Ex-pastor Steve Cuss discusses the gap between beliefs and experiences of God, using Peter walking on water as an example. He delves into aligning body and head beliefs for peace and freedom and promotes his upcoming book 'The Expectation Gap'.
Conflating identity as an employee of God with a child of God impacts pastors' well-being.
Struggle to internalize faith in God's love and experience it personally is a common challenge.
Deep dives
Conflating Identities: Unique Challenges of Pastoring
One significant challenge faced by pastors is the tendency to conflate their identities as employees of God with their identity as children of God. This conflation can lead to complications in their well-being and sense of self. When pastors operate predominantly from the employee role, rather than the child of God role, it can negatively impact their overall health and effectiveness in ministry.
Personalizing Criticism: Escalation of Anxiety in Leadership Roles
Transitioning from an associate to a lead pastor role can intensify the personal nature of criticisms received. This escalation often leads to higher levels of anxiety and a blurring of boundaries between personal well-being and the church's well-being. The speaker shares a personal journey of struggling with anxiety and taking criticism at the church as a direct affront to personal worth.
Inhabiting Faith: Gap Between Proclaiming and Believing God's Love
Many individuals, including pastors, face a common challenge of proclaiming faith in God's love while struggling to internalize and experience that love personally. The gap between professing belief in God's love and authentically embracing it in one's life is highlighted as a prevalent issue. The speaker reflects on the discrepancy between verbalizing faith in God's love and embodying it in daily life, emphasizing the importance of truly inhabiting one's faith.
Expectation Gap: Discrepancy Between Beliefs and Experiences
Exploring the concept of an 'Expectation Gap,' the speaker delves into the discrepancy between cognitive beliefs about God and the actual lived experience of those beliefs. The discussion focuses on the gap between what individuals intellectually believe about God and the practical manifestation of those beliefs in their lives. Through identifying and addressing assumptions, reactivity, stuck patterns, and attempted solutions, individuals are encouraged to bridge the gap between professed faith and personal experience.
Steve Cuss has a special burden for pastors and church staff. As someone who spent 27 years in such roles, he knows the unique challenges personally. On this episode, Cuss shares some of his own journey, including how he struggled with conflating his identities as a child of God and what felt like being an employee of God.
Cuss talks about the gap between what we believe about God and what we experience from God. He guides listeners through the story of Peter walking on water (Matt. 14). Cuss discusses peace, freedom, and love, inviting us to help our body align with our head beliefs so we can relax into God’s presence.
Cuss also reads from his upcoming book, The Expectation Gap, releasing May 28, which listeners can preorder here. Preorder bonuses are available here.