The Discerning Leader Podcast

Host: Steve Macchia | Guest: Al Lopus “Divine providence called me and I answered the phone.” – Al Lopus Today’s discerning life story features the founder of Best Christian Workplace Institute, Al Lopus, who joins us to share his wisdom about the keys to outstanding organizational life. His new book, The Road to Flourishing: Eight Keys to Boost Employee Engagement and Well-Being covers eight priorities to greater effectiveness. Based on extensive research, the eight keys also spell the word FLOURISH:  Fantastic Teams; Life-Giving Work; Outstanding Talent; Uplifting Growth; Rewarding Compensation; Inspirational Leadership; Sustainable Strategy; and Healthy Communication.  The #1 need: inspirational leadership, focusing on the importance of character, integrity, competency and trust. So much to glean for Christian leaders today! 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: Mindy Caliguire "Everything I believe about soul care came about because of the collapse of my interior life." – Mindy Caliguire President and Co-Founder of Soul Care, Mindy Caliguire shares about her experiences in spiritual formation ministry and a life of soul care for herself and others. She looks back to the challenges of church planting and her early days of releasing a life of the strategic and analytical in order to “swan dive” into the depth of her interior life, soaking in the unforced rhythms of God’s grace. It is here that she found God in mystery, slowness, stillness and love. She discovered the joy of immersing herself in God and then resting in God’s provisions. Most recently displaced by a wildfire in her neighborhood. Mindy’s faith story is entering a new chapter of trusting God fully. Amidst this level of disruption, soul care has been essential. 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: Cheryl Buchanan “It was me that needing saving from my prejudice, judgments, and ignorance. It was me that needed to grow.” – Cheryl Buchanan Cheryl Buchanan is the co-founder of New Story Community (NewStoryCommunity.net), a ministry designed to promote the flourishing of indigenous women in safety, beauty, and community.  Meeting in a retreat center in British Columbia, Canada, this new ministry is a safe haven for women who are seeking to be freed of addictions that have held them captive for years. Cheryl’s love for these women began nearly 20 years ago when she volunteered her services to come alongside indigenous families through their local church. God birthed and matured Cheryl’s discerning life story in listening prayer, spiritual direction, and hospitality.  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: Debby Mills “Debby, you are a peacemaker, but you are deeply troubled.” – Debby Mills Growing up, Debby Mills became disillusioned with the church but never gave up on God. And he never gave up on her. In her professional career and her family life, Debby naturally serves from a belief that every life matters to God and should therefore matter to us. As an adult, she was baptized and confirmed in her local church, which led her into a deeper exploration of faith. Her involvement with LTI’s Emmaus program was personally restorative, which led she and her husband into leading soul hospitality groups in their home. The Mills’ are volunteers with Hospitality Homes, an agency that provides free space for family members of those who are hospitalized. Additionally, the ministry of racial reconciliation has been birthed in Debby’s heart and has led her into service opportunities designed to bring justice and wholeness to all. 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: Sara Singleton “In my painful disappointments, I learned how to be content, and I learned of God’s love and sufficiency.” – Sara Singleton Sara Singleton shares her story about the obvious and mysterious ways that she has been discerning the hand and heart of God for several decades. She begins with how she and her husband Jim met during college, and fell in love thanks to the grace of God. Jim was for her “the safest person on earth” and their marriage has been a testimony of God’s love ever since. She recounts her story of failed pregnancies and the challenge of raising an adopted child from Guatemala. Her years of ministry, most recently in Newburyport, MA, led her into her doctoral work and an incredible ministry of racial justice and reconciliation. Go to Whitfield2020.org for additional information. She ends the episode sharing two stories of God’s amazing provision! 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: Gordon MacDonald "Expect to reorganize your interior life every 7-10 years." –Gordon MacDonald Gordon MacDonald’s “View From Eighty” continues in this episode with the following issues and ideas: Live modestly, stay free of debt, be generous, develop a financial plan, and be wary of those who try to buy your favor; Expect to reorganize your interior life every 7-10 years; Receive complements, criticism and counsel with humility and appreciation, avoid whining, complaining, self-pity and making excuses; Stay alert for the evils and confusions imbedded in organizational life; Be quick to say (with sincerity and put into writing too) thank you, well done, I’m sorry, I forgive you, and how can I help?; When you prepare a sermon or teaching, always ask yourself, “What difference will this presentation make to those who will hear you?”; Be alert for the sensual “triggers” that sometimes follow intense spiritual ministry; and Return to the cross regularly: express your gratitude, name your sins and resentments, pray for the world, and listen for God’s calls to do mighty things. 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: Gordon MacDonald “Your number one priority in the Lord’s work is your family.” –Gordon MacDonald “The View from Eighty” is a synopsis of Gordon MacDonald’s discernment today. What are the 15 things I’ve observed in myself and others, that make you either a success or failure in life and ministry, fulfilling all that God invites?  In this episode we cover the first 7 items: Prioritize the most significant people in your world; Never (ever!) stop growing; stay responsive to fresh ways and ideas that sustain your physical and mental health; ask great questions; enrich your wisdom and spiritual life; Be more a priest and less a preacher; bless people and don’t bully them; The time will come when you will have to relinquish titles and privileges and slip into obscurity; Anticipate those occasions when you may suffer, fail, doubt, face conflict, and experience loss; Be trustworthy and reliable, a person who keeps his/her word; don’t make promises you can’t keep; and Be a spiritual father/mother to teachable people who may someday inherit your responsibilities. 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: John Pearson “Once you taste spiritual discernment, you won’t want to go back to the old way of decision-making.” –John Pearson John Pearson is a leadership and management consultant, who formerly served as CEO of the Willow Creek Association, Christian Camp and Conference Association, and Christian Leadership Alliance. His “Weekly Staff Meeting” email reviews at least one book per week, including The Discerning Life (sign up at www.managementbuckets.com). He shares with us heart-warming stories about how his life has been transformed by spiritual discernment. He reminds us of the importance of having people on our leadership teams who understand discernment and want to respond to God’s desires and hear God’s voice, urging us to focus on depth instead of #’s. Board Prayer: You can download the Board Prayer John mentions in this episode via the show notes page on the website here. 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: Nate Foster “The Jesus way is clear: hang out with 12 nobodies and then give them the keys.” –Nathan Foster Nate Foster is the son of Richard Foster, renowned spiritual formation leader and founder of Renovare, where Nate serves as director of Community Life. He shares how his awareness of God’s engagement in his life grew from a lot of quiet reflection. It’s here that he notices God filling the gaps, often most apparent long after the fact and in quiet discernment. He sees the spiritual practices as what we do in the ordinary parts of life, serving our family or reaching out to a neighbor in need. He has quit viewing spiritual practices as only for the super spiritual, and has found renewed joy in wonderful, ordinary places filled with grace. So countercultural. 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: Eric Peterson "God is in everything, in all the details of life, and not just the pleasant ones." –Eric Peterson Eric Peterson is the son of Eugene Peterson, author of The Message translation of the Bible, who found his way to faith and pastoral ministry with reluctance. As he reflects on his discerning life, he describes his journey as along a luminous trail, a metaphor based on mountain climbing. Slugging his way up the mountain, he looks back and down and sees headlamps shining on the pathway he and his friends had created. The lights are references to his own discerning life story, always being led by the light, but not always along a straight line. Eric is a man who’s been richly blessed and continues to discern ways to be a blessing to others. 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.