Search results for: sabbath
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 as an extension of sabbath, and why it’s so important for the church to build…
Read MoreSeason 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 face as you attempt to “return to rest?” At the end of the episode producer…
Read MoreFinding Freedom Through Sabbath Resistance
“If you aren’t resting, you are a slave to something.” – Adele Calhoun We tend to think of sabbath as being mostly about rest and replenishment—and it is!—but if that’s all we emphasize, it can come across as being rather soft. For those who were first given the gift of sabbath, it was so much…
Read MoreSeason 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 of practicing sabbath herself and the struggles she sees to “lead a sabbath community.” She…
Read MoreSeason 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 and challenges in leading others in the practice. Today Ruth sits down with Jeanne and…
Read MoreSeason 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 and Ruth talk about sabbath keeping in seasons of singleness. Phaedra shares the ways in…
Read MoreSeason 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 with regard to sabbath keeping. In the next two episodes we’re going to speak with…
Read MoreWaking Up to the Gift of Sabbath
“God gave us the Sabbath. Jesus taught us that we weren’t made for the Sabbath but that Sabbath was made for us. Sabbath time is our time, our chance to rest, to worship God, to forgive each other, to taste a wee bit of heaven, and to be more in sympathy with all that is,…
Read MoreSeason 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 whether or not sabbath is just for the privileged few. Cole shares how she experiences…
Read MoreSeason 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 as resistance. Ruth and Drew discuss how the practice of sabbath itself can be a…
Read MoreSeason 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 the themes found in her book. These episodes are for pastors and leaders who are…
Read MoreSabbath in Late Fall
For everything there is a season… Sometimes on the Sabbath all you can do is settle into the soft body of yourself and listen to what it says. Listen to the exhaustion that is deeper than tiredness the hunger that is for more than food the thirst that is for more than drink the longing…
Read MoreSacred Rhythms Series
6-WEEK JOURNEY: Begin this Saturday Slow down and enter into spiritual rhythms that will strengthen the soul of your leadership You’re invited to take a guided journey for leaders written by Ruth Haley Barton. Delivered over 6 weeks, when you sign up you’ll receive: a text message (SMS) prompt on Wednesdays from Ruth to ponder…
Read MorePart 1: Rhythms of Work and Rest
Week 1: Rhythms of Work and Rest by Ruth Haley Barton “We are blessed with inner rhythms that tell us where we are, and where we are going. No matter, then, our fifty and sixty hour work weeks, the refusing to stop for lunch, the bypassing sleep and working deep into the darkness. If we…
Read MoreAlumni Retreat – 2023
Join Ruth and the Transforming Center team A Sabbath Retreat for Transforming Community Alumni In returning and rest you shall be savedReturn to a space where you experience rest, rhythms, and relationships in community July 9-11, 2023 (Sunday through Tuesday) University of St. Mary of the Lake Working with themes from Embracing Rhythms of Work and…
Read MoreSeason 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 included his congregation in his sabbatical planning, how he stayed connected with them and how…
Read MoreSeason 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 need to find a new job at the end of his time away. Ruth and…
Read MoreSeason 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 down with Dr. David C. Alves to discuss how to discern the necessary boundaries each…
Read MoreSeason 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 she responded when her plan for sabbatical coincided with a challenging time for her congregation.…
Read MoreSeason Eighteen
Season 18 When Sabbath is Not Enough: Embracing the Gift of Sabbatical Don’t miss new episodes of Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership podcast with Ruth Haley Barton — subscribe on iTunes, Google Play or Stitcher. This season we continue to celebrate the launch of Ruth’s newest book, Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest From…
Read MoreBonus: 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 practice sabbath keeping. She shares some of the greater themes we find in Advent and…
Read MoreSeason 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 a pastor whose community is living out that practice in a variety of ways. In…
Read MoreThe Apprentice Gathering
With Ruth Haley Barton From Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest: From Sabbath to Sabbatical and Back Again For information and to register, see link below.
