Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership with Ruth Haley Barton

By Ruth Haley Barton

Religion & Spirituality Christianity

What's Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership with Ruth Haley Barton about?

A lively dialogue with Ruth Haley Barton about forging and maintaining a life-giving connection with God in the midst of leading. Learn more at www.transformingcenter.org.

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Season 21: Honest Advent | ...

12.01.2023

As we mark the first week of Advent we are examining the Annunciation. How do we define a revelation and what does it expose in us? What does a revelation do to our plans and certainty? Where is God in ...

Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership with Ruth Haley Barton episodes:

12.01.2023 Season 21: Honest Advent \| Week 1: Where is God in My Uncertainty? As we mark the first week of Advent we are examining the Annunciation. How do we define a revelation and what does it expose in us? What does a revelation do to our plans and certainty? Where is God in ...
11.24.2023 Season 21: Preparing for Advent: Honest Longings, Honest Questions Advent is upon us again. This season, we’ve invited artist, author, and speaker Scott Erickson to join us. Transforming Center team member Charity McClure is also on the microphone. Together with Ruth, the three will discuss how an honest Advent ...
11.15.2023 Season 20: Episode 7 \| This is Fun, Y’all: The Joy and Hope of Transforming Worship Ruth sits down with producer Colleen to wrap up season 20 of the podcast. They share their learnings and highlights from these conversations and Ruth answers a listener’s question about how to bring transformative worship to your congregation if you ...
11.08.2023 Season 20: Episode 6 \| What about my puppets? Beyond Programming to Worship that Changes Us David, Charity, and Leo return with Ruth to continue their conversation from last week. In an episode that could have been titled, “Confessions of Professional Christians,” these four vulnerably and candidly share their own struggles with perfectionism at the cost ...
11.01.2023 Season 20: Episode 5 \| Worship on Earth as it is In Heaven: The Transforming Power of Diversity We have a full house for today’s episode! Ruth and Rory are joined by David Bailey, Leo Ayala, and Charity McClure. Sunday morning continues to be the most segregated hour of the week and many of us find ourselves longing ...
10.25.2023 Season 20: Episode 4 \| The Pain and the Promise of Communion In today’s episode Ruth and Rory are joined by Aaron Damiani, an Anglican pastor, to discuss the worship practice of Communion. Ruth and Rory share about their own painful experiences trying to celebrate the eucharist across denominations in the early ...
10.18.2023 Season 20: Episode 3 \| Re-thinking Sunday Mornings: Creating Space for God This week Ruth and Rory brought in podcast producer Colleen Powell to discuss the problem of Sunday morning. Is it even possible to experience transformative worship in a one hour Sunday morning (or Saturday evening) service? Should you stay at ...
10.11.2023 Season 20: Episode 2 \| Beyond Auto Pilot: Worship that is Spiritually Substantive In today’s episode Aaron Niequist joins Ruth and Rory to discuss the practices that make up Transforming Worship. They discuss how Covid revealed just how little participation was required in most church services, the temptation leaders face to create emotional ...
10.06.2023 FROM PATREON: Principles of Transforming Worship Today we are sharing a clip from an episode that was released over on Patreon. This is a conversation between Rory and Ruth about what they both consider to be the principles of transforming worship. They draw from the ideas ...
10.04.2023 Season 20: Episode 1 \| Beyond the Frenzy: Worship that Transforms We’re back! This season we’re focusing on worship, particularly worship that is transformative. Our season long guest is Rory Noland and we will be working with his book, Transforming Worship: Planning and Leading Sunday Services as If Spiritual Formation Mattered. ...
