratton recommends these books as essential reading for spiritual formation:

Aelred of Rievaulx: Spiritual Friendship https://amzn.to/2Xb0GHL

Karen Horney Neurosis and Human Growth: The Struggle toward Self-Realization https://amzn.to/2ZLajys

Gerald May Addiction and Grace: Love and Spirituality in the Healing of Addictions https://amzn.to/2TNBl4l 

N.T. Wright The Day the Revolution Began: Reconsidering the Meaning of Jesus’s Crucifixion https://amzn.to/2BcmgTI

Stephen P. Stratton, Ph.D., is Professor of Counseling and Pastoral Care and a licensed psychologist (KY) and counselor educator.  Previous to his full-time appointment at Asbury Theological Seminary in 2006, he served as an adjunct professor at Asbury University, where he was the Director of the Center for Counseling for 18 years.  He is a Health Service Provider/Supervisor for the Kentucky Board of Psychology.  

Dr. Stratton holds membership and leadership positions in both counseling and psychology professional guilds, and he regularly presents at the state, national and international conferences of these organizations.  He is currently Vice President for the Kentucky chapter of the Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values In Counseling (KY-ASERVIC).  He also serves as an At-large member of the Board for the Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS). He is a trainer and seminar director for the Prepare-Enrich Inventory (Life Innovations, Inc.) since 2010, and he is a trained facilitator of Immunity to Change workshops (Minds at Work, Inc.) since 2013.  

Dr. Stratton has provided psychological services to adolescents and adults in hospitals, community mental health agencies, pastoral settings, and college and university centers since 1983.  Dr. Stratton has special interest and training in the areas of human relational attachments, sexual/gender identity, contemplative prayer, and the integration of counseling and orthodox Christianity.  

He is part of a research team investigating the experience of sexual minorities at faith-based colleges and universities.  The book based on this research, Listening to Sexual Minorities: A Study of Faith and Sexual Identity on Christian College Campuses was published in 2018.  He is a research affiliate with the Sexual and Gender Identity Institute, where he currently helps to facilitate a longitudinal study investigating the experience of students at Christian colleges and universities across the United States who are navigating faith and gender identity.  He also serves on the Division 36 (Psychology of Religion and Spirituality) LGBTQ Task Force at the American Psychological Association.

In 2017, he received the "Distinguished Member Award" for his teaching, research, and pastoral leadership for CAPS.  In 2012 and 2020, Dr. Stratton was presented the “Excellence in Teaching and Learning Award” by Asbury Theological Seminary for “consistent excellence in the classroom.”  In 2010, he was named “Psychologist of the Year” by the Kentucky Psychological Association for “his innovative teaching and outstanding scientist-practitioner model[ing]” in the state.

He is married to Carol (Lehikoinen) Stratton, and they enjoy connections with their adult daughter, son and daughter-in-law.  The Strattons are active in relational training, experiential worship, and contemplative prayer ministries.  They are congregational leaders in worship and laity training at Nicholasville United Methodist Church.

How is Your Soul? (Walking and Talking Spirituality #20)

How is Your Soul? How is your soul really? How would you know?
Gerald May wrote in Addiction and Grace: “How we view ourselves at any given moment may have very little to do with who we really are.”
Most of us struggle to see ourselves as God does because of shame, guilt and fear. This unholy trinity manifests in these thoughts:
I am not enough. (Shame)
I don’t do enough. (Guilt)
I don’t have enough (Fear)
But how does God truly see me? Have I accepted the reality that I’m unconditionally loved and accepted by God?
Take a deep dive into your soul and open up to God’s love.
How do we do this?
I have found contemplative practices such as centering prayer and journaling to be transformative.
Another critical element is intentional community with persons who will speak honestly and truthfully to us. This may be your life partner, a close friend, or a small group that does life together.
If you are struggling to answer the question, “How is my soul?”, reach out to me. I’ve been there and can help.
Email: Deepdivespirituaity@gmail.com

Questions that Transform Us (Walking and Talking Spirituality #19)

Have you ever been asked a spiritually transformative question?

What were key questions that have shaped your journey of life?

Here are some of mine:

Rev Paul George asked my 17 or 18 year old self (1986 or 1987):

Have you ever considered the ministry?

Alex McManus challenged me when I was a young professor in
2005:

What business do you have teaching in a seminary if you’ve
never planted a church?

A few years ago, my daughter asked me:

Dad, why do you work so much?

The questions we ask ourselves play a determining factor
in our growth.

Are you open or closed to “hard” questions? 

Start your morning with some empowering questions:

For what am I grateful?

What is really bothering me?

What would make today great?

End your day with: What went really well today?

Be mindful of the questions that empower you and
questions that disempower you.

What’s on your mind today? What are some of the
best questions you’ve been asked or that you ask yourself?

#spirituality #questionsthattransform #questions #growth
#change #transformation #spiritualformation #spiritualgrowth 

50 Days of Formation and "KASHflow" (Walking and Talking Spirituality #16)

During this 50 day season of Eastertide in anticipation of Pentecost, what if we work on our spiritual formation so that we will be ready to be unleashed back into the world.

Embrace soul enhancing practices and mute your stress-relieving practices.

Borrowing an acronym from Dan Sullivan, let’s focus on  

on KASHflow:

Knowledge

Attitudes

Skills

Habits

Knowledge: How will you grow in self-knowledge? How are you presently consciously or unconsciously blocking the work of God in your life? What have you learned about God’s grace?

Attitudes: What attitudes do you need to cultivate in order to grow in love of God, neighbor, and self?

Skills: What new skills have I learned that I can continue to hone that will serve me in the long run?

Habits: What soul enhancing do I need to restart, launch, or double-down on so that I’ll be ready?

The world will reopen friends. A new dawn will appear. Spring will come again. Will we be ready?