Spiritual Life and Leadership

Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!We live in an age of incredible change.  Traditional entertainment like TV is being replaced by streaming on-demand media.  Traditional stores are being replaced by online shopping.  Traditional churches are having a harder and harder time knowing where they fit in a culture that is so drastically different than it was fifty years ago.This is where Dwight Gibson and the way of exploration comes in. Dwight Gibson has been helping organizations “explore” new ways of being, new ways of doing, new ways of fulfilling their mission.  Dwight is an expert when it comes to organizational exploration.  He has years of experience helping organizations find their way from where they are to where they need to be.  And he guides them by means of what he calls “the way of exploration.”THIS EPISODE’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:When an organization knows they need to get from “here” to “there,” but they don’t know how, Dwight Gibson and The Exploration Group are able to step in and help them find the way by means of exploration.There are organization that die by doing nothing and there are organizations that die by trying to do everything.The “Way of Exploration” consists of three phases: starting, doing, and finding.StartingThe Choice to Go Beyond… Beyond where the organization currently is.The Crossroads… The decision that’s made to change the status quo. They are willing to actually do something (e.g., spending some money, hiring staff, hiring a consultant, etc.).DoingPondering… Involves asking questions, studying, talking to people, doing research, and so forth. A very open-ended part of the process.Landmarking… Start identifying insights.Orienteering… When you start putting landmarks together to create a new value chain, to start charting the way forward.FindingRealization… Recognizing an outcome. But it’s not always clear when this happens. It may be progressive over time. And what is realized may be very different than what was initially expected.Evaluation… Four questions: What did we know now that we didn’t know before?What don’t we need that we used to need that we picked up along the way?What do we see now?Do we go back to the way it used to be?As people of faith, we ought to have a greater capacity for exploration because we know there is something beyond us.Dwight Gibson says the way of exploration does not guarantee an answer at the end. But you always learn something.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:The Exploration GroupWebsite: https://www.exploradelphia.com/Books about adaptive leadership: Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Change by Ronald Heifetz and Marty LinskyThe Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World by Ronald Heifetz, Alexander Grashow, and Marty LinskyTo leave a review of Spiritual Life and LeadeGet Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.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!What is neighborhood exegesis?One of the most eye-opening ideas for me over the last 10-15 years is the idea that God is already ahead of the church, out in the world, working through all kinds of people to bring healing and wholeness to the world. Lesslie Newbigin calls this idea “the previousness of the gospel.”The reason this idea meant so much to me was because it took the pressure off. As a pastor, I wasn’t responsible for achieving God’s purposes in the world. What I was responsible for was to become aware of where and how God was at work and then join God in what God was already doing.But how do you become aware of what God is doing?In this episode of Spiritual Life and Leadership, Marcos Mujica explains how the process of “neighborhood exegesis” can help churches, not only get to know their neighborhoods, but also discover where God is at work and how God may be calling them to join him in his mission.THIS EPISODE’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Marcos Mujica is the President of Agrarian Craft, which does landscape construction and regenerative agriculture.Two books have had a big impact on Marcos: Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture by Ellen DavisTorture and Eucharist by William CavanaughExegesis is the process by which we derive meaning out of texts.Exegesis is about reading the narrative that is displayed before us.Our neighborhoods can tell us stories.Marcos’ process of neighborhood exegesis: Teach the leadership team about salvation.Start researching the neighborhood through online resources and interviews.The goal is to discover the assets, the problems, and needs of the neighborhood, so that the church can discover how God may be calling them to serve their neighborhood.It’s much more effective when the church itself is involved in doing the neighborhood exegesis, rather than just hiring someone like Marcos to do it.After they have studied the neighborhood, they lay it all before the Lord and pray for discernment on how God is calling them.Do the people of peace have to be Christians? No. God is not limited to working only through Christians.The most important quality a church needs when doing neighborhood exegesis is a prayerful and expectant posture.God is the main character in this story and we are participants in it.We should be alarmed because of sin, but we also should be hopeful because God is in our midst.