Read MoreSeason 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 Tiffany, and the nitty gritty details of how Tiffany goes completely screen-free (and we mean…
Read MoreSeason 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 the Jewish faith, the communal aspect of the practice, and how the activities we engage…
Read MoreSeason Seventeen
Season 17 Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest From Sabbath to Sabbatical and Back Again Don’t miss new episodes of Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership podcast with Ruth Haley Barton — subscribe on iTunes, Google Play or Stitcher. This season we are celebrating the launch of Ruth’s newest book, Embracing Rhythms of Work and…
Read MoreBONUS: 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 so hard for pastors to prioritize their life with God, performing our spirituality vs. cultivating a…
Read MoreBook Launch Sign up
NEW BOOK BY RUTH HALEY BARTON: RELEASES OCT 11, 2022 Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest: From Sabbath and Sabbatical and Back Again “God gave us the Sabbath. Jesus taught us that we weren’t made for the Sabbath but that Sabbath was made for us. Ruth Haley Barton reminds us that Sabbath time is our…
Read MoreFirst Glimpse Quote
First glimpse of Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest: From Sabbath to Sabbatical and Back Again by Ruth Haley Barton “In order for communities to order their lives around sane rhythms of work and rest, it is essential for respected leaders to live within a sustainable lifestyle themselves and to champion sabbath-keeping as a spiritual…
Read MoreSane Rhythms of Work and Rest in Your Life as a Leader
“We are blessed with inner rhythms that tell us where we are, and where we are going. No matter, then, our fifty and sixty hour work weeks, the refusing to stop for lunch, the bypassing sleep and working deep into the darkness. If we stop, if we return to rest, our natural state reasserts itself.…
Read MoreSeason 12: Episode 6 | Putting on the New Nature
Putting off the vices of the old self is only half the equation. We are to put off the old nature and put on the new nature. A great conversation flows around rest and sabbath, forbearance, and forgiveness. A helpful conversation for leaders today. Support the podcast now and immediately receive our Lent bonus Podcast…
Read MoreTC 17
Transforming Community® | 17 Upcoming Events and Opportunities Alumni Retreat | July 9-11, 2023 Take a Sabbath Retreat for yourself this summer! Don’t miss the chance to connect with other alumni during a time that is set apart for rest, worship and delight! transformingcenter.org/alumni-retreat-2023 Pursuing God’s Will Together April 22-24, 2024 (tentatively) Plan ahead to…
Read MoreSpiritual Directors
Spiritual Directors Be Listed as a Spiritual Director The Transforming Center is pleased to offer a listing of spiritual directors* who have completed one or more of our two-year Transforming Community® experiences and have also completed a recognized training program in spiritual direction. Each listing indicates if the spiritual director offers in-person and/or remote (online…
Read MorePodcast
Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership A Podcast with Ruth Haley Barton Welcome to the Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership podcast with Ruth Haley Barton. In each 30-minute episode, you will discover how forging and maintaining your own life-giving connection with God is the best thing you bring to leadership. Apple Podcasts Stitcher Spotify…
Read MoreTransforming Church Retreat
The Becoming a Transforming Church® Retreat Equipping You to Cultivate a Community of Spiritual Transformation Designed for pastors and leaders who long for their churches to become centers for spiritual transformation. Sign up to receive notification of our next Becoming a Transforming Church Retreat. Receive early notice of our next retreat Watch the expanded message…
Read MoreRetreat: The Gift and Necessity of Time Away with God
“If we don’t come apart for while, we will come apart after awhile.” –Dallas Willard Brad is a pastor whose church is going well. Attendance at weekend services is growing steadily, and they have just completed a building project that is enabling them to grow and provide a variety of ministries to meet needs within…
Read MoreSeason 4: Episode 6 | Spiritual Rhythms in the Life of a Leader
The story of Moses and Jethro brings us right into the topic of sane rhythms in the life of the leader. What are the signs we are dangerously tired? What is the role of technology in all that! You won’t believe what Ruth does not have on her iPhone. Everyone is dealing with pace of…
Read MoreThe Desert Blooms
Continuing the story of Transforming Community: Transforming Community 4 (TC4) continued to impact the greater sense of community as more spouses of alumni and a church pastor, along with one of his elders, decided to embark on the transformational journey together. Shared language and experience can have a profound impact on these significant relationships, and it was…
