Spiritual Life and Leadership

Scott Schimmel started The You School several years ago to help kids make the transition into adulthood. He and his team help students, families, and others who are in times of transition work through five key questions:What do you believe in?Who are you becoming?What’s your mission?How are you going to contribute?Who do you belong to?This is a process of identity formation, which, when it comes down to it, is also a process of spiritual formation.In this episode, Scott Schimmel shares about how The YouSchool is helping not only kids, but all kinds of people (including veterans) make challenging transitions that ultimately lead to a life of purpose and fulfillment.THIS EPISODE’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Scott Schimmel is the President and Chief Guide of The YouSchool.Scott initially intended to go into accounting.Scott Schimmel ended up serving with InterVarsity for ten years.YouSchool was founded to help people get clear on their calling in the world, to help them transition well into life.The ability to look at your life as a story is incredibly helpful for getting perspective on one’s life.There are five key questions that The You School helps people answer: What do you believe in?Who are you becoming?What’s your mission?How are you going to contribute?Who do you belong to?The You School’s process for helping people grow into healthy adults is really a process of spiritual formation, though they don’t use that language to describe what they are doing.Scott Schimmel shares about his own spiritual formation leading up to the creation of You School, as well as how he has been shaped since starting You School.You School works with several veterans’ organizations to help veterans transition out of the military.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKSThe YouSchool Website:  https://www.theyouschool.com/Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TheYouSchoolInstagram:   https://www.instagram.com/theyouschool/Vimeo:  https://vimeo.com/user32651157The YouSchool Podcast https://theyouschool.podbean.com/Books: The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas WillardRenovation of the Heart 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 buttoSend me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Get Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

What do you if you’re leading a local congregation and you find out that a boy in your neighborhood has asthma because the landlord won’t fix the mold problem in his apartment building?  If you’re the pastors of Ebenezer Church in San Diego, you cancel your regular worship service, meet the congregation in front of the apartment building, and stage a protest until the landlord agrees to do the right thing.This is a great part of the story of Ebenezer Church.  But what I especially love is what Pastor Noel Musicha says about this protest. He says he’s not really interested in protesting.  What he’s interested in is restoring shalom.Of course, there’s much more to Ebenezer Church than this.  In this episode, I speak with Pastors Noel Musicha and Jere Lester, a really great church located in the Linda Vista community of San Diego.THIS EPISODE’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Noel Musicha and Jere Lester are the pastors of Ebenezer Church in San Diego.Noel and Jere feel called to minister to the poor and immigrant community in San Diego’s community of Linda Vista.There is power in the tradition of being a church. It is the environment where inner life transformation takes place, which allows for the outer life of ministry to the community.Ebenezer Church meets in the sanctuary of Linda Vista Presbyterian Church. Noel and Jere highly value the ministry and heritage of their host congregation.They learned early on that the most important thing they were going to take to the community was not good theology, but their own pain.Ebenezer Church exists to meet the immigrant and the poor.Ebenezer Church’s leadership reflects the diversity of the community.Jere learned about a boy who had asthma because his building had mold. When the landlord refused to do anything about it, Ebenezer Church moved their church service to the apartment building and protested until the landlord agreed to fix the problem.Noel isn’t interested in protesting. He is interested in restoring shalom.Ebenezer Church’s website is www.ebenezerchurchsd.com. You can also find them on Facebook and Instagram.Worship services are Sunday nights at 5pm (followed by dinner) at Linda Vista Presbyterian Church.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKSEbenezer Church Website:  http://ebenezerchurchsd.com/Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/EbenezerChurchSD/Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/ebenezerchurchsd/Linda Vista Presbyterian Church Website:  http://lvpres.org/Presbytery of San Diego Website:  https://www.presbyterysd.org/1001 New Worshiping Communities Website:  https://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/1001-2/To leave a review of Spiritual Life and LeadeSend me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Get Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

Why does it still surprise me to hear that a woman has been called to be the Senior Pastor of a church?  Why is there still a part of me that thinks ministry leadership is a man’s job?  Probably because the patriarchy of our culture has shaped me more deeply than I know.But, unlike me, God does not set limits on who is called to ministry leadership.In this episode, Tara Beth Leach, Senior Pastor of First Church of the Nazarene of Pasadena–affectionately known to many as PazNaz–shares the story of her call to ministry and the challenges she has faced along the way.  Tara Beth is the author of Emboldened: A Vision for Empowering Women in Ministry.THIS EPISODE’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Tara Beth Leach is the Senior Pastor of First Church of the Nazarene of Pasadena, or “PazNaz.” She is also the author of Emboldened: A Vision for Empowering Women in Ministry.Tara Beth first felt her call to ministry when she was in high school. But she was told she couldn’t be a pastor.Even though her Nazarene denomination affirms women in ministry, Tara Beth noticed that the reality was that women were being sidelined.Leading PazNaz has been the hardest thing Tara Beth Leach has ever done.Tara Beth Leach works hard to process the challenge of ministry in a healthy way.Mandy Smith, author of The Vulnerable Pastor, is part of Tara Beth Leach’s support system.The issue of women in ministry is not merely a justice issue; it’s a gospel issue and a missional issue.Tara Beth encourages “amplification,” a practice in which women and men “amplify” the voices of women in the room by repeating and highlighting the words the women in the room are speaking.Tara Beth Leach encourages women to lead from their femininity. But this is a very complicated topic because femininity is, in many ways, culturally constructed. The bottom line for women is basically just…lead from who you authentically are.Patriarchy, which emerged out of the curses in Genesis 3, is not prescriptive (“this is how you should live), but descriptive (“this is what the world looks like when sin becomes part of the story”).We have been called to live by the reality of the resurrection, not under the shadow of the curse.We need to be less myopic and, instead, begin to take note of those around us—men and women—who have been called to ministry.Tara Beth Leach encourages women in ministry to take one faithful step at a time. RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKSBooks mentionedEmboldened: A Vision for Empowering Women in MinistryThe Vulnerable PastorTara Beth Leach Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TaraBeth82Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/tarabeth82/First Church of the Nazarene of Pasadena Website:  https://www.paznaz.org/To leave a review of Spiritual Life and LeadershipSend me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Get Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

