Tag Archives: spiritual formation

Connecting Our Inner and Outer Lives as Leaders

A tree with a shallow root system may still look beautiful on the outside, but it is incapable of supplying the water and nutrients for fruitful, long-term, and upward growth. This becomes a significant problem when our ministries and organizations grow larger and faster than the depth of our roots can sustain. Deep and wide roots anchor a tree, allowing it to draw up plentiful water and nutrients from a larger and deeper area of soil. In many cases, the root systems of our spiritual lives are inadequate for the challenges of shaping and leading a growing church, organization, or team. At the same time, it seems logical that a deeper inner life should lead to good organizational practices. Sadly, however, it often does not. There is a disconnect when we fail to apply our spirituality with Jesus to such leadership tasks as planning, team building, boundaries, endings and new beginnings. Too often, we. Read more.

Why Transformation Takes So Long!

Last week at our two-day EHS Consultant Training, Wendy Seidman shared Bloom’s taxonomy of how people learn to help us understand why it takes so long for individuals and church/ministry cultures to “get” EHS. The following is her adaptation of Bloom’s classic work on the process people need to move through to really “get” something like EHS: 1- Aware. People hear about EHS for the first time (e.g. Sabbath, slowing down, past’s impact on the present, grieving, learning to feel). 2- Ponder. People think about it, trying to understand or sort through issues as they gather more information. At this point they don’t have a clear inclination for or against it. (e.g. They continue reading, listen to messages, go through the EHS Course, learn a few EHS Skills, talk about Sabbath with others). 3- Value. People think it’s important, find value in it, and commit to it, saying, “I really believe in this EHS. Read more.

Learning from the Church in Southeast Asia

Geri and I recently returned from a ten-day trip to Singapore/Malaysia, our fourth in the past five years. Habakkuk 1:5 describes the wonder of our experience there. Look at the nations and watch- and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told. The following are a few highlights: 1. The power and the size of the move of God in Asia is difficult to describe for us who live in North America. Every time I sat through worship, whether it was with the Pentecostal Anglicans, the Pentecostal Methodists, or the Assembly of God Pentecostals, I found myself in awe of the experience. (Oh yes, most everyone seems to be into Pentecostal in that part of the world – regardless of denomination). 2. Pastors and leaders, along with the churches, face the same challenges we face in North America. We. Read more.

The EHS Course

In August, the EHS small group curriculum will be released as The EHS Course with new covers, a new DVD, and a new name for the Daily Office book (Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day). I am deeply passionate for the world to be transformed by Jesus. In fact, I was known in my early years as an Inter-Varsity staff worker as an evangelism specialist and open-air speaker on university campuses. Our mission at EHS is to equip the church in a deep, beneath-the-surface spirituality that transforms people who transform the world. Without spiritual transformation taking place in our people, our long-term mission for Christ will be severely limited. To transform the world for Jesus, we need to be transformed by Him first. What Alpha is for evangelism as a centralized course to introduce people to Jesus, EHS is for spiritual formation. The EHS Course will enable churches to embed transformational spiritual formation in their culture long-term and. Read more.

The Slow Power of Jesus’ Kingdom

Jesus compared His kingdom to a mustard seed – almost invisible, apparently powerless, defeated, and insignificant. Yet He assures us it will grow into something magnificent that will cover the whole earth (Matthew 13:31-32). This smallness was a scandal then. It is a scandal today. In our efforts to copy the ancient great cities of Rome, Athens, and Corinth, and our desire for “real disciples” who aren’t like Peter, James, John, Thomas, and Judas, we end up chasing after goals that aren’t His. We easily miss His movements. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality (EHS) is a mustard seed that has rediscovered and applied a few simple biblical truths. For example: Slowing down for loving union with Jesus is the foundation of all leadership. We are to lead out of a marriage, or our singleness, as a sign and wonder for Christ. Spiritual formation requires we break the sinful patterns of our family of origin and culture. Read more.

Measuring Success: A Third Way

Most of us have been taught to measure our success by external, or outer, markers: Add ten new small groups by August 1. Increase our budget by 5% in the next fiscal year. Expand our youth ministry by 20 new teenagers by June 1. Launch a ministry to teach English as a second language in 2014. Few of us have been trained, however, to measure our success by monitoring internal, or inner, markers: – Twenty core members will begin integrating silence as a means of abiding in Christ. 50% of our key leaders will engage in Sabbath-keeping as a spiritual formation discipline. Ten of our married couples will invest time and energy in their relationship each week to serve as a mission to others. Each new member of our church will learn one emotionally healthy skill in order to love well. Measuring the internal markers of success is challenging. Yet I suspect the difficulty. Read more.

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