Posts by Ruth Haley Barton
With Gratitude
Dear Friend, God’s richest blessings to you in this New Year! As we begin 2012, my heart is full of gratitude for the faithful support of our friends in 2011.…
Read MoreChristmas Eve: The Nativity of Our Lord
Lectionary readings for December 24, 2011: Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all…” Titus 2:11 Christmas Eve…
Read MoreAdvent 4: Mary and the Prayer of Indifference
Lectionary readings for December 18, 2011: 2 Samuel 7: 1-11,16; Luke 1:46b-55; Romans 16:25-27; Luke 1:26-38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be…
Read MoreThe Fruit of Active Waiting
Dear Friend of the Transforming Center, Greetings to you this Advent season! During Advent we practice the spiritual discipline of waiting—waiting for the coming of Christ not only in the…
Read MoreAdvent 3: Keepin’ it Real
Lectionary readings for December 11, 2011: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11; Psalm 126; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John…he himself was…
Read MoreAdvent 2: Preparing the Way: Making Confession
Lectionary readings for December 4, 2011: Isaiah 40:1-11; Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13; 2 Peter 3:8-15a; Mark 1:1-8 “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the…
Read MoreAdvent 1: The Darkness of Waiting
Read these Lectionary readings for November 27, 2011: Isaiah 64:1-9; Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; 1 Corinthians 1: 3-9; Mark 13:24-37 “But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be…
Read MorePart 5: Discerning and Doing the Will of God
Editors note: During the launch of the fall ministry season, we offer you part 5 of our eReflections series encouraging you to establish spiritual rhythms that will strengthen the soul…
Read MorePart 4: Self-Knowledge and Self-Examination
Editors note: During the launch of the fall ministry season, we offer you part 4 of our eReflections series encouraging you to establish spiritual rhythms that will strengthen the soul…
Read MorePart 3: Silence and Word, Stillness and Action
Editors note: As we head into the fall ministry season we offer you part three of an eReflections series to encourage you to pay attention to the spiritual rhythms that will…
Read MorePart 2: Solitude and Community
Editors note: As we head into the fall ministry season we offer you part two of an eReflections series to encourage you to pay attention to the spiritual rhythms that will…
Read MorePart 1: Rhythms of Work and Rest
Editors note: As we head into the fall ministry season we offer you an eReflections series to encourage you to pay attention to the spiritual rhythms that will strengthen the soul…
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…
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…
Read MoreWhen Resurrection Takes Time
“The way of possibility is the way of going through.” John S. Dunne It’s a good thing Easter is a season and not just a day because some resurrections take…
Read MoreFlesh-and-Blood Spirituality: Honoring the Body as a Spiritual Practice
“The Christian practice of honoring the body is born of the confidence that our bodies are made in the image of God’s own goodness. As the place where the divine…
Read MoreHoly Week: Practicing the Most Sacred Rhythm of All
“Nothing that has not died will be resurrected.” C.S. Lewis I remember leading a retreat for pastors some years ago in which we talked about that place in the spiritual journey…
Read MoreLent 2011: The Wilderness Within
“The spiritual journey is not a career or a success story. It is a series of humiliations of the false self that become more and more profound.” Fr. Thomas Keating…
Read MoreLent: An Invitation to Return to God
Lectionary readings for Ash Wednesday: Joel 2:1-2, 12-17; Psalm 51:1-17; 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21. “Yet even now, says the Lord, repent and return to me with all your…
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…
Read MoreJoin Ruth Haley Barton for Leaders in Conversation Webinar
Join Ruth Haley Barton on March 22nd at 2:00 EST for a Conversation on Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership. Ruth will guide you through the “How Is It With…
Read MoreMartin Luther King, Jr.’s Strength of Soul
“Every genuine expression of love grows out of a consistent and total surrender to God.” Martin Luther King, Jr. One of the things that disturbs me most about the way…
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…
Read MoreEpiphany: A New Kind of Journey
Lectionary readings for January 6, 2011: Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14; Ephesians 3:1-23; Matthew 2:1-12 “Christians of the future will either be mystics or they will not be.” Karl Rahner…
Read MoreChristmastide: From Waiting to Wonder