08.22.2023 FROM PATREON: A Special Conversation about Justice with Sandra Van Opstal This is a replay of an episode we released only to patrons of The Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership podcast. While we take a small hiatus from normal programming to attend to the work of The Transforming Center as ...
08.08.2023 FROM PATREON: Ask Ruth #8: Questions about A Just Lent This is a replay of an episode we released only to patrons of The Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership podcast. While we take a small hiatus from normal programming to attend to the work of The Transforming Center as ...
07.25.2023 REPLAY Season 17: Episode 5 \| The Power of Unplugging This is a replay of a previous episode of The Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership podcast. While we take a small hiatus from normal programming to attend to the work of The Transforming Center as well as a special ...
07.11.2023 REPLAY Season 16: Episode 6 \| Second Order Change: Recognizing and Dissolving Stuck Patterns This is a replay of a previous episode of The Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership podcast. While we take a small hiatus from normal programming to attend to the work of The Transforming Center as well as a special ...
06.27.2023 REPLAY Season 10: Episode 7 \| The Classic Spiritual Disciplines This is a replay of a previous episode of The Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership podcast. While we take a small hiatus from normal programming to attend to the work of The Transforming Center as well as a special ...
06.13.2023 REPLAY: Season 6: Episode 4 \| Finding Your Rhythm on Retreat This is a replay of a previous episode of The Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership podcast. While we take a small hiatus from normal programming to attend to the work of The Transforming Center as well as a special ...
05.16.2023 Special Mini-Episode: A State of the Podcast Announcement Hello! We’re popping in the podcast feed with a little “State of the Podcast” announcement (don’t worry! It’s not ending!). Ruth gives a peak behind the curtain as to what is happening over at the Transforming Center this year and ...
04.10.2023 Season 19: Easter Monday \| Transforming Post-Resurrection Encounters with Jesus He is Risen, indeed! Happy Easter Monday, friends. Today, Ruth helps us celebrate the Risen Christ with five stories of post-resurrection encounters with Jesus. In each story she helps us consider our own invitations to transforming encounters with Jesus that ...
04.03.2023 Season 19: Lent Week 6 \| Lament: Saying No to Triumphalism As we head into Holy Week Ruth is joined by Rev. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah to discuss the importance of Lament as a part of justice work. What is lament and why is it important? How does it help us to ...
03.27.2023 Season 19: Lent Week 5 \| Communal Suffering: Can These Bones Live? Our dream team from episode one returns this week to discuss communal suffering and the Paschal Mystery. Ruth is joined again by David Bailey and Tina Harris to explore these topics. How do oppressed people experience the Paschal Mystery? What ...
03.20.2023 Season 19: Lent Week 4 \| Opposing Violent Injustice: Bringing Light to the Darkest Places Ruth is joined by Gary Haugen on today’s episode. Gary Haugen has spent most of his career fighting injustice at the systemic level as a lawyer and founder of International Justice Mission. Ruth and Gary discuss the moment Gary realized ...
03.13.2023 Season 19: Lent Week 3 \| The Work of Justice: Healing our Broken Ways This week, Ruth and Tina are joined by Sheila Wise Rowe to discuss racial trauma and collective healing. What exactly is racial trauma and what is the long term impact of this trauma on people of color? How can the ...
03.06.2023 Season 19: Lent Week 2 \| Colonialism and Christianity: Bible Translation as a Work of Justice In week two, Ruth and Transforming Center team member Tina Harris sit down with Terry Wildman, translator of the First Nations Version of the New Testament. The three discuss the tragic impact colonialism has had on indigenous people, the part ...
03.03.2023 Season 19: Lent Week 2 \| Colonialism and Christianity: Bible Translation as a Work of Justice In week two, Ruth and Transforming Center team member Tina Harris sit down with Terry Wildman, translator of the First Nations Version of the New Testament. The three discuss the tragic impact colonialism has had on indigenous people, the part ...