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Agrarian CraftWebsite:  https://www.agrariancraft.com/Books mentioned Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible by Ellen DavisTorture and Eucharist: Theology, Politics, and the Body of Christ by William CavanaughThe Open Secret: An Introduction to Theology and Mission by Lesslie NewbiginPlanet of the Slums by Mike DavisGet Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.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!Marcos Mujica, the President of Agrarian Craft, is a brilliant gardener and farmer.  But here’s the cool thing about Marcos. His farming is not just about farming. It’s about participating with God in the healing of this world. It’s about restoring shalom to the earth. It’s about transforming the world, broken by sin, into what God intended when God created the world.In this episode, we talk with Marcos Mujica about the amazing work he is doing through his company, Agrarian Craft.THIS EPISODE’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Marcos is good friends with Mario DeMatteo, who was interviewed in Episode 6 of Spiritual Life and Leadership. Mario spoke about he became a quadriplegic and beginning to publish Christian graphic novels.Humans were created to have dominion over the earth, meaning exercising skillful mastery over the earth.Marcos Mujica's business is called Agrarian Craft.One of the most important components of growing food is high-quality, bioactive, nutrient rich soil. Unfortunately, there’s not enough of it today.Marcos started making his own compost. He offered horse ranches manure management services in order to make his compost.Agrarian Craft does landscape construction to make ends meet, but the work they really want to do is regenerative agriculture.Marcos Mujica wants to ignite an agrarian revolution.Agrarian Craft wants to start an apprenticeship program for disadvantaged populations. After two years, Agrarian Craft would help them start their own farm.Salvation is most clearly expressed by God’s reign on earth as it is in heaven.We have narrowed our soteriology to an eschatological escapism. We’re saved once we die. But salvation begins here and now.Marcos Mujica believes God has called him to green God’s earth. Agrarian Craft is driven, not only by profit, but also by planet and people.Agrarian Craft uses regenerative methods of farming.You can find out more about Agrarian Craft at https://www.agrariancraft.com/Marcos Mujica is awestruck every time he sees manure transformed into life-giving soil. He sees his own life in similar terms.The name “Adam” comes from the Hebrew adamah, which means soil. Adam is the soil creature. Likewise, the English word “human” derives from the word “humus.”RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Agrarian CraftWebsite:  https://www.agrariancraft.com/Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/AgrarianCraft/Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/agrarian.craft/Books mentioned Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible by Ellen DavisTo leave a review of Spiritual Life and LeaGet Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.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!Uncommon Good is an experimental church bringing in the kingdom of God by bringing people together in "uncommon" ways.What happens when a group of church leaders stop asking “How do we get people to come to church?” And instead start asking, “How do we create spaces people want to be?”Today we hear from a team that has spent the last year wandering outside the church walls trying to answer that question. And along the way they have discovered a huge gap between church and culture.Call them a church, or a faith community, or maybe just call them weird… but whatever you call them, Uncommon Good is working hard to bring the kingdom of God to the community by making spaces at parks, restaurants, and wineries in really Uncommon ways. THIS EPISODE’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:The Uncommon Good team is Cody Vermillion, Ryan Ross, and Dawn Neldon.The most formative book Dawn has read is The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery by Ian Cron and Suzanne Stabile.The most formative book Ryan is currently reading Awaken the Sleeping Self by …. But the most formative book he has read is Chasing Daylight by Erwin McManus.Cody is currently reading Get Weird: Discover the Secret to Making a Difference by C.J. Casciotta.Uncommon Good creates non-threatening spaces where people can realize their connection with God and one another in community.How does Uncommon Good actually do this? How do they help people realize their connection with God and on another in community? Here are a couple of examples of how they do this:The Uncommon Party: Simply a fun get-together where people can have fun together and enjoy being together and getting to know one another.Wine and Words: Usually held at a winery where they teach and speak about life, faith, and being human. They have conversation that you can’t have in “temple,” but you can have it in the living room.Leading such an experimental ministry has led the Uncommon Good team into deeper dependence on God for their sense of security.Dawn says her last few years of spiritual formation have been lonely and intense.Markus shares about his journey out of the wilderness back into church ministry.