The Discerning Leader Podcast

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Cindy Bunch “When we develop self-compassion, we cultivate greater empathy towards others.” – Cindy Bunch  Cindy Bunch is a divisional vice president and associate publisher for InterVarsity Press, where she has worked for more than thirty years. She acquires and develops for the Formatio line of spiritual formation books. She is the author of Be Kind to Yourself as well as several Bible study guides in IVP's LifeGuide® Bible Studies series.  Cindy holds an MA in theological studies from Northern Seminary and completed her spiritual direction training at North Park Seminary. She and her husband live in the Chicago suburbs. Cindy shares with Steve how we can develop greater empathy towards others by first experiencing the kindness of Jesus to us. Hear how Cindy’s training in Spiritual Direction has taught her to notice God in everything, including working with authors as an editor. 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: Molly Shafferman “‘I thought you were going to teach me to pray.’ ‘We are. We are listening a little bit.’” – Molly Shafferman  Molly Shafferman lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband Howard. They have two grown children and three adorable grandchildren. Molly grew up in Montgomery, Alabama and graduated from Auburn University with a degree in Family and Child Development. Molly has been active in church and civic groups all her adult life, including Healing Prayer and Women’s ministries, Alpha, and home Bible studies. She is a graduate of LTI’s Selah program and offers spiritual direction to many. Molly shares major turning points in her life. Highlights include stories about her mother who taught Molly how to pray, entrusting a child with Tourette’s Syndrome to Jesus and the impact that Spiritual Direction has had upon Molly’s own life and marriage. 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: Carolyn Arends “The promise we always have is not no pain - it's no wasted pain. There's nothing that He can’t redeem.” – Carolyn Arends Carolyn Arends is Renovaré's Director of Education where she oversees the Renovaré Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation, the Renovaré Book Club, and various other initiatives. Additionally, she has written and released 14 albums, earned 2 Dove awards and is the author of 3 critically acclaimed books. You can find more about her at www.renovare.org and www.carolynarends.com. Carolyn joins Steve and shares several turning points of her life. After reading Steve’s book, The Discerning Life, she recognizes these watershed moments as discerning life moments. When asked about how she cultivates a discerning life, she noted that the formation that makes a discerning person is almost identical to the formation that makes a great writer or artist, it is living receptively to the Lord. 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: Trevor Hudson “I thought to myself, ‘God, did I really get all this wrong? I thought you were leading me in this direction.’” – Trevor Hudson Season 22 will focus on life stories shaped around spiritual discernment as a lifestyle. Trevor Hudson is an ordained minister in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa. After spending forty years doing pastoral ministry in a local congregation, he now gives his time to lecturing, teaching, and writing in the areas of spiritual formation and spiritual direction. His most recent book, Seeking God-Finding Another Kind of Life with St Ignatius and Dallas Willard, is available now from NavPress. Trevor and Steve discuss discerning what it means to follow Jesus in family and vocational life as well as through times of discontent and suffering. Trevor shares the common theme about seeking Jesus through the lives of Saint Ignatius of Loyola and Dallas Willard. 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: Paul Borthwick “You might be praying for someone who’s never been prayed for before in Jesus’ name.” – Paul Borthwick As we conclude season 21, Paul and Steve prompt us to ask: so, what? now, what? and what kind of person shall we become from this? We start with understanding the three big greats. The great commandment invites us to see the world that God sees it. Great compassion compels our heart to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. And the great commission leads us to proclaim the love of Jesus to those who cross our path and those who are around this world. These three things often impact our daily lives: changing our mindset, opening our worldview, and reminding us of the assurance - Jesus’ promise to always be with us, even to the ends of the earth.   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: Paul Borthwick “Prayer is our response to the global amount of information.” – Paul Borthwick During His ascension, Jesus commissioned His disciples to be “witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Here, Paul Borthwick shares five practices that help us see where God is at work locally and globally: Information. God fuels our discernment through Scriptural knowledge and understanding of current events Intercession. Prayer is our response to the global amount of information Involvement. Notice where God is at work in the people around you and consider a short-term mission trip Integration. Letting the things we know about the world influence our life Investigation - Keeping our eyes, ears and hearts open to what God wants us.  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.

“There is a family of God to get to know globally.” – Steve Macchia Followers of Jesus are part of a big family that stretches around the world. This family is in China, Columbia, Syria, Russia, Ukraine and in every country of the world. Every weekend this family gathers to worship in places from the greatest cathedrals in Europe to huts with mud floors. If we could listen to the global Christian family, they would ask us to first know them, and know their stories; second to pray for them and third partner with them in their local ministry. Discovering the family of God globally may start as simply as starting a conversation with someone who has a different accent than you or visiting a church in your own city made up of people of a distinct ethnicity. Resources: Operation World Gordon Conwell Center for Global Christianity 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: Paul Borthwick  “I think that we are living in the most exciting time in Christian history since Jesus walked the earth.” – Paul Borthwick Steve Macchia and Paul Borthwick continue their discussion on discovering God’s heart for the world and our shared calling to serve collaboratively in global missions. In this episode, Paul says “As a student of God’s work around the world for quite awhile; I believe that we are living in the most exciting time to be alive in the history of Christianity since Jesus walked the earth.” Listen in as Paul explains this position and hear about missionary work around the world that the news media isn’t sharing. 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: Paul Borthwick “The thing that God is using to help me be a person of love is the phrase that comes to my mind whenever I see a person; ‘this is a human being created in the image of God and worthy of love and respect.’ ” – Paul Borthwick Season 21 will focus on discovering God’s heart for the world and our shared calling to serve collaboratively in global missions. Steve Macchia welcomes guest Paul Borthwick to the podcast. In episode 1, Steve and Paul talk about God's love for all people, sharing four insights from John 3:16-21. Listen to Paul’s story about an emotional encounter he had at the airport after the Boston Marathon Bombing. 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.

Explore the ancient practice of the Daily Examen, designed to deepen your spiritual connection and foster gratitude. Discover how to recognize God's presence in both joyful and challenging moments. Reflect on your emotions and highlight significant events from your day, all while looking forward with prayerful anticipation. Embrace spiritual disciplines like Lectio Divina and journaling to enrich your daily life. Learn to embody virtues like mercy and peacemaking, positively impacting your relationship with God and the world.