02.27.2023 Season 19: Lent Week 1\| Confession: What We Have Done and What We Have Left Undone In week one, Ruth brings back Transforming Center team member Tina Harris, and guest Dominique DuBois Gilliard to look at the theme of confession. The three discuss the relational nature of justice, how our silence, inaction, and indifference to injustice ...
02.20.2023 Season 19: Lent Ash Wednesday \| Invitation to a Just Lent: Learning to Love What God Loves This season we are focusing on justice as an aspect of spiritual formation and we believe Lent to be the perfect season to explore this connection. Using A Just Passion: A Six-Week Lenten Journey, and the lectionary, we will look ...
02.07.2023 Season 18: Episode 5 \| What about the Congregation? How Everyone Benefits from a Pastor’s Sabbatical We are wrapping up our sabbatical season by turning our attention to the congregation; how does a congregation benefit from a pastor’s sabbatical. Ruth sits down with her brother, Pastor Jonathan Haley, to discuss the thoughtful and intentional ways he ...
01.31.2023 Season 18: Episode 4 \| Are You Willing to Quit Your Job: Sabbatical for the Rest of Us Are sabbaticals just for pastors? This week, Ruth sits down with guest Andy Crouch to talk about sabbatical from an everyman perspective. Andy has taken full responsibility for his own rhythm of regular sabbaticals by saving up and risking the ...
01.24.2023 Season 18: Episode 3 \| Boundaries: Protecting What is Precious Inevitably, every sabbatical will meet a challenge, a place where the outside world creeps in and threatens to call you back to the work you’ve committed to set aside. When that happens, what is a leader to do? Ruth sits ...
01.17.2023 Season 18: Episode 2 \| More Than a Vacation: Planning for a Meaningful Sabbatical We have two extra special guests this week! First, Ruth sits down with Christine Lee, Priest-in-Charge of St. Peter’s Chelsea in New York City. She and Ruth discuss how Christine discerned what was most important for her sabbatical and how ...
01.10.2023 Season 18: Episode 1 \| When Sabbath Isn’t Enough: Embracing the Gift of Sabbatical Happy New Year! We are ringing in the new year by talking about sabbatical! Friend of the Transforming Center Rick McCall is back with us, and he and Ruth are sharing their experiences with sabbaticals, what ways Ruth sees it ...
11.22.2022 Bonus: Advent 2022 Year A We find ourselves again beginning a new Christian year with Advent. This year the lectionary finds us in Cycle A. In this episode Ruth helps us prepare for advent with an invitation to use this season as actual space to ...
11.08.2022 Season 17: Episode 11 \| Sabbath Journey: Do Something Before You Do Everything We’re wrapping up our sabbath season with a solo episode. Ruth is on the mic to help us discern the something we can do to start our sabbath journey. What are your invitations and resistances? What are the obstacles you ...
11.01.2022 Season 17: Episode 10 \| Fruit and Frustration: Creating a Culture Where Everyone Can Rest As we’ve camped out around this idea of a “sabbath community” the last few weeks, we’ve explored the possibility and very real struggles of what that kind of commitment to sabbath looks like for pastors. This week we’re speaking with ...
10.25.2022 Season 17: Episode 9 \| Getting Honest About the Challenges of Sabbath Community Today’s conversation is an honest and vulnerable one about the challenges of leading communities in the ways of the sabbath. Ruth sits down with Christine Lee who leads a busy church in New York City. Christine shares her own journey ...
10.18.2022 Season 17: Episode 8 \| Sabbath Leaders Cultivating Sabbath Communities Over the next few episodes we are turning our attention from a leader’s personal sabbath practice towards how they can form and shape their communities around sabbath. We’ll be talking to a number of pastors and leaders about their efforts ...
10.11.2022 Season 17: Episode 7 \| Sabbath Rhythms During Seasons of Singleness and Care-giving In this episode we continue discussing how each season or stage of life presents its own challenges and opportunities with regard to sabbath keeping. Today we’re joined by two guests, Phaedra Blocker and Vicki Degner. In the first half Phaedra ...
10.04.2022 Season 17: Episode 6 \| Sharing Sabbath Presence Within Our Families As we continue to discuss the idea of a sabbath practice and the very practical ways one can incorporate it into one’s life, we want to acknowledge that each season or stage of life presents its own challenges and opportunities ...
09.27.2022 Season 17: Episode 5 \| The Power of Unplugging We’re here this week to talk about the elephant in the sabbath room… technology. Ruth and guest, Tiffany Shlain, talk all about how our technology impacts our ability to truly rest, why a “tech Shabbat” has been a lifeline for ...
09.20.2022 Season 17: Episode 4 \| Shabbat: Conversation with a Jewish Rabbi Our guest this week is Rabbi Evan Moffic, a rabbi leading a congregation in the Chicago suburbs who also teaches and writes about the Jewishness of Jesus. He and Ruth discuss the importance of the sabbath and its roots in ...
09.15.2022 Season 17: Episode 3 \| Sabbath as Resistance We had so much goodness in our conversations around the idea of sabbath as resistance that we decided to release them as separate episodes. In this episode, Ruth and guest Cole Arthur Riley continue the discussion with a conversation around ...
09.13.2022 Season 17: Episode 2 \| The Poetry of Sabbath We continue to celebrate the launch of Ruth’s newest book, Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest From Sabbath to Sabbatical and Back Again. This week, Ruth sits down with pastor and poet Drew Jackson to discuss the idea of sabbath ...
09.06.2022 Season 17: Episode 1 \| Awakening to God’s Gift of Sabbath We’re back! This season we are celebrating the launch of Ruth’s newest book, Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest From Sabbath to Sabbatical and Back Again. Ruth has invited a number of friends to come on the show to discuss ...
07.22.2022 BONUS: A Conversation with Glenn Packiam on Being a Resilient Pastor, Challenges Facing the Church, and Cultivating A Spiritual Life We can’t wait for you to hear this encouraging conversation between Ruth and Glenn Packiam, a pastor and author of The Resilient Pastor: Leading Your Church in a Rapidly Changing World. Glenn and Ruth shared their thoughts on why it’s ...
07.08.2022 BONUS: Ask Ruth #5 Excerpt Over on Patreon, we concluded season 16 with our fifth installment of our Ask Ruth series. This episode included questions specific to this past season on Transforming Leadership: Managing Anxiety Within Our Communities with Steve Cuss. Patrons submitted questions that ...
06.27.2022 Season 16: Episode 9 \| Transforming Leadership: Spiritual Resources for the Journey We are ending this season just as we started it: with Ruth going solo behind the mic. This time, she recaps Bowen’s 8 concepts, with particular emphasis on differentiation, encouraging us to reflect on what is ours to do in ...
06.20.2022 Season 16: Episode 8 \| Systems Theory and Leadership: Picking Up the Tools that Diffuse Anxiety We’re nearing the end of our season on Systems Theory and leadership anxiety! In this last episode with Ruth and Steve together, the two give really practical help with concrete tools that can help diffuse anxiety. These tools range from ...
06.13.2022 Season 16: Episode 7 \| It’s a Human Thing: Systems Theory in Non-Majority Spaces This week we invited two additional guests to tackle this tender and challenging topic. Ruth and Steve are joined by Pastor Tina Harris, a former pastor and lawyer and currently Transforming Center’s Cultivator of Community and Connection, and Pastor Marvin ...
06.06.2022 Season 16: Episode 6 \| Second Order Change: Recognizing and Dissolving Stuck Patterns Sometimes our greatest anxieties can surround areas of stuckness, places where we know what we are doing isn’t working, but we can’t seem to find our way out. This week, Ruth and Steve will discuss second order change and how ...
05.30.2022 Season 16: Episode 5 \| The Freedom of Taking Responsibility This week, Ruth and Steve are talking about differentiation. What is differentiation and how does it differ from individualism? Steve shares his framework of the Four Spaces and explains how paying attention to these spaces can help us differentiate and ...

Older episodes

12.01.2023 Season 21: Honest Advent \| Week 1: Where is God in My Uncertainty? As we mark the first week of Advent we are examining the Annunciation. How do we define a revelation and what does it expose in us? What does a revelation do to our plans and certainty? Where is God in ...
11.24.2023 Season 21: Preparing for Advent: Honest Longings, Honest Questions Advent is upon us again. This season, we’ve invited artist, author, and speaker Scott Erickson to join us. Transforming Center team member Charity McClure is also on the microphone. Together with Ruth, the three will discuss how an honest Advent ...
11.15.2023 Season 20: Episode 7 \| This is Fun, Y’all: The Joy and Hope of Transforming Worship Ruth sits down with producer Colleen to wrap up season 20 of the podcast. They share their learnings and highlights from these conversations and Ruth answers a listener’s question about how to bring transformative worship to your congregation if you ...
11.08.2023 Season 20: Episode 6 \| What about my puppets? Beyond Programming to Worship that Changes Us David, Charity, and Leo return with Ruth to continue their conversation from last week. In an episode that could have been titled, “Confessions of Professional Christians,” these four vulnerably and candidly share their own struggles with perfectionism at the cost ...
11.01.2023 Season 20: Episode 5 \| Worship on Earth as it is In Heaven: The Transforming Power of Diversity We have a full house for today’s episode! Ruth and Rory are joined by David Bailey, Leo Ayala, and Charity McClure. Sunday morning continues to be the most segregated hour of the week and many of us find ourselves longing ...
10.25.2023 Season 20: Episode 4 \| The Pain and the Promise of Communion In today’s episode Ruth and Rory are joined by Aaron Damiani, an Anglican pastor, to discuss the worship practice of Communion. Ruth and Rory share about their own painful experiences trying to celebrate the eucharist across denominations in the early ...
10.18.2023 Season 20: Episode 3 \| Re-thinking Sunday Mornings: Creating Space for God This week Ruth and Rory brought in podcast producer Colleen Powell to discuss the problem of Sunday morning. Is it even possible to experience transformative worship in a one hour Sunday morning (or Saturday evening) service? Should you stay at ...
10.11.2023 Season 20: Episode 2 \| Beyond Auto Pilot: Worship that is Spiritually Substantive In today’s episode Aaron Niequist joins Ruth and Rory to discuss the practices that make up Transforming Worship. They discuss how Covid revealed just how little participation was required in most church services, the temptation leaders face to create emotional ...
10.06.2023 FROM PATREON: Principles of Transforming Worship Today we are sharing a clip from an episode that was released over on Patreon. This is a conversation between Rory and Ruth about what they both consider to be the principles of transforming worship. They draw from the ideas ...
10.04.2023 Season 20: Episode 1 \| Beyond the Frenzy: Worship that Transforms We’re back! This season we’re focusing on worship, particularly worship that is transformative. Our season long guest is Rory Noland and we will be working with his book, Transforming Worship: Planning and Leading Sunday Services as If Spiritual Formation Mattered. ...
08.22.2023 FROM PATREON: A Special Conversation about Justice with Sandra Van Opstal This is a replay of an episode we released only to patrons of The Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership podcast. While we take a small hiatus from normal programming to attend to the work of The Transforming Center as ...
08.08.2023 FROM PATREON: Ask Ruth #8: Questions about A Just Lent This is a replay of an episode we released only to patrons of The Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership podcast. While we take a small hiatus from normal programming to attend to the work of The Transforming Center as ...
07.25.2023 REPLAY Season 17: Episode 5 \| The Power of Unplugging This is a replay of a previous episode of The Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership podcast. While we take a small hiatus from normal programming to attend to the work of The Transforming Center as well as a special ...
07.11.2023 REPLAY Season 16: Episode 6 \| Second Order Change: Recognizing and Dissolving Stuck Patterns This is a replay of a previous episode of The Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership podcast. While we take a small hiatus from normal programming to attend to the work of The Transforming Center as well as a special ...
06.27.2023 REPLAY Season 10: Episode 7 \| The Classic Spiritual Disciplines This is a replay of a previous episode of The Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership podcast. While we take a small hiatus from normal programming to attend to the work of The Transforming Center as well as a special ...
06.13.2023 REPLAY: Season 6: Episode 4 \| Finding Your Rhythm on Retreat This is a replay of a previous episode of The Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership podcast. While we take a small hiatus from normal programming to attend to the work of The Transforming Center as well as a special ...
05.16.2023 Special Mini-Episode: A State of the Podcast Announcement Hello! We’re popping in the podcast feed with a little “State of the Podcast” announcement (don’t worry! It’s not ending!). Ruth gives a peak behind the curtain as to what is happening over at the Transforming Center this year and ...