Lectionary for Christmas Eve: Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) Lectionary for Christmas Day: Isaiah 52:7-10; Psalm 98; Hebrews 1:1-4 (5-12); John 1:1-14 Tonight marks the end…
Read MoreThe Example of Jesus Christ: Solitude and Silence
To celebrate the launch of the expanded edition of Invitation to Solitude and Silence we’ve posted a series of video clips from an interview done at Mountain Christian Church. In this expanded edition of…
Read MoreAdvent 4: Joseph and the Walk of Faith
Lectionary readings for December 19, 2010: Isaiah 7:10-16; Psalm 80:1-7; 17-19; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-25 “Sooner or later, if we follow Christ we have to risk everything in order to…
Read MoreAdvent 3: Gifts in the Wilderness
For December 12, 2010 Ruth Haley Barton “The desert of which I speak is a desert of the spirit: a place of revelation, conversion, and transformation. A true revelation is…
Read MoreAdvent 2: Necessary Preparations
For December 12, 2010 Ruth Haley Barton “Our spiritual life depends on His perpetual coming to us, far more than our going to him. Every time a channel is made…
Read MoreAdvent 1: The Importance of Staying Awake
“You will find the living God in the pages of the Bible. You will find him also just exactly where you are.” Mother Frances Dominica Guidance for your Lectionary reading,…
Read MoreSolitude, Community and Leadership
“Let him who cannot be alone beware of community. He will only do harm to himself and to the community…But the reverse is also true: Let him who is not…
Read MoreStudy highlights the fact that Christian leaders neglect self-care
This article was linked in a recent eReflections, but we thought it was worth highlighting it here. Read the article on the Associated Baptist Press website. Does the finding…
Read MoreA Blessing For One Who is Exhausted
The Transforming Center exists to guide pastors and Christian leaders into life rhythms that will help them be healthy and vibrant for long haul of ministry. If you recognize that…
Read MorePraying with a Back-Up Plan
“Cowardice keeps us ‘double minded’—hesitating between the world and God. In this hesitation, there is no true faith—faith remains an opinion. We are never certain, because we never quite give…
Read MoreLet Me Live Grace-fully
For many pastors and Christian leaders, the beginning of summer signals a change of pace (hopefully a slower one!) and time for rest and replenishment. On this, the first day…
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…
Read MoreArranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation
I remember the first time I noticed that some people arrange their lives to see sunsets. It was summertime in the Gulf of Florida when the days were hot and…
Read MorePracticing Lent: Preparing for Holy Week
Editor’s note: In this article, guest author Peter Giersch reflects on some of the oldest traditions of the Church for celebrating Holy Week. As he describes the various ways that…
Read MorePracticing Lent: Rain at Winter’s End
?Look, a little cloud no bigger than a person’s hand is rising out of the sea!?? ~I Kings 18:44 I love the way the rain comes at winter’s end to…
Read MorePracticing Lent: Receiving Forgiveness
“While the truth that we cannot escape God’s all-seeing eye may weigh us down at times, it is finally the only remedy for our uneasiness…Only under God’s steady gaze of…
Read MorePracticing Lent: True Confessions
“The things we cannot accept in ourselves we project upon others. If I do not admit my shadow side, I will unconsciously find another who will carry my shadow for…
Read MorePracticing Lent: Cleaning Our Messy House
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.” Psalm 51: 10 In her book Amazing Grace, Kathleen Norris tells the story…
Read MoreGlory to God in the Highest: A Prayer on Christmas Day
Glory to God in the Highest! A Prayer on Christmas Day O Lord, open my lips. And my mouth shall declare your praise. Glory to God in the highest. And…
Read MoreAdvent 4: The Courage to Say Yes
“We are all meant to be mothers of God, for God is always needing to be born.” Meister Eckhart In the fourth week of Advent we begin to move beyond…
Read MoreAdvent 3: The Messenger and the Message
“The house of my soul is too narrow for Thee to come in; let it be enlarged by Thee. It is in ruins. Do Thou restore it.” -Augustine In this…
Read MoreAdvent 2: Necessary Preparations
“The word of God came to John in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As…
Read MoreAdvent: The Courage to Wait
“God comes to us like the sun in the morning…when it is time. We must assume an attitude of waiting, accepting the fact that we are creatures and not the…
Read MoreSweet Hours of Prayer: How Fixed Hour Prayer Nurtures Community
Part II “We are formed together as we learn to pray together. Ancient Jews and Christians uttered sacred prayers together. They did this every day—together. These prayers established sacred rhythms…
Read MoreInvitation to Solitