Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!This episode is the second part of a four-part series exploring the "Church After Covid." In this conversation, Fuller Seminary professors Ahmi Lee and David Taylor, focus on both the need for embodied presence in our lives and ministry as we return to life after Covid, and the importance of spiritual practices to help us stay grounded as we make that transition.THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Dr. Ahmi Lee is Assistant Professor of Preaching at Fuller Theological Seminary.Dr. David Taylor is Associate Professor of Theology and Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary.David Taylor notes two things that he learned during the pandemic.  First, our bodies matter; our embodied presence matters.  Second, fractures in our culture don’t happen overnight.Ahmi Lee discusses the fragility of life that became so clear during the pandemic.  But recognizing our fragility has also taught us to be present with one another.It’s important for us to not romanticize the past.Ahmi Lee considers the way the act of preaching was affected by the pandemic.David Taylor says churches should continue to think about how digital media can help fulfill the mission of the church.  Because of digital media, many who couldn’t attend church were able to participate for the first time in a long time.At the same time, the church should explore how to live more fully into embodied relationships.Church leaders need to ask God to teach us how to do less so we can be truly present to each other.We’re not creative or adaptive enough to face all the changes in a rapidly changing world.  What we need more than ever is to be grounded.Ahmi Lee has found strength in the old spiritual practices.Surrender and trust are what Ahmi Lee has learned most during the pandemic.David Taylor has discovered, during the pandemic, how addicted he is to productivity and achievement. RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Ahmi Lee:Fuller Seminary Faculty Profile PageDavid Taylor:https://www.wdavidotaylor.com/Church Leadership Institutehttps://depree.org/church/Facebook pageReviews help listeners find this podcast.  To leave a review of Spiritual Life and Leadership:Click HERE.Click on the link that says, "Listen on Apple Podcasts."In the window that opens, click the button that says, "Open Link."  This will open iTunes.To the right of the Spiritual Life and Leadership logo, click "Ratings and Reviews."Under the heading, "Customer Reviews," click on the button that says, "Write a Review."Select the number of stars and write your review.Click submit.Thank you!Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!This episode is part one of a four-part series titled, "The Church After Covid.  In this episode, we are speaking with Fuller Seminary professors Scott Cormode and Alexia Salvatierra.  They will help us see the importance of expressing gratitude, moving through grief, and even acknowledging feelings of guilt, as we move into a post-pandemic world.THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Scott Cormode is the Hugh De Pree Professor of Leadership Development at Fuller Theological Seminary and has recently written book titled The Innovative Church.Alexia Salvatierra is the Assistant Professor of Integral Mission and Global Transformation at Fuller Seminary.  Alexia also works with a network of immigrant and non-immigrant churches who advocate for immigrant families facing detention and deportation.Alexia Salvatierra works primarily with Spanish-speaking churches and second generation multi-cultural churches.Scott Cormode does a lot of work with the Fuller Youth Institute.The biggest thing we’ve learned from this past year of Covid is that no one knows what is around the corner.Preparation makes you agile.In Spanish-speaking churches, the experience of Covid pushed them up against their lack of access to technology.  But it also opened new opportunities for community and leadership.In Spanish-speaking communities, Covid has been much more of a plague than in white communities.As we move away from our Covid reality, we need to engage in both grief and gratitude.Guilt is also an emotion that many will experience after the pandemic—survivor guilt.Alexia shares how some documented families helped care for undocumented families.Leadership begins with listening.We need to listen with empathy because over this past year everyone has had their own experience.The Gospel is God’s response to the human condition.If you don’t listen, you can’t see what God is doing.Alexia and Scott share how they have been formed spiritually through this year of pandemic.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Books mentioned:The Innovative Church, by Scott CormodeThe Wounded Healer, by Henri NouwenChurch Leadership Institute:www.depree.org/churchText CHANGE to 66866CLI CourseFrom Surviving to Thriving: Leading Your Church Into a Post Pandemic WorldClick HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!The Church Leadership Institute is a new initiative of Fuller Theological Seminary intended to "form church leaders to lead faithful change in a rapidly changing and disruptive world."  