04.10.2023 Season 19: Easter Monday \| Transforming Post-Resurrection Encounters with Jesus He is Risen, indeed! Happy Easter Monday, friends. Today, Ruth helps us celebrate the Risen Christ with five stories of post-resurrection encounters with Jesus. In each story she helps us consider our own invitations to transforming encounters with Jesus that ...
04.03.2023 Season 19: Lent Week 6 \| Lament: Saying No to Triumphalism As we head into Holy Week Ruth is joined by Rev. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah to discuss the importance of Lament as a part of justice work. What is lament and why is it important? How does it help us to ...
03.27.2023 Season 19: Lent Week 5 \| Communal Suffering: Can These Bones Live? Our dream team from episode one returns this week to discuss communal suffering and the Paschal Mystery. Ruth is joined again by David Bailey and Tina Harris to explore these topics. How do oppressed people experience the Paschal Mystery? What ...
03.20.2023 Season 19: Lent Week 4 \| Opposing Violent Injustice: Bringing Light to the Darkest Places Ruth is joined by Gary Haugen on today’s episode. Gary Haugen has spent most of his career fighting injustice at the systemic level as a lawyer and founder of International Justice Mission. Ruth and Gary discuss the moment Gary realized ...
03.13.2023 Season 19: Lent Week 3 \| The Work of Justice: Healing our Broken Ways This week, Ruth and Tina are joined by Sheila Wise Rowe to discuss racial trauma and collective healing. What exactly is racial trauma and what is the long term impact of this trauma on people of color? How can the ...
03.06.2023 Season 19: Lent Week 2 \| Colonialism and Christianity: Bible Translation as a Work of Justice In week two, Ruth and Transforming Center team member Tina Harris sit down with Terry Wildman, translator of the First Nations Version of the New Testament. The three discuss the tragic impact colonialism has had on indigenous people, the part ...
03.03.2023 Season 19: Lent Week 2 \| Colonialism and Christianity: Bible Translation as a Work of Justice In week two, Ruth and Transforming Center team member Tina Harris sit down with Terry Wildman, translator of the First Nations Version of the New Testament. The three discuss the tragic impact colonialism has had on indigenous people, the part ...
02.27.2023 Season 19: Lent Week 1\| Confession: What We Have Done and What We Have Left Undone In week one, Ruth brings back Transforming Center team member Tina Harris, and guest Dominique DuBois Gilliard to look at the theme of confession. The three discuss the relational nature of justice, how our silence, inaction, and indifference to injustice ...
02.20.2023 Season 19: Lent Ash Wednesday \| Invitation to a Just Lent: Learning to Love What God Loves This season we are focusing on justice as an aspect of spiritual formation and we believe Lent to be the perfect season to explore this connection. Using A Just Passion: A Six-Week Lenten Journey, and the lectionary, we will look ...
02.07.2023 Season 18: Episode 5 \| What about the Congregation? How Everyone Benefits from a Pastor’s Sabbatical We are wrapping up our sabbatical season by turning our attention to the congregation; how does a congregation benefit from a pastor’s sabbatical. Ruth sits down with her brother, Pastor Jonathan Haley, to discuss the thoughtful and intentional ways he ...
01.31.2023 Season 18: Episode 4 \| Are You Willing to Quit Your Job: Sabbatical for the Rest of Us Are sabbaticals just for pastors? This week, Ruth sits down with guest Andy Crouch to talk about sabbatical from an everyman perspective. Andy has taken full responsibility for his own rhythm of regular sabbaticals by saving up and risking the ...
01.24.2023 Season 18: Episode 3 \| Boundaries: Protecting What is Precious Inevitably, every sabbatical will meet a challenge, a place where the outside world creeps in and threatens to call you back to the work you’ve committed to set aside. When that happens, what is a leader to do? Ruth sits ...
01.17.2023 Season 18: Episode 2 \| More Than a Vacation: Planning for a Meaningful Sabbatical We have two extra special guests this week! First, Ruth sits down with Christine Lee, Priest-in-Charge of St. Peter’s Chelsea in New York City. She and Ruth discuss how Christine discerned what was most important for her sabbatical and how ...
01.10.2023 Season 18: Episode 1 \| When Sabbath Isn’t Enough: Embracing the Gift of Sabbatical Happy New Year! We are ringing in the new year by talking about sabbatical! Friend of the Transforming Center Rick McCall is back with us, and he and Ruth are sharing their experiences with sabbaticals, what ways Ruth sees it ...
11.22.2022 Bonus: Advent 2022 Year A We find ourselves again beginning a new Christian year with Advent. This year the lectionary finds us in Cycle A. In this episode Ruth helps us prepare for advent with an invitation to use this season as actual space to ...
11.08.2022 Season 17: Episode 11 \| Sabbath Journey: Do Something Before You Do Everything We’re wrapping up our sabbath season with a solo episode. Ruth is on the mic to help us discern the something we can do to start our sabbath journey. What are your invitations and resistances? What are the obstacles you ...