Read MoreEpisode 9 | A Rule of Life: Arranging our Lives for Spiritual Transformation
The final episode of Season 1: Sacred Rhythms in the Life of the Leader. Ruth and Steve wrap up season 1 with a lively discussion of how to put it all together in your own sacred rhythms. Ruth confesses her true feelings about rules before she defines a rule of life and shares why it…
Read MoreObserving Lent: Seeing What We’re Missing
Lectionary readings for Fourth Sunday of Lent Cycle A: 1 Samuel 16:1-13; Psalm 23; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41 Guidance on using the lectionary. “Spiritual masters often refer to a kind of “dread,” the nagging sense that we have missed something important and have been somehow untrue—to ourselves, to others, to God. Lent is a good…
Read MorePart 4 Leading in Rhythm: Three Moves in Self-Examination
“A leader is a person who must take special responsibility for what’s going on inside him- or herself, inside his or her consciousness, lest the act of leadership create more harm than good.” —Parker Palmer There comes a time in the spiritual life when one of the major things God is up to is to…
Read MorePart 2 Leading in Rhythm: Rhythms of Work and Rest
“A Sabbath rest still remains for the people of God…Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest.” —Hebrews 4:9,11 Sabbath-keeping is more than just a day of rest; it is a way of ordering one’s entire life around a pattern of working six days and then resting on the seventh. It is an…
Read MorePart 1 Leading in Rhythm: Beyond the Bondage of Busyness
“We are blessed with inner rhythms that tell us where we are, and where we are going. No matter, then, our fifty and sixty hour work weeks, the refusing to stop for lunch, the bypassing sleep and working deep into the darkness. If we stop, if we return to rest, our natural state reasserts itself.…
Read MoreDreams and Visions
Twenty years ago, as a young minister in my early thirties, I hit a wall in my spiritual life. I was exhausted. I was driven. I was disillusioned. I had sucked every last bit of marrow out of the dry bones of traditional quiet times, noisy church services, chatty small groups, and Christian self-help books.…
Read MorePart 2: Beyond Teamwork: When Leadership Community Is At Its Best
“The more genuine and the deeper our community becomes, the more will everything else between us recede, the more clearly and purely will Jesus Christ and his work become the one and only thing that is vital between us. We have one another only through Christ, but through Christ we do have one another, wholly,…
Read MoreInterview with Ruth Haley Barton Regarding Sacred Rhythms
“Many of us have more clearly developed plans for finances, further education, home improvements and physical fitness than we do for our spiritual lives.” —Ruth Haley Barton An Interview with Ruth Haley Barton What is the significance of the phrase “sacred rhythms”? Ruth Haley Barton: The phrase “spiritual rhythms” is a way of talking about the…
Read MorePentecost: Celebrating the “Spirit” in Spiritual Transformation
Lectionary readings: Acts 2:1-21; Psalm 104:24-34; I Corinthians 12:3b-13; John 20:19-23 This week we celebrate Pentecost—the incarnate and risen Christ present to us in a new way through the gift of the Holy Spirit—enlivening, empowering and transforming us to further Christ’s redemptive mission in the world. Pentecost signals the beginning of Ordinary Time—not because it…
Read MoreCultivating a Culture of Spiritual Transformation in your Church or Organization
“We can never see an organizational field, but we can see its influence by looking at behavior. To learn what’s in the field, look at what people are doing. They have picked up the messages, discerned what is truly valued, and then shaped their behavior accordingly…Organizational life is shaped by the invisible. If we attend…
Read MoreWhat We Believe About Spiritual Transformation
A Biblical and Theological Perspective Following is a brief summary of the core beliefs that form the foundation of our approach to spiritual transformation (spiritual formation). Christ Formed in Us Spiritual transformation is the process by which Christ is formed in us …for the glory of God, for the abundance of our own lives, and…
Read MoreHow the Spiritual Formation of the Pastor Affects Spiritual Formation in the Congregation
“It you attempt to act and do for others or for the world without deepening your own self-understanding, freedom, integrity and capacity to love, you will not have anything to give others. You will communicate to them nothing but the contagion of your own obsessions, your aggressivity, your ambitions, your delusions and ends and means…”…
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