Followers of Jesus need a framework for intentional spiritual growth.Consider what happens to a grapevine when it doesn’t have a trellis on which to grow.  I imagine that the vine just sort of lays on the ground and the grapes end up getting eaten by worms or bugs.  But when the vine has a trellis, the grapevine is able to bear much fruit.Likewise, we need a trellis for our lives if we are going to “bear much fruit” (as Jesus says in John 15).  We need a framework for intentional spiritual growth.  In Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, Peter Scazzero explains that this framework is called a “Rule of Life.”  In this episode, I talk about 1) why you need a Rule of Life and 2) how to develop a Rule of Life.THIS EPISODE’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Spiritual growth requires intentionality.Jesus stresses the importance of intentionally staying connected to him in John 15:1-8. Only then can we “bear much fruit.”A “Rule of Life” is an intentional framework for our lives to help us grow spiritually.The word “rule,” according to Peter Scazzero, comes from the Greek word for “trellis.” It is a structure that helps the vine grow, rest, and bear as much fruit as possible.The story of Daniel demonstrates the power of intentional spiritual growth.Daniel was betrayed by other administrators in the Persian Empire. Rather than retreating, defending himself, or fighting back, Daniel simply returned to his Rule of Life—praying three times daily by his window that faced Jerusalem.It was Daniel’s Rule of Life that gave him the strength to be faithful to God even when his life was threatened.A Rule of Life can be structures with four categories in mind: prayer, rest, relationships, and work/activity.Select one or two practices to engage in for each category. PrayerRestRelationshipsWork/Activity It takes trial and error to develop a Rule of Life. But we need to pursue intentional spiritual growth.Don’t get legalistic about your Rule of Life. As soon as your Rule of Life becomes a duty and chore, it will no longer be life-giving or draw you close to God. RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKSBooks Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter ScazzeroEmotionally Healthy Spirituality Workbook by Peter ScazzeroThe Emotionally Healthy Church by Peter ScazzeroThe Emotionally Healthy Leader by Peter ScazzeroPray As You Go (daily devotional podcast) Website:  https://pray-as-you-go.org/Twitter:  https://twitter.com/prayasugo Scriptures John 15:1-8Daniel 6:1-11To leave a review of Spiritual Life and Leadership: https://Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Get Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

Daniel So and Jeya So are both experienced church-planters and experienced coaches of church-planters.There was a time when you could start a new church simply by walking into a new part of town, knocking on doors to let people know about the new church, and within a few weeks there would be a hundred people or so–especially if they already belonged to that denomination or tradition.  But church-planting is not that easy in a Post-Christendom world.Daniel So and Jeya So will share about the challenges and the joys of starting new churches—or as they put it, “new worshiping communities”—in the 21st century.THIS EPISODE’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Daniel So and Jeya So are the pastors of Anchor City Church in San Diego. Daniel is also the Director of Cyclical San Diego, the Presbytery of San Diego’s church planting initiative. Jeya does assessing and coaching of church plant leaders with “1001 New Worshiping Communities,” national church planting initiative of the Presbyterian Church (USA).The most formative book Jeya has read in recent years is Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis.The two most formative books Daniel has read is The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard and From a Liminal Place: An Asian American Theology by Sang Hyun Lee.Cyclical is more about cultivating environments in which new worshiping communities can grow and thrive than it is about starting new denominational churches.A new church is far more nimble and responsive than most established churches.In order to effectively start new churches and worshiping communities, larger church bodies need to be supportive and open-handed.The purpose for starting new churches can’t be to save the denomination. It has to be for the sake of the kingdom of God.Large churches must be willing to let go of and support leaders and staff who feel called to start new churches.A lot of the qualities required for church planting can apply to church revitalization.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKSBooks Till We Have Faces by C.S. LewisThe Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God by Dallas WillardFrom a Liminal Place: An Asian American Theology by San Hyun LeeDaniel So Twitter: https://twitter.com/headsparks/Cyclical San Diego Website: https://cyclicalsd.org/Anchor City Church Website: https://anchorcity.org/Cyclical Los Angeles Website: http://www.cyclicalla.com/To leave a review of Spiritual Life and Leadership: https://poSend me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Get Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

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 LeadeSend me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Get Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

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 DavisSend me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Get Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

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 LeaSend me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Get Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

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 LeadersSend me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Get Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

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 oSend me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Get Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.