11.01.2022 Season 17: Episode 10 \| Fruit and Frustration: Creating a Culture Where Everyone Can Rest As we’ve camped out around this idea of a “sabbath community” the last few weeks, we’ve explored the possibility and very real struggles of what that kind of commitment to sabbath looks like for pastors. This week we’re speaking with ...
10.25.2022 Season 17: Episode 9 \| Getting Honest About the Challenges of Sabbath Community Today’s conversation is an honest and vulnerable one about the challenges of leading communities in the ways of the sabbath. Ruth sits down with Christine Lee who leads a busy church in New York City. Christine shares her own journey ...
10.18.2022 Season 17: Episode 8 \| Sabbath Leaders Cultivating Sabbath Communities Over the next few episodes we are turning our attention from a leader’s personal sabbath practice towards how they can form and shape their communities around sabbath. We’ll be talking to a number of pastors and leaders about their efforts ...
10.11.2022 Season 17: Episode 7 \| Sabbath Rhythms During Seasons of Singleness and Care-giving In this episode we continue discussing how each season or stage of life presents its own challenges and opportunities with regard to sabbath keeping. Today we’re joined by two guests, Phaedra Blocker and Vicki Degner. In the first half Phaedra ...
10.04.2022 Season 17: Episode 6 \| Sharing Sabbath Presence Within Our Families As we continue to discuss the idea of a sabbath practice and the very practical ways one can incorporate it into one’s life, we want to acknowledge that each season or stage of life presents its own challenges and opportunities ...
09.27.2022 Season 17: Episode 5 \| The Power of Unplugging We’re here this week to talk about the elephant in the sabbath room… technology. Ruth and guest, Tiffany Shlain, talk all about how our technology impacts our ability to truly rest, why a “tech Shabbat” has been a lifeline for ...
09.20.2022 Season 17: Episode 4 \| Shabbat: Conversation with a Jewish Rabbi Our guest this week is Rabbi Evan Moffic, a rabbi leading a congregation in the Chicago suburbs who also teaches and writes about the Jewishness of Jesus. He and Ruth discuss the importance of the sabbath and its roots in ...
09.15.2022 Season 17: Episode 3 \| Sabbath as Resistance We had so much goodness in our conversations around the idea of sabbath as resistance that we decided to release them as separate episodes. In this episode, Ruth and guest Cole Arthur Riley continue the discussion with a conversation around ...
09.13.2022 Season 17: Episode 2 \| The Poetry of Sabbath We continue to celebrate the launch of Ruth’s newest book, Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest From Sabbath to Sabbatical and Back Again. This week, Ruth sits down with pastor and poet Drew Jackson to discuss the idea of sabbath ...
09.06.2022 Season 17: Episode 1 \| Awakening to God’s Gift of Sabbath We’re back! This season we are celebrating the launch of Ruth’s newest book, Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest From Sabbath to Sabbatical and Back Again. Ruth has invited a number of friends to come on the show to discuss ...
07.22.2022 BONUS: A Conversation with Glenn Packiam on Being a Resilient Pastor, Challenges Facing the Church, and Cultivating A Spiritual Life We can’t wait for you to hear this encouraging conversation between Ruth and Glenn Packiam, a pastor and author of The Resilient Pastor: Leading Your Church in a Rapidly Changing World. Glenn and Ruth shared their thoughts on why it’s ...
07.08.2022 BONUS: Ask Ruth #5 Excerpt Over on Patreon, we concluded season 16 with our fifth installment of our Ask Ruth series. This episode included questions specific to this past season on Transforming Leadership: Managing Anxiety Within Our Communities with Steve Cuss. Patrons submitted questions that ...
06.27.2022 Season 16: Episode 9 \| Transforming Leadership: Spiritual Resources for the Journey We are ending this season just as we started it: with Ruth going solo behind the mic. This time, she recaps Bowen’s 8 concepts, with particular emphasis on differentiation, encouraging us to reflect on what is ours to do in ...
06.20.2022 Season 16: Episode 8 \| Systems Theory and Leadership: Picking Up the Tools that Diffuse Anxiety We’re nearing the end of our season on Systems Theory and leadership anxiety! In this last episode with Ruth and Steve together, the two give really practical help with concrete tools that can help diffuse anxiety. These tools range from ...
06.13.2022 Season 16: Episode 7 \| It’s a Human Thing: Systems Theory in Non-Majority Spaces This week we invited two additional guests to tackle this tender and challenging topic. Ruth and Steve are joined by Pastor Tina Harris, a former pastor and lawyer and currently Transforming Center’s Cultivator of Community and Connection, and Pastor Marvin ...
06.06.2022 Season 16: Episode 6 \| Second Order Change: Recognizing and Dissolving Stuck Patterns Sometimes our greatest anxieties can surround areas of stuckness, places where we know what we are doing isn’t working, but we can’t seem to find our way out. This week, Ruth and Steve will discuss second order change and how ...
05.30.2022 Season 16: Episode 5 \| The Freedom of Taking Responsibility This week, Ruth and Steve are talking about differentiation. What is differentiation and how does it differ from individualism? Steve shares his framework of the Four Spaces and explains how paying attention to these spaces can help us differentiate and ...

Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership with Ruth Haley Barton

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Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership with Ruth Haley Barton episodes:

Season 21: Honest Advent | Week 1: Where is God in My Uncertainty?

Season 21: Preparing for Advent: Honest Longings, Honest Questions

Season 20: Episode 7 | This is Fun, Y’all: The Joy and Hope of Transforming Worship

Season 20: Episode 6 | What about my puppets? Beyond Programming to Worship that Changes Us

Season 20: Episode 5 | Worship on Earth as it is In Heaven: The Transforming Power of Diversity

Season 20: Episode 4 | The Pain and the Promise of Communion

Season 20: Episode 3 | Re-thinking Sunday Mornings: Creating Space for God

Season 20: Episode 2 | Beyond Auto Pilot: Worship that is Spiritually Substantive

FROM PATREON: Principles of Transforming Worship

Season 20: Episode 1 | Beyond the Frenzy: Worship that Transforms

FROM PATREON: A Special Conversation about Justice with Sandra Van Opstal

FROM PATREON: Ask Ruth #8: Questions about A Just Lent

REPLAY Season 17: Episode 5 | The Power of Unplugging

REPLAY Season 16: Episode 6 | Second Order Change: Recognizing and Dissolving Stuck Patterns

REPLAY Season 10: Episode 7 | The Classic Spiritual Disciplines

REPLAY: Season 6: Episode 4 | Finding Your Rhythm on Retreat

Special Mini-Episode: A State of the Podcast Announcement

Season 19: Easter Monday | Transforming Post-Resurrection Encounters with Jesus

Season 19: Lent Week 6 | Lament: Saying No to Triumphalism

Season 19: Lent Week 5 | Communal Suffering: Can These Bones Live?

Season 19: Lent Week 4 | Opposing Violent Injustice: Bringing Light to the Darkest Places

Season 19: Lent Week 3 | The Work of Justice: Healing our Broken Ways

Season 19: Lent Week 2 | Colonialism and Christianity: Bible Translation as a Work of Justice

Season 19: Lent Week 2 | Colonialism and Christianity: Bible Translation as a Work of Justice

Season 19: Lent Week 1| Confession: What We Have Done and What We Have Left Undone

Season 19: Lent Ash Wednesday | Invitation to a Just Lent: Learning to Love What God Loves

Season 18: Episode 5 | What about the Congregation? How Everyone Benefits from a Pastor’s Sabbatical

Season 18: Episode 4 | Are You Willing to Quit Your Job: Sabbatical for the Rest of Us

Season 18: Episode 3 | Boundaries: Protecting What is Precious

Season 18: Episode 2 | More Than a Vacation: Planning for a Meaningful Sabbatical

Season 18: Episode 1 | When Sabbath Isn’t Enough: Embracing the Gift of Sabbatical

Bonus: Advent 2022 Year A

Season 17: Episode 11 | Sabbath Journey: Do Something Before You Do Everything

Season 17: Episode 10 | Fruit and Frustration: Creating a Culture Where Everyone Can Rest

Season 17: Episode 9 | Getting Honest About the Challenges of Sabbath Community

Season 17: Episode 8 | Sabbath Leaders Cultivating Sabbath Communities

Season 17: Episode 7 | Sabbath Rhythms During Seasons of Singleness and Care-giving

Season 17: Episode 6 | Sharing Sabbath Presence Within Our Families

Season 17: Episode 5 | The Power of Unplugging

Season 17: Episode 4 | Shabbat: Conversation with a Jewish Rabbi

Season 17: Episode 3 | Sabbath as Resistance

Season 17: Episode 2 | The Poetry of Sabbath

Season 17: Episode 1 | Awakening to God’s Gift of Sabbath

BONUS: A Conversation with Glenn Packiam on Being a Resilient Pastor, Challenges Facing the Church, and Cultivating A Spiritual Life

BONUS: Ask Ruth #5 Excerpt

Season 16: Episode 9 | Transforming Leadership: Spiritual Resources for the Journey

Season 16: Episode 8 | Systems Theory and Leadership: Picking Up the Tools that Diffuse Anxiety

Season 16: Episode 7 | It’s a Human Thing: Systems Theory in Non-Majority Spaces

Season 16: Episode 6 | Second Order Change: Recognizing and Dissolving Stuck Patterns

Season 16: Episode 5 | The Freedom of Taking Responsibility