Do you ever feel like God is absent? Be honest. Even when you spend your time, energy, prayer life, and sermon prep reminding your people about the presence of God, does your spiritual life ever feel desolate and silent? If so, you’re not alone. This paradox causes many pastors and leaders to feel like frauds. The reality is – we all go through seasons where God is purposefully hidden. Yet even in these times, God is closer than we can imagine. In today’s podcast, I explore the paradox of how God’s absence is a form of His presence.

Does it ever feel like your church is moving backwards? With all of the talk of “rebuilding” in a post-pandemic world, many pastors and leaders feel discouraged that their church is still 50% of what it used to be. They can’t help but see themselves as failures. The reality is – God is just as present in our failure as he is in our success. We keep wanting to change our situation, but God is wanting to change us. On today’s podcast, I offer encouragement to pastors who are carrying the weight of the church in a time that is very disorienting. If you need a fresh perspective, take a listen.

There are times and seasons where God brings us to the end of ourselves. The end of our strength. The end of our wisdom. The end of our creativity. The list goes on. I believe we are in a season like this right now. Many pastors and leaders feel caught in the midst of an impossible situation. Maybe your church attendance has been cut in half, your finances are running out, or you’re just not sure what to do. If you’ve come to the end of yourself, you’re not alone. In fact, This is exactly what happens in Mark 6 when the disciples find themselves in yet another storm. They had run out of options and solutions. Jesus uses this moment to anchor them back into a deeper trust in His work and His ways. On today’s podcast, I share with you a message that I believe is timely and encouraging.

Today is an exciting day! We are pleased to launch a brand new podcast called Emotionally Healthy Woman with Geri Scazzero. This first podcast season will feature 8 episodes following the life-changing content from the Emotionally Healthy Woman book. Go and subscribe here so you don’t miss an episode. And the truth is – this podcast is transformational for men, too! Over the course of this season, you’ll learn how to quit eight destructive habits that sabotage the health of your soul and relationships. Today, we give you a sneak peek of the first episode called, “Quit Being Afraid of What Other People Think”. We think you’ll love it!

Today on the podcast, I share an interview I did with Carey Nieuwhof on Barna’s ChurchPulse Weekly Podcast. Our conversation was so timely that I wanted to reshare it with our audience here. Simply put – God is waking up the church. The current mental and emotional health crisis is a giant warning sign through which God is trying to get our attention. This wake-up call is vast and multi-faceted. No one leader or ministry has all the answers. At Emotionally Healthy Discipleship, we believe the way through this crisis requires us to discover the treasures buried in thousands of years of church history. In this interview, I share some of these treasures and why they are vitally important for the leaders of today and tomorrow.

One of the greatest challenges for pastors and church leaders in the west is to learn to follow the crucified, not the Americanized Jesus. This requires we learn to surrender our definitions of success, greatness, and popularity in order to enter into the way of Jesus. In my life and leadership, I’ve discovered that this depth of surrender requires the practice of three specific habits on a daily basis (and often multiple times a day!) These habits are so important, that they’ve become second nature. Each morning, I practice them before I do anything else. In today’s podcast, l invite you to listen along as I walk through these three habits detailed in my book Emotionally Healthy Discipleship.