Spiritual Life and Leadership

Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Abraham Kuyper was a man who tried to live his whole life by these teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. He took the teachings of Jesus seriously and tried to live this all-of-life discipleship as a theologian, as a journalist, as an education reformer, and even as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands (a position he held 1901-1905).In this interview, Brant Himes, who wrote For a Better Worldliness: Abraham Kuyper, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Discipleship for the Common Good, helps us understand who Abraham Kuyper is and how his life is an example of the kind of discipleship to which all of us are called.THIS EPISODE’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Brant Himes is the Assistant Professor of Humanities at Los Angeles Pacific University (a part of the Azusa Pacific University system) and Managing Editor of Resonance Journal (which you can learn more about in Episode 8 of Spiritual Life and Leadership).Brant recently published his book, For a Better Worldliness: Abraham Kuyper, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Discipleship for the Common Good.Key quote from Abraham Kuyper:“No single piece of our mental world is to be hermetically sealed off from the rest, and there is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence in which Christ, who is sovereign over all, does not cry: ‘Mine!’”Abraham Kuyper lived from 1837-1920. He was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1901-1905.Kuyper started the Free University in Amsterdam. It was the first university that was free from state control and from church control.“Sphere sovereignty” refers to Kuyper’s position that every aspect of life has its own functions and purposes; its own sphere. Over every sphere of life, tying it all together, is the sovereignty of God.Abraham Kuyper partnered with Catholics on education reform. He believed that every family should be able to send their child to whatever kind of school they wanted to (state school or religious school), and cost should not get in the way of that. He succeeded in implementing state funding for all schools, regardless of their philosophy or ideology.Brant structures his theology of discipleship around four movements: 1) The revelation of God, 2) the reality and sovereignty of Jesus Christ, 3) belief and obedience, and 4) the possibility and potential of discipleship.We need to cultivate not only the inner spiritual disciplines in our lives, but also our theological convictions about how and why we are to engage in the world.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:For a Better Worldliness, by Brant HimesWebsite:  https://betterworldliness.org/Resonance JournalInterview with Micah Lunsford, Episode 8: Thoughtfulness MattersGet 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!You are already blessed.In the Beatitudes, Jesus wasn’t giving us a list of rules to follow so that we could be blessed. Jesus was declaring whom the kingdom of heaven was for. He was announcing good news—that those that the world considers cursed are already blessed because the kingdom of heaven has come near.THIS EPISODE’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:The core of Jesus’ message was, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”Why repent? Because “the kingdom heaven has come near.”What kinds of people started following Jesus? The sick, diseased, paralyzed, lame, blind, and so forth. People who would have been considered cursed by God. People who certainly did not believe they were already blessed.Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount with the word, “Blessed.” In Greek, this is the word makarios.Makarios refers to a kind of well-being that is almost beyond human possibility.The people to whom Jesus was speaking would never have been considered makarios. Yet, Jesus says they are.  Jesus says they are already blessed.“Poor in spirit” refers, not to a virtue to be pursued, but a spiritual poverty.The Beatitudes are an announcement of the kind of people who belong in the kingdom of heaven; the kind of people for whom the kingdom of heaven has come.The “rich in spirit” are blessed, too. But not because they are “rich in spirit.” They are blessed because the kingdom of heaven is for them, too.The Beatitudes are not a list of rules. They are a declaration of who the kingdom of heaven is for.The first four Beatitudes refer to qualities of which we would say, “They can’t be blessed.”The next three Beatitudes refer to the kinds of qualities that emerge in us as we live out the reality of the kingdom of heaven.As we live out the reality of the kingdom of heaven--the reality that we are already blessed--others will push back, even persecute us.Even when I feel like I’m not blessed, God sees something in me that I don’t see in myself.We take God’s kingdom with us into our homes, our workplaces, our neighborhoods, our fields.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:The Divine Conspiracy, by Dallas WillardInstructions 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!