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Books mentioned The Road Back to You by Ian Cron and Suzanne StabileTo Shake the Sleeping Self by Jedidiah JenkinsChasing Daylight: Seize the Power of Every Moment by Erwin McManusGet Weird: Discover the Secret to Making a Difference by C.J. CasciottaUncommon Good Website: https://uncommongoodsd.com/Facebook: UncommonGoodSDInstagram: UncommonGoodSDPodcast:  Uncommon CastTo leave a review of Spiritual Life and LeadersGet Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.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!Brant Himes is the author of For a Better Worldliness: Abraham Kuyper, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Discipleship for the Common Good.Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s life is an incredibly powerful story. The son of a German psychiatrist in an aristocratic family in the early 20th century, Bonhoeffer made the unlikely decision to study theology. In so doing, Bonhoeffer encountered a Jesus who revolutionized his life and would not let go of him.Brant Himes and I talk about Bonhoeffer’s understanding of discipleship and how that understanding not only shaped the way he trained pastors, but also led him to conspire against Adolf Hitler—a conspiracy that ultimately failed and led to his execution.THIS EPISODE’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Brant Himes is the author of For a Better Worldliness: Kuyper, Bonhoeffer, and Discipleship for the Common Good.Brant Himes is the Assistant Professor of Humanities for Los Angeles Pacific University (part of the Azusa Pacific University system). He is also the Managing Editor for Resonance Journal.The most formative book Brant Himes has ever read is Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Discipleship. Brant explains why the English title was changed from The Cost of Discipleship to simply Discipleship.The first half of For a Better Worldliness focuses on Abraham Kuyper, whom Brant and Markus discuss in Episode 15 of Spiritual Life and Leadership. The title of Episode 15 is “Abraham Kuyper and Discipleship for the Common Good.”As the Nazis took control of Germany, he felt the need to establish underground training centers for pastors.There was a strong emphasis on spiritual disciplines and spiritual formation in Bonhoeffer’s seminaries.The danger of the Nazi influence was a catalyst for the way Bonhoeffer trained pastors.Brant Himes explains three key concepts in Bonhoeffer’s writings—“theology of life” (God is over all of life, even the painful parts), “this-worldliness” (God is not far removed from us; God is present in all aspects of our life and the world), and “God of the gaps” (the purpose of God is not merely to fill in the gaps in our understanding; God is Lord over all of life).Brant Himes’ definition of discipleship: Discipleship is the response to the call to follow-after Jesus Christ in all aspect of human life and endeavor, from the inner personal disciplines to the deliberate shaping of culture—in the very midst of the world.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:For a Better Worldliness, by Brant HimesBooks by Dietrich Bonhoeffer DiscipleshipLife TogetherEthicsReader’s Edition Collection (Discipleship, Ethics, Letters and Papers from Prison, Life Together)To leave a review oGet Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.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!Sin and shalom.  What's the connection?Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., describes sin as “culpable shalom-breaking.”  What does that mean?  In this episode of “Spiritual Life and Leadership,” Markus Watson discusses what sin is and what we should do about it.THIS EPISODE’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:To understand sin and shalom, we have to start at the beginning in Genesis.Shalom is a good word to describe the world as God created.Shalom refers to a comprehensive sense of well-being that touches every aspect of life.There is a four-fold nature to shalom (see Episode 3: The Fourfold Nature of Shalom)—shalom with God, with one another, within ourselves, and with the created order.Something happened that disrupted world’s shalom—namely, sin.We read about the disruption of shalom in Genesis 3.The fact that men tend to dominate over women is not a prescription of how God wants things to be. It is a description of how things are because sin has entered our story.Cornelius Plantinga, in Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin defines sin as “disruption of created harmony.” It is “culpable shalom-breaking.”Plantinga says, “God is for shalom and, therefore, against sin.”Sin is “culpable shalom-breaking” because we are responsible.We can participate with God in the restoration of shalom.I don’t believe human beings are inherently sinful, though we may have a tendency toward sin. We are originally creatures of shalom. We are creatures of both sin and shalom.The result of sin is that we have a broken world.How do we respond to sin? We surrender to the God who wants to restore shalom.We surrender in two ways: 1) confession and 2) living fully into our vocations.Confession restores the shalom between us and God. It also restores shalom within ourselves because it heals our shame.Irenaeus said, “The glory of God is a human being fully alive.”We need to confess to one another. Confessing to a person makes God’s forgiveness tangible.Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in Life Together, talks about the need to confess to one another.Living fully into our vocations is about more than just our jobs. It has to do with all of our callings—as a parent, student, citizen, etc.When you live out your vocations you are participating with God to restore shalom in the world.God is moving us toward a world of beauty, goodness, healing, and relational health--out of sin and into shalom. RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin, by Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.Life Together, by Dietrich BonhoefferThe Four-fold Nature of Shalom, Episode 3 of Spiritual Life and LeadershipTo leave a review of Spiritual Life and Leadership: https://podcasts.apGet Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.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!The Ungiving Tree--a parody of The Giving Tree--is as simple and as profound as Shel Silverstein’s original.In this episode, Dwight Gibson reads to us The Ungiving Tree and reflects on the importance of sharing with the world the gifts that God has given us.THIS EPISODE’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Dwight Gibson is the Chief Explorer with and organization called The Exploration Group.Dwight founded The Exploration Group in 2009. When an organization needs to do something new, they need to be able to explore using the principles of exploration. The Exploration Group helps organizations use the principles of exploration to get from where they are to where they need to be.The most formative book Dwight ever read was a book about Thomas Edison that him mother gave him in first grade.Dwight Gibson read the story, The Ungiving Tree, (which is a spoof of the famous children’s book, The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein), in the video series, For the Life of the World.The Ungiving Tree story was originally read to children. They immediately knew that there was something wrong.The Ungiving Tree demonstrates that we are not meant to hold tightly to the gifts we’ve been given. We are meant to share them.Markus used to think about stewardship primarily in terms of money.Markus bought The Stewardship Bibleto use a resource to talk about money. But The Stewardship Bible is about stewardship in all of life. It turns out that The Stewardship Bible was edited by two of Dwight Gibson’s colleagues, Stephen Grabill and Brett Elder.Sometimes the greatest gifts we can give are the things that come most naturally to us.Our work is the way we share our gifts with the world.There are so many gifts in the universe that are yet to be discovered. These gifts are discovered through our work.Dwight Gibson can be reached through The Exploration Group website: www.exploradelphia.com.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:The Exploration Group Website:  https://www.exploradelphia.com/The Ungiving Tree video clip For the Life of the World video seriesThe Stewardship Bible, edited by Stephen Grabill and Brett ElderInstructions 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."Get Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.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!Ministry can be incredibly rewarding and it can be incredibly painful.  In this episode, DG Hollums, shares about his own painful experience in ministry.  But he doesn’t stop there.  DG Hollums also shares the steps he is taking to bring together an online community for those who have suffered in ministry.  Rather than becoming angry and cynical, DG is taking his experience of betrayal and hurt and is following God’s call to bless others who have had similar experiences.THIS EPISODE’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:DG Hollums describes his time as pastor of a church plant in Cincinnati called The Waters. It was a church that included followers of Jesus, as well as atheists and agnostics.Diana Butler Bass in A People’s History of Christianity suggests that we should on the Great Commandments than the Great Commission.Charles Wesley said he would know if someone was a Christian based on whether or not he saw the fruit of the Spirit in their life.DG has experienced severe betrayal in his ministry life. He describes it as “pure pain.”DG refers to those who have left ministry or are about to leave ministry because of the hurt they’ve experienced as “Dones” or “Almost Dones.” They aren’t done with their faith, but they are almost done with church.Henri Nouwen in The Wounded Healer suggests that perhaps it is the wounded who need to be leading our churches.Markus shares that his own experience of being wounded by the church has made him more compassionate and has given him greater clarity as to why the church exists.DG is in the early stages of creating an online community that would help people who are “Done” or “Almost Done” with ministry find their calling through discipleship, mentoring, spiritual practices, career coaching, and so forth.DG Hollums is writing a book titled The Divine Senses to help people pray through all of their senses.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:DG Hollums E-mail: argonhollums@gmail.comTwitter: @argon52DG Hollums' Photography Website: www.hollumsphotography.comBooks mentioned Surprised by Hope by N.T. WrightA People’s History of Christianity by Diana Butler BassThe Wounded Healer by Henri NouwenBooks by Phyllis Tickle The Great EmergenceEmergence ChristianityInstructions 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 headGet Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.