The Discerning Leader Podcast

Join James Hauptman, an executive assistant, pastor, and seminary student, as he shares his insights on crafting a personal rule of life. Discover practical steps to live with intention, focusing on roles and relationships that matter most. They explore the importance of writing down your rule to avoid assumptions and assess your gifts and passions. Learn how to balance life stages, articulate your vision, and create a meaningful daily mission. This conversation brings clarity on how spiritual discernment can shape your journey.

In a captivating discussion, James Hauptman, an executive assistant at Leadership Transformations and a dedicated seminary student, delves into the significance of crafting a personal rule of life. He explains how this ancient practice fosters purposeful living and counters autopilot routines. Topics include the importance of attentiveness to God's invitations amid distractions and the balance between self-centeredness and an abundant, Spirit-led life. James shares insights on community, flexibility in living out one's rule, and encourages listeners to embrace a holistic approach to spirituality.

As the new year approaches, embracing slowness is highlighted as a path to deeper soul formation. The hosts discuss five core practices—simplicity, spaciousness, silence, solitude, and slowness—to foster spiritual attentiveness. They illustrate the cost of rushing, sharing poignant personal stories of how accidents serve as wake-up calls. Listeners are encouraged to adopt patience and align their pace with divine timing, while a year-end examen serves as a reflective tool for entering 2026 mindfully.

Join Matt Scott, a co-host and expert in spiritual formation, as he explores the transformative power of solitude during Advent. Discover how solitude, far from being lonely, fosters deeper connections and enriches community life. Matt distinguishes healthy solitude from isolation and shares personal stories illustrating its gifts. Learn about the healing and clarity solitude can bring, along with practical insights for cultivating attentiveness. This enlightening conversation invites listeners to embrace stillness and renew their love for God and others.

Matt Scott, a creative director and minister of spiritual formation, joins Steve Macchia to discuss the transformative power of silence during Advent. They explore how stillness can reveal inner distractions and unmet fears, fostering deeper spiritual awareness. The conversation highlights practical tips for integrating silence into busy lives, including digital detox practices and brief moments of quiet reflection. They also engage in a Lectio Divina practice, encouraging listeners to embrace shared silence and receive the profound gifts of the season.

Host: Steve Macchia, Co-Host: Matt Scott "We have to say no to the demands of this world. We have to create some space that is sacred and holy and dedicated wholly to our heart's devotion to Jesus." - Steve Macchia We often give into a compulsion to complicate the simple and clutter that which is spacious. What if this Advent was different for you? In this podcast conversation, Steve Macchia and Matt Scott explore ways to declutter and create spacious settings for your soul, resisting the cultural pressures and societal norms surrounding us. As you do so, you'll experience a greater awareness and attentiveness to the true reason for the season...experiencing the nearness of Jesus - God with us! Also, here's the companion reflection guide and spiritual exercise to help you declutter this season of Advent. Join the conversation about spiritual discernment as a way of life at www.LeadershipTransformations.org and consider participation in our online and in-person program offerings. Additional LTI spiritual formation resources can be found at www.SpiritualFormationStore.com and www.ruleoflife.com and www.healthychurch.net.

Host: Steve Macchia, Co-host: Matt Scott "Simplicity? It goes against the grain of our society. We're needing to make a concious choice to say no to the excess and to the busyness." - Steve Macchia How is it that the most wonderful time of the year often draws us into excess and exhaustion? Tune into the first episode of Season 37 as Steve Macchia and Matt Scott explore the posture and practice of simplicity. May God grant you rest and renewal this season as you choose the most important things to give yourself to. Also, here's your reflection guide. Set aside some spacious and unhurried time to prayerfully consider how you might embrace simplicity this Advent season. Join the conversation about spiritual discernment as a way of life at www.LeadershipTransformations.org and consider participation in our online and in-person program offerings. Additional LTI spiritual formation resources can be found at www.SpiritualFormationStore.com and www.ruleoflife.com and www.healthychurch.net.

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: J.R. Briggs "We don't know how to ask good questions and point to another because we're just so fixated on ourselves." - Steve Macchia Steve Macchia and J.R. Briggs remind leaders that transformation begins by asking better, more honest questions. Their conversation invites us to slow down, listen deeply, and cultivate curiosity that leads to wiser, Spirit-led discernment. Receive the invitation to shift from having all the answers to pursuing the right questions. Join the conversation about spiritual discernment as a way of life at www.LeadershipTransformations.org and consider participation in our online and in-person program offerings. Additional LTI spiritual formation resources can be found at www.SpiritualFormationStore.com and www.ruleoflife.com and www.healthychurch.net.

Host: Steve Macchia Guest: Gary Thomas "A simple definition of spiritual formation is that the pathway to a deeper walk with God is aligning a deep understanding of the truth about God with the truth about ourselves." – Steve Macchia In this week's episode of The Discerning Leader Podcast, Steve Macchia shares a conversation with long-time friend Gary Thomas. In Gary's most recent book, The Life You Were Reborn to Live, he exposes twelve subtle but powerful deceptions that quietly drain joy and block intimacy with God. Steve and Gary offer practical ways we can dismantle the false beliefs that keep us from the abundant, joy-filled life God has already placed within reach. Join the conversation about spiritual discernment as a way of life at www.LeadershipTransformations.org and consider participation in our online and in-person program offerings. Additional LTI spiritual formation resources can be found at www.SpiritualFormationStore.com and www.ruleoflife.com and www.healthychurch.net.

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Alison Cook "To have a healthy sense of identity and focus intently on what matters most, that's what we're all longing for." - Steve Macchia Curiosity, boundaries, healing, and integration. In Episode 10 of Season 36, Steve Macchia interviews Dr. Alison Cook as she shares wisdom and insight from these themes in her recent book "I Shouldn't Feel This Way." A psychotherapist, author, online educator and the host of "The Best of You" podcast, Alison helps other heal painful emotions, develop confidence from the inside out, forge healthy relationships, and fully live out their God-given potential. Join the conversation about spiritual discernment as a way of life at www.LeadershipTransformations.org and consider participation in our online and in-person program offerings. Additional LTI spiritual formation resources can be found at www.SpiritualFormationStore.com and www.ruleoflife.com and www.healthychurch.net.