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!Several years ago, Pete Seiferth’s church was feeling a bit down about declining attendance, declining giving, and all kinds of other declining. So they prayed. They prayed that God would send people to them.And God answered their prayer. Except that the people God sent were not the people they were expecting. Rather than sending more middle-class white people, God sent African refugees and asylum seekers.In this episode of Spiritual Life and Leadership, Pete Seiferth tells the story of how God brought these new people to their church and how their church learned to be open to a whole new ministry—one that no one was expecting.THIS EPISODE’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Pete Seiferth is the Associate Pastor for Discipleship and Multicultural Ministry at Northminster Presbyterian Church in Tucson, AZ.Pete Seiferth describes the moment his church started getting involved in multicultural ministry. A Congolese man named Bienvenue asked if he and his congregation could use space in Pete’s church to worship.Pete’s church started Refugee & Immigrant Ministry (RIM). They learned the unique needs of refugees and asylum seekers.Asylum seekers come to the U.S. on various kinds of visas. While here, as things destabilized in their country, they applied for asylum in the United States. Asylum seekers are ineligible to work in the U.S. for the first six months. This puts them in a position of great need.Pete’s church, Northminster Presbyterian Church, rents an apartment that they use to shelter homeless or near homeless asylum seekers while they wait for their work permit. They are also trained and prepared for seeking work and living independently.Pete Seiferth shares that the church leadership prayed that God will send people to their church. And God did! However, the people God sent weren’t who they were expecting. But Pete’s church definitely believes that their new brothers and sisters were sent by God.Northminster Presbyterian Church in Tucson is a multicultural church, but they are still learning to be an intercultural church.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Northminster Presbyterian Church, Tucson, AZ Website:  http://npctucson.org/Multiethnic Church Resources Mosaix:  http://www.mosaix.info/Mosaix Books:  http://www.mosaix.info/Resources/books-publishedBooks by Mark DeYmaz, author, pastor, and champion of Multiethnic Church Movement Building a Healthy Multiethnic ChurchMultiethnic ConversationsLeading a Healthy Multiethnic ChurchRe:MixBooks by Soong-Chan RahThe Next EvangelicalismMany ColorsRefugee Highway Partnership, North America Website: https://www.rhpna.com/To leave a reviewGet 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!Christiana Rice shares a powerful image.God is a woman giving birth and we are the midwife attending to God and to the new life that is coming into the world.  That’s the image we’ll be unpacking in this episode of Spiritual Life and Leadership.  It’s not an image that normally comes to mind when we think about God. But it certainly isn’t unbiblical. Listen to how God describes himself (herself?) in Isaiah 42:14:“For a long time I have kept silent, I have been quiet and held myself back. But now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out, I gasp and pant.”Christiana Rice unpacks this powerful and visceral image in this episode of Spiritual Life and Leadership.THIS EPISODE’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Christiana Rice wrote a book with Michael Frost called To Alter Your World.A key metaphor in Christiana Rice’s book portrays God as giving birth and the world as a midwife, joining with God to bring new life into the world.Scripture portrays God in Isaiah as a woman in labor, groaning and panting, to give birth the new Israel.Christiana asked, if God is the one giving birth, then who are we? We must be the attendants.“Midwife” means “with woman.” To be a midwife is more about being “with” than about controlling the outcome.The role of being with a woman in labor is incredibly intimate and vulnerable.A midwife must enter a birth with humility, recognizing that this birth with will be utterly unique. She must let go her expectations.As we attend to what God is birthing in the world, we, likewise, must be open to the new thing that is coming to life. We, too, must let go our expectations.The midwife knows that she is not the one giving birth. Likewise, we are not the ones giving birth; God is.Christiana Rice gives an example of how God birthed something new in her neighborhood schools. But it took time. And it required faithfully attending to the labor of God in her neighborhood.Christiana Rice shares about her ministry with Thresholds in San Diego. RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Christiana Rice Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/christiana.riceTwitter:  @ctianariceThresholds Website:  http://thresholdscommunity.org/To Alter Your World: Partnering with God to Rebirth Our Communities, by Michael Frost and Christiana RiceMichael Frost Twitter: @michaelfrost6Instructions 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."UndGet 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!Kaye Schneider cares about spiritual transformation. So often, churches focus primarily on giving people information—theology, apologetics, Bible studies, etc.  Information is good, but information doesn’t necessarily lead to deep transformation. In this episode, Kaye Schneider shares about how the Twelve Steps have deepened her own discipleship and how she now uses the Twelve Step process to help others experience deep, spiritual inner life transformation. THIS EPISODE’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Kaye Schneider is a Marriage and Family Life Educator.If Kaye’s life were a book it would be titled From Grief to Gratitude.The title of the current chapter of Kaye’s life would be “In the Wilderness.”Kaye was “thrown” into the recovery process in the unfolding of a 5-year divorce after a 27-year “Christian” marriage that was filled with addiction.Kaye has started several recovery groups focused on discipleship in Pasadena, Chula Vista, and Coronado (San Diego).Kaye’s ministry, Vital Connections, is focused on helping people stay “vitally connected” to God and others through a Twelve Step process.The Twelve steps are action, not concepts or principles. Steps 1-3: Deal with one’s relationship with God.Steps 4-6: Deal with looking at one’s inner self.Steps 7-9: Focus on confession and making amends with others.Steps 10-12: Deal with strengthening what has been accomplished in the first nine steps.The Twelve Steps aren’t about giving people information (about God, about spirituality, about theology, etc.), but about transformation. Information is good, but information alone doesn’t lead to transformation.Addictive thinking is black or white, all or nothing. She lived this kind of thinking out in her marriage. She “submitted” to her husband in a way that was extremely unhealthy.It is frustrating to try to introduce this kind of deep spirituality into the church. Most churches just want information or programs.Churches generally don’t allow for transparency and honesty when it comes to our sin and brokenness.Kaye Schneider’s Vital Connections groups are open groups, meaning anyone can join at any time.Kaye Schneider's website is www.lydiacompany.com.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Kaye Schneider Vital Connections website: https://www.lydiacompany.com/E-mail: kaye@lydiacompany.comA Spiritual Kindergarten: Christian Perspectives on the Twelve Steps, by Dale Ryan National Association for Christian Recovery website:  https://www.nacr.org/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."UndGet 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!This sermon on Jonah 2:1-10 explores God's presence with us in our darkest places.What do we do when we find ourselves in times of great suffering? What do we do when we feel like we’re in a pit? When we feel like we’re inside the belly of a fish–a place of darkness, hopelessness, and death? Jonah faced that same question and discovered the only thing he could do was surrender. And by surrendering in the midst of his suffering, In this sermon on Jonah 2, we learn that Jonah discovered that the worst place turned out to be the best place, because the worst place turned out to be the place where he met God.  THIS EPISODE’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Markus begins this sermon on Jonah 2 by sharing about giving up his Hollywood dream.God “provided” a fish to swallow Jonah. The word, “provided,” could also be translated as “commissioned” or “appointed.” It is the same word used when a king commissioned an ambassador to carry out his will.If there is a single word to capture Jonah’s state in Jonah 2, it would be the word “down.” Jonah is sinking deeper and deeper.The sea in the ancient world represented chaos.The people of Israel has very little experience on the sea.Having been swallowed by the huge fish, Jonah finds himself in the worst possible place an Israelite could have imagined being. Yet, this is the place where he finally meets God.The worst place Jonah could have imagined turned out to be the best place because it is the place where he had a deep, profound encounter with God.Jonah discovers that the worst thing that ever happened to him is the best thing that ever happened to him.Stories can be broadly categorized as comedies and tragedies. Jonah is a comedy because it is a story in which life wins, hope wins, joy wins.In verse 8, Jonah says, “Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them.” Who is Jonah referring to? The Ninevites? The sailors? Or himself?Jonah is most likely referring to himself as one who has clung to worthless idols.In the belly of the fish, Jonah finally lets go of the idols to which he has been clinging—fear, anger, xenophobia. Now he is able to surrender to God and go where God is leading him.Are you in a belly-of-the-fish experience now?What idols are you clinging to? RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Under the Unpredictable Plant, by Eugene Peterson This book was a helpful resource in preparing this sermon.We Are Not as Strong as We Think We Are, song by Rich Mullins A beautiful song reminding us of our frailty before God.