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!The genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:1-17 is so much more than a list of Jesus’ ancestors.  It is the beginning of the good news about Jesus.  Matthew does something quite extraordinary with the inclusion of the four women in the genealogy of Jesus–not because he included women, but because of who the women are.  Right from the beginning, Matthew makes it clear who is included in the story of Jesus and that Jesus is not ashamed of people the world tends to sideline.THIS EPISODE’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:The genealogy of Jesus is found in Matthew 1:1-17.The first two words in Greek of Matthew’s gospel are biblos geneseos. In the NIV translation these words are translated, “This is the genealogy….”A very literal translation of these word would be “book of genesis.”Matthew seems to be indicating that he’s going to tell the story of a new creation.The genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:1-17) mentions four women.The four women mentioned are Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba (“Uriah’s wife”). Tamar posed as a prostitute to get her father-in-law, Judah, to sleep with her (Genesis 38:6-26).Rahab was a prostitute who helped the Israelite spies who were scoping out the Promised Land (Joshua 2:1-6).Ruth was a Moabite (Ruth 1-4). Moabites were the descendants of Lot’s incestuous relationships with his daughters.Bathsheba (“Uriah’s wife) committed adultery with King David (2 Samuel 11:1-27).All four of these women were foreigners. Tamar was a Canaanite.Rahab was a Jerichoite.Ruth was a Moabite.Bathsheba, by marriage to her husband, was a Hittite.Jesus brings a mercy that is both deep and wide. It is deep because it is for all who are sinners.It is wide because it is for all people, for all the nations.By including these four women in the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:1-17), Matthew begins the story of his gospel by showing us that Jesus is not ashamed of sinners.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Matthew: A Commentary. Volume 1: The Christbook, Matthew 1-12. By Dale Bruner. This is a fantastic commentary that has been incredibly helpful to me over the years.Instructions 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 ofGet Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.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!Chapter 1 of Canoeing the Mountains by Tod Bolsinger is titled, “Seminary Didn’t Prepare Me for This!”  That is a great opening chapter title because that’s exactly how thousands of pastors feel.When I was in seminary we learned how to study and exegete the scriptures. We learned to read Hebrew and Greek. We learned systematic theology. We learned how to provide pastoral care for church members.  What we didn’t learn was how to lead a church in a world in which Christianity is no longer at the center of culture.Tod Bolsinger’s book, Canoeing the Mountains, does an incredible job of helping church leaders understand what’s going on that makes church ministry so much more challenging than before, and how to begin to address those challenges.  In this episode, Tod Bolsinger unpacks the “canoeing the mountains” metaphor and shares the way he himself has struggled as Fuller Seminary (where he serves as Vice President) has learned to adapt to a changing world.THIS EPISODE’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Tod Bolsinger is the Vice President and Chief of Leadership Formation at Fuller Theological Seminary.Tod Bolsinger is the author of Canoeing the Mountains.The “canoeing the mountains” metaphor comes from Lewis and Clark. They were searching for the Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean. Instead, they found the Rocky Mountains.Churches today assume that everything ahead of us is just like what’s behind us. But we’re discovering that’s just not true. We find we are in a world that we haven’t been prepared for.In order to lead in these challenging times, pastors and ministry leaders need three things: Identity.  Leaders need to know that their identity is in Christ more than in anything else. Leaders need a strong sense of self that’s not rooted in the anxiety of the group they are leading, but is able to stay connected to the group.Humility.  Leaders need to recognize that we don’t know everything we need to know.Resilience.  The capacity to be persistent in the face of resistance. Resistance will come even internally within the organization.There are lots of entrepreneurial forms of ministry emerging, but the people leading those ministries are not interested in taking on debt and uprooting their lives in order to get a theological degree.To meet some of these challenges, Fuller has started something called Fuller Leadership Platform, which makes all the research and scholarship Fuller provides and making it available to people in a digital format whether they need a degree or not.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Tod Bolsinger Canoeing the Mountains by Tod BolsingerOther important books about leading in challenging times: Leadership on the Line by Ronald Heifetz and Marty LinskyA Failure of Nerve by Edwin FriedmanTo leave a review of Spiritual Life and Leadership: Get Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.