In this inaugural episode of Spiritual Life and Leadership's partnership with the Church Leadership Institute, Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson have a conversation about leadership and formation for the sake of God’s mission in a rapidly changing world.THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:This is the inaugural episode of Spiritual Life and Leadership in partnership with Fuller Theological Seminary’s Church Leadership Institute.Most church leaders were trained to be teachers and pastors, not organizational change leaders.The Church Leadership Institute is committed to providing all kinds of resources to church leaders who are struggling with leading change in a changing world.Tod Bolsinger’s book, Tempered Resilience, is designed to help leaders lead when they are no longer the expert.Healthy leadership involves surrender—surrendering to God and surrendering to the reality of our situation.The Church Leadership Institute helps people navigate times of fruitful surrender.Healthy leadership involves death and resurrection.  Leaders need to die to what they had expected and rise to what God calls us to.Leaders need to be grounded in something other than their success at leading change.We need to be transformed for the sake of the mission God has given us.We need to ask, what are the metrics of the transformed life?Markus Watson characterizes the mission of God as the restoration of shalom in the world.Markus shares the story of how his church started a Food Pantry in the town of Westmorland, CA.Leaders who navigate change well create an environment of experimentation.“Don’t predict.  Prototype.”The Church Leadership Institute offers four broad types of resources to help leaders in churches lead change well:CoursesCoachingCohortsConsultingTo find out more about the Church Leadership Institute, go to www.depree.org/church or text  CHANGE to 66866.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Church Leadership Institute:www.depree.org/churchText CHANGE to 66866CLI CourseFrom Surviving to Thriving: Leading Your Church Into a Post Pandemic WorldRelated episodes:Ep. 16: Canoeing the Mountains, with Tod BolsingerEp. 82:  Narcissim and Spiritual Leadership, with Chuck DeGroatEp. 83:  Disorientation and Spiritual Leadership, with Tod BolsingerBooks mentioned:Canoeing the Mountains, by Tod BolsingerTempered Resilience, by Tod BolsingerWhen NarcissiClick HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Radiant Church, by Tara Beth Leach, is an invitation to the church to restore "the credibility of our witness."  It's no secret that the church in the West has been in decline for decades.  Why is that?  Could it be because the world no longer sees a radiant body of Christ, but rather a people who are angry, judgmental and self-centered?This conversation with Tara Beth Leach explores what the church has lost in terms of our witness—our radiance in the world—and how we might be able to reclaim it.THIS EPISODE'S HIGLIGHTS INCLUDE:Tara Beth Leach is the author of Radiant Church and Pastor of Missional Living at Christ Church in Oak Brook, Illinois.Tara Beth shares about her transition from Los Angeles back to Chicago.Tara Beth talks about why she wrote Radiant Church.Radiant Church is written as a critique of white evangelicalism. Tara Beth hopes to lead the church into a healthy deconstruction.Tara Beth asks, “What if we’re in a post-Christian church?”“Our call throughout the entire narrative of scripture is to be a holy, radiant, counter-cultural community.”The church should live in such a way that the world would be drawn to us.  Unfortunately, we seem to have done the opposite.White pastors in particular need to listen.Tara Beth Leach shares a story in which she told a black classmate that racism didn’t exist anymore.  But she learned differently and discovered she needed to listen more.Tara Beth recalls a story she tells in Radiant Church where she cancelled an annual choir concert in order to call the church to pray for racial healing at an event at Pasadena city hall.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Books mentioned:Radiant Church, by Tara Beth LeachJesus and John Wayne, by Kristin Kobes du MezCanoeing the Mountains, by Tod BolsingerTempered Resiliance, by Tod BolsingerRelated Episodes:Episode 28: Empowering Women in Ministry, with Tara Beth LeachChurch Leadership InstituteInstructions to leave a review of Spiritual Life and Leadership:Click HERE.Click on the link that says, "Listen on Apple Podcasts."In the window that opens, click the button that says, "Open Link."  This will open iTunes.To the right of the Spiritual Life and Leadership logo, click "Ratings and Reviews."Under the heading, "Customer Reviews," click on the button that says, "Write a Review."Select the number of stars and write your review.Click submit.I'd be so grateful if you did this.  Thank you!— Links to Amazon are affiliate links.  If you make a purchase through any of these links, I’ll receive a small commission–which will help pay for the Spiritual Life and Leadership podcast!Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Deconstruction is the dismantling of one’s theological concepts.  Which sounds really bad, doesn’t it?But it doesn’t have to be.  Deconstruction doesn’t have to conclude with the loss of one’s faith.  In fact, it can lead to an even deeper relationship with Jesus.A.J. Swoboda has written an eye-opening book titled After Doubt: How to Question Your Faith without Losing It, in which he explores not only the experience of deconstruction, but also reconstruction.  And that’s exactly what we talk about in this episode.THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:A.J. Swoboda is Assistant Professor Bible and Theology at Bushnell University, leads a D.Min. program on the Holy Spirit and Leadership at Fuller Seminary, and co-hosts the In Faith and Doubt podcast. And author of After Doubt.Deconstruction is the dismantling of one’s theological concepts.We all go through three major stages in our belief journey:  construction, deconstruction, and reconstruction.People who are able to enter the reconstruction stage—after experiencing deconstruction—share some things in common.According to Kendra Creasy Dean, author of Almost Christian,  such people (1) saw their parents go through something difficult and kept following Jesus, and (2) had at least five Christian adults in their life.Many young people seem to be engaging in deconstruction in order to better follow Jesus.Many people are deconstructing “fake Christianity,” not actual Christianity.When we know someone who is experiencing deconstruction, sometimes we need to just listen.For A.J. Swoboda, the goal of deconstruction and reconstruction is to come back to the same Jesus, but in a new way.The story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 is a type of deconstruction and reconstruction story.In the past, honor cultures preserved traditions.  But we live in an achievement culture, which presses toward the new and lets go of the past.  This is one reason why deconstruction is so common.“For those in deconstruction, more often than not, the itch is of the heart, not of the mind.”A.J. Swoboda reflects on whether pastors and leaders need to deconstruct.We need communities where people in construction, deconstruction, and reconstruction are all worshiping together.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:A.J. Swoboda:Twitter: @mrajswobodaWebsite: ajswobodawrites.comBooks mentioned:After Doubt, by A.J. SwobodaAlmost Christian, by Kendra Creasy DeanRelated episodes:Episode 70: The Subversiveness of Sabbath, with A.J. Swoboda— Links to Amazon are affiliate links.  If you make a purchase through any of these links, I’ll receive a small commission–which will help pay for the Spiritual Life and Leadership podcast!Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Amy Watson, host of Wednesdays with Watson, shares her story of trauma and healing, and shows leaders how to care for those who have experienced deep trauma.I'm also joined by guest co-hosts Shea and Michelle Watson from The Pantry Podcast.  Yes, all four of us have the same last name and none of us are related to each other!  This podcast is part of what we are affectionately calling "The Watson Takeover"!We're all interviewing each other this week.  Please check out all our shows!THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Amy Watson is the host of the Wednesdays with Watson podcast.  Shea and Michelle Watson host The Pantry Podcast.Amy Watson shares the story of being sexually and physically abused as a child.At the age of fourteen, Amy was abandoned by her mom.Amy Watson was soon taken in temporarily by a pastor and his wife.Eventually, Amy was placed in a children’s home.  She remembers these as the best years of her life.In her young adulthood, Amy entered into an abusive marriage.Amy’s pastor’s wife helped her get out of her marriage.Amy Watson reminds herself often that she is not a throw-away kid.  She is a precious daughter of the Most High God.Amy Watson’s passion is to help people know that they don’t have to live in the darkness, even if they are trauma survivors.For Amy, “love” always referred to something for which she would owe something in return.Pastors need to know that when they meet someone who has been abused and traumatized, they simply want to be loved without expecting anything in return.Pastors need to look for the "Amy Watsons" in our churches.Churches need to take the stigma away from mental health and PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder).According to Amy Watson, “Me too” are two of the most powerful words in the English language.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Podcasts:Wednesdays with Watson, with Amy WatsonThe Pantry Podcast, with Shea and Michelle WatsonWebsites:Amywatsonauthor.comthirtyone25.comBooks:A Church Called Tov, by Scot McKnight and Laura BarringerWe Too, by Mary DeMuthInstructions to leave a review of Spiritual Life and Leadership:Click HERE.Click on the link that says, "Listen on Apple Podcasts."In the window that opens, click the button that says, "Open Link."  This will open iTunes.To the right of the Spiritual Life and Leadership logo, click "Ratings and Reviews."Under the heading, "Customer Reviews," click on the button that says, "Write a Review."Select the number of stars and write your review.Click submit.I'd be so grateful if you did this.  Thank you!Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Jeff Crosby, Publisher of InterVarsity Press, has learned the importance of discerning what he calls thresholds—those places and times in a leader's life when it becomes clear that a transition is about to take place.  Jeff shares with us the way he has been able to discern how to navigate these leadership thresholds.THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Jeff Crosby is the Publisher of InterVarsity Press, and the Chairman of the Board for the ECPA (Evangelical Christian Publishers Association).When Jeff was in high school, he was given a Bible and a book titled, Me Be Like Jesus? by Leslie Flynn.  This began his journey of faith.Soon Jeff Crosby discovered authors like John Stott, Francis Schaeffer, James Sire, and Paul Little, all of whom were published by InterVarsity Press, the company for which Jeff has now been working for the past twenty-three years.Jeff Crosby and his wife re-opened a Logos bookstore in 1983 near the Indiana University campus.  Though this was a risk for a young couple, it was a calling.Jeff and his wife continued running the bookstore until a competitor that branded itself as “The World’s Biggest Bookstore” came along.  That competitor was Amazon.com.Eventually, Jeff Crosby was invited to join InterVarsity Press.In 2015, Jeff Crosby became the publisher of InterVarsity Press.Jeff never aspired to be a chief executive of an organization.  Originally, he wanted to be a truck driver!Several people were instrumental in helping Jeff discern next steps:Jeff’s wifeMentorsAn informal “advisory council” of friendsBooks have also provided guidance throughout his life.As a natural peacemaker, one of Jeff’s greatest leadership challenges has been to recognize that the absence of conflict is not always possible or even desirable.Jeff Crosby has grown in his ability to embrace mystery.Jeff has found it is more important for leaders to be attentive listeners than polished presenters.You can follow Jeff on Twitter at @jeffcrosby2.  You can find out about InterVarsity Press at www.ivpress.com.  And you are welcome to e-mail Jeff at jcrosby@ivpress.com.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Jeff CrosbyTwitter:  @jeffcrosby2E-mail:  jcrosby@ivpress.comInterVarsity Press websiteBooks mentioned:Me Be Like Jesus? by Leslie FlynnVisions of Vocation by Steven GarberCourage and Calling by Gordon SmithLet Your Life Speak by Parker PalmerRelated episodes:Episode 77: To Know the World and Still Love It, with Steven Garber, author of Visions of Vocation— Links to AmazoClick HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Jay Bakker, the son of televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, was 11 years old when his parents’ ministry started to fall apart and only 13 when his dad began his prison term.  It's hard to imagine what that experience must have been like for him.In this episode, Jay Bakker and I talk about what it was like for him.  And we talk about how his experience shaped him spiritually—especially in regard to his understanding of judgment and grace.THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Jay Bakker is the pastor of Revolution Church and the son Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker.Elton John is currently working on a musical about Jay’s mom and a movie about Jay’s parents, titled The Eyes of Tammy Faye, is coming out in 2021 or 2022.Jay Bakker shares what it was like for him as a kid when his family’s life and ministry fell apart.Jerry Falwell turned on Jim Bakker.For a while, Jay thought that God must be a mean, angry God.Jay Bakker started Revolution Church when his dad was released from prison.Jay shares how he discovered the idea of grace, which, he says is still evolving in his life.Jay learned what love for others looks like by watching his parents.Jim Bakker helped Jay learn to forgive Jerry Falwell.Jay talks about Tammy Faye’s witness when she was on The Surreal Life.So often we return bad for bad, judgment for judgment.  But we need to stop judging each other.You can find out more about Jay Bakker at revolutionchurch.com.  You can also listen to the Revolution podcast and follow Revolution Church on Facebook.  You can also connect with Jay on Twitter at @jaybakker and on Instagram at @jaybakker.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Books mentioned:Son of a Preacher Man, by Jay BakkerJay BakkerTwitterIntstagramRevolution ChurchWebsiteFacebook6 Practices of a Flourishing ChurchInstructions to leave a review of Spiritual Life and Leadership:Click HERE.Click on the link that says, "Listen on Apple Podcasts."In the window that opens, click the button that says, "Open Link."  This will open iTunes.To the right of the Spiritual Life and Leadership logo, click "Ratings and Reviews."Under the heading, "Customer Reviews," click on the button that says, "Write a Review."Select the number of stars and write your review.Click submit.I'd be so grateful if you did this.  Thank you!Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Centering prayer is a form of silent, wordless prayer and a wonderful practice for spiritual formation.  Rich Lewis, author of Sitting with God: A Journey to Your True Self Through Centering Prayer, has been practicing centering for a long time.  He has writes about centering prayer, trains individuals and groups how to practice centering prayer, and in this episode teaches us how to engage in centering prayer. THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Rich Lewis is the author of Sitting With God: A Journey to Your True Self Through Centering Prayer. Though he has always enjoyed times of silence, Rich Lewis discovered the practice of centering prayer in 2013 through a book titled Healing the Divide by Amos Smith.Centering prayer is a form of silent, wordless prayer.Centering prayer was developed by three Trappist monks in the 1970’s.You can learn a lot about centering prayer at the Contemplative Outreach website.Centering prayer involves these steps:Sit quietly.Select a sacred word (e.g., Jesus, love, ocean).Introduce the word in your interior.When your mind gets distracted, come back to the center with your sacred word.Sit quietly until your time of centering prayer is done.The sacred word doesn’t have to be a word.  It could be an image.  Rich uses an icon of Jesus as his centering anchor.In centering prayer, it’s almost like God prays in us.Centering prayer can lead to deep inner healing.We are able to connect with our true self in centering prayer.Rich Lewis offers a free e-book on centering prayer at his website, silenceteaches.com.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Books:Sitting with God, by Rich LewisThe Heart of Centering Prayer, by Cynthia BourgeaultCentering Prayer and Inner Awakening, by Cynthia BourgeaultHealing the Divide, by Amos SmithWebsiteswww.silenceteaches.comwww.contemplativeoutreach.orgSpiritual Life and Leadership Facebook GroupEpisode 44: Spiritual Formation and Lectio Divina, with Eric Nevins, Host of Halfway There— Links to Amazon are affiliate links.  If you make a purchase through any of these links, I’ll receive a small commission–which will help pay for the Spiritual Life and Leadership podcast!Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Is American unity possible?  Americans have wrestled with this question for years.  After a violent insurrection and a new administration now in place, the question seems more important than ever.Clearly, the United States is a divided nation.  So divided, in fact, that many believe unity is not possible.  How can staunch Trump supporters unite with the Democratic party?  How can staunch Biden supporters unite with the Republican party?  It seems beyond the realm of possibility.And, yet, I believe we can rebuild unity.  In this episode, I share my thoughts on how to do that--not by getting everyone to agree on everything, but by taking small steps toward civility, kindness, and respect toward one another.THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:America is terribly polarized. Is American unity possible?I think American unity is possible.  What seems impossible for human beings is possible with God.Unity is not uniformity.  We don't all have to be the same or agree on everything.The Trinity is an example of unity in diversity.  The church is also an example of unity in diversity.How can we begin to rebuild American unity?Start with civility.Start with your friends and family.Give each other the benefit of the doubt.Listen, really listen, to each other.Pray for each other.Is American unity possible?  If we take these small steps, I believe it is.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:"Political Polarization in the American Public"Episode 91: Prayer for a President in PainInstructions to leave a review of Spiritual Life and Leadership:Click HERE.Click on the link that says, "Listen on Apple Podcasts."In the window that opens, click the button that says, "Open Link."  This will open iTunes.To the right of the Spiritual Life and Leadership logo, click "Ratings and Reviews."Under the heading, "Customer Reviews," click on the button that says, "Write a Review."Select the number of stars and write your review.Click submit.I'd be so grateful if you did this.  Thank you!Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.