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 of stars and write your review.Click sGet 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!Geoff Hsu knows that how we think about the Gospel affects everything else. It affects the way we think about God.  It affects the way we relate to others.  It affects our leadership.What does the Gospel we believe tell us about God?  About ourselves?  About the world? What role does guilt and shame play in our understanding of the Gospel?  How do forgiveness and grace fit into the Gospel we believe in?  What does the Gospel say is my responsibility in regard to my relationship with God?In this episode, Geoff Hsu, Executive Director of Flourish San Diego, helps us explore what the Gospel is and what it means for the way we live.THIS EPISODE’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Geoff Hsu says the gospel is good news not only because we are saved out of the world for our sake, but much more because we are saved into the world for its sake.A Four-Chapter Gospel allows us to be able to understand how our entire lives matter and how we can participate in God’s redemptive work.The four chapters of the Four-Chapter Gospel are: 1) Creation, 2) Fall, 3) Redemption, and 4) Restoration.The Two-Chapter Gospel only focuses on Fall and Redemption. It gives us a reason to be saved out of the world for our sake, but it doesn’t give us a reason to be saved into the world for its sake.Flourish San Diego wants to discover ways to engage culture in ways that are redemptive. Not reacting by fortifying ourselves against the culture, or trying to dominate the culture, or even by blending in and accommodating it.Geoff Hsu shares about his own transformation from thinking of the Gospel as two chapters to recognizing the Gospel as four chapters.Geoff Hsu noticed that he was helping people to act Christianly, but he was not actually helping them to become like Christ.The way Geoff Hsu knew he was learning to better understand the Gospel was in the way he was learning how to repent. In the past, when he sinned he would feel terribly guilty about it, as though he needed to beat himself up until he was worthy enough to come back into the Lord’s presence. But then he learned that he was already forgiven and it wasn’t up to him to decide when he was worthy enough to come back into God’s presence.Flourish San Diego commissioned a set of fine art photographs that capture the four chapters of the Gospel.  Those photographs can be viewed and purchased HERE. RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Flourish San Diego Homepage:  https://flourishsandiego.org/Twitter:  @FlourishSDGeoff Hsu E-mail:  geoff@flourishsandiego.orgTo view the Four-Chapter Gospel fine art photographs commissioned by Flourish San Diego, CLICK HERE. You can also purchase prints ON THIS PAGE.To 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.

Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Micah Lunsford believes that when it comes to following Jesus, thoughtfulness matters. It matters because God wants more than just our actions. God wants our hearts and our minds, too. In this episode, Micah Lunsford, the Founding Director of Resonance Journal, shares about why thoughtfulness and contemplation are so important for the spiritual life. THIS EPISODE’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Micah Lunsford grew up the son of a Nazarene pastor.Micah describes how he founded Resonance Journal.After graduating from Fuller Theological Seminary, Micah Lunsford got involved in a ministry that didn’t give him much time for thoughtful theological reflection. Micah expressed his frustrations to God and got an answer—“You can do more to be thoughtfully reflective.”It was around this time that Micah caught the vision for Resonance Journal.Resonance Journal was meant to be an ecumenical place for deep conversation, crossing traditional theological boundaries.Resonance Journal is intended to be more than a publication; it is meant to be a community.Micah Lunsford feels passionate about engaging our minds as disciples of Christ.The themes of the articles in Resonance Journal are presented in each issue in a chiastic structure: worship, scripture, witness, tradition, crux, tradition, witness, scripture, worship.Each issue of Resonance Journal focuses on a specific theme. Recent themes include the Trinity, Christianity in Culture, the Sabbath, encountering the stranger, and so forth.Thoughtful spiritual reflection is vital for spiritual leadership because we can only give what we have.The digital subscription to Resonance Journal is entirely free. You subscribe at www.theologicalresonance.com/subscribe. RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Resonance Journal Homepage:  https://theologicalresonance.com/Subscribe:  https://theologicalresonance.com/subscribe/Twitter:  @resonantpointsFuller Theological Seminary Website:  https://www.fuller.edu/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 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!When Bobby Benavides, a California native, went on a short-term mission trip to rural West Virginia in 2003, he never imagined God would call him to stay and serve there for the next fifteen years.  I should say, fifteen years and counting!  Bobby has no plans to leave any time soon.  It was through this experience that Bobby discovered the profound importance of listening to God and living into one’s unique calling.  A few years ago, Bobby Benavides wrote Made for More, a book designed to help millennials live the life they were created to live.  In this interview, Bobby shares about his call to serve in West Virginia and why we each need to discover that we were “Made for More.” THIS EPISODE’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Bobby Benavides shares about planting his church, New Community Elkins.Bobby moved from Glendora, California (a suburb of Los Angeles), to rural West Virginia.Initially, Bobby didn’t want to stay in West Virginia, but it eventually became clear that this was where God wanted him to serve.A key moment that strengthened Bobby’s sense of call to West Virginia was a conversation with a teenage boy who told him, “You’re the first person to ever sit down and want to hear my story.In West Virginia, one has to be known in order to be trusted. This comes from a history in which coal companies came in with big promises and lots of money, but eventually left, leaving the community with nothing. As a result, local people are slow to trust outsiders.Bobby Benavides wrote Made for More because he encountered a lot of young people who had lots of questions about their purpose in life.We have profound beauty within us. God sees the beauty through our brokenness, even when we can’t.If we’re so focused on what’s to come, we lose what’s right in front of us.God says we need to be fully present where we are now.“Where you are now is your mission field.”“The mission field is everywhere.”Bobby Benavides shares a story about a young woman who read Made for More and was surprised that he talked about Lil Wayne in a positive light! She also told him she now has a strengthened identity in Christ and wants to serve him.Remember whose you are. Your congregation doesn’t own you. The church building doesn’t own you. Your job doesn’t own you. Rest in the fact that you are God’s.“Let God be God and you be his child.” RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Bobby Benavides Website:  https://bobbybenavides.me/Twitter:  @BobBen74Instagram:  bobby_benavidesMade for More: A Journey of Discovery and PurposeOrder on Bobby’s websiteOrder from AmazonTo 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.

Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Mario DeMatteo’s life was turned upside down in more ways than one when he suddenly became a quadriplegic. It was tragedy, to be sure. But it turned out to be the thing that drew Mario closer to God and set his life on a new trajectory publishing graphic novels that tell the stories of the scriptures in a sci-fi universe. Listen as Mario DeMatteo shares about how God used his tragedy then and is using his new calling now. THIS EPISODE’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Mario DeMatteo had a tragic accident in which he dove into a shallow swimming pool and became a quadriplegic.While in the hospital, a friend brought him a Silver Surfer comic book, at which point he fell in love with comics.It was as a result of his accident that Mario grew in his relationship with Jesus.Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl was a formative book that Mario read in the early months after his accident.Mario DeMatteo describes how he went from merely loving comic books to creating his own graphic novel, a science fiction version of the Apostle Paul.Mario had to invest his own money into this project. Even though some said he should put his money into other more “spiritual” projects, he felt called to invest in his graphic novel.Mario has gotten wonderful feedback from people who have purchased his graphic novel.People sometimes push back on the sci-fi aspect of the graphic novel.Mario DeMatteo is now working on a second graphic novel titled Peter, which focuses on the life of Jesus through Peter’s eyes.Mario shares about his rhythms and practices that keep him close to Jesus.After reading The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, Mario began journaling first thing in the morning.You can order Mario DeMatteo’s graphic novel at his website, http://www.beartruthcollection.com RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Mario DeMatteo Website:  https://beartruthcollective.com/Twitter:  @beartruthcomicsShort video about Mario“Paul: The Apostle” Graphic Novel Youtube Trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTBYb3UvVCATo order online:  https://beartruthcollective.com/products/paulBooks mentioned Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor FranklThe Artist’s Way by Julia CameronInstructions 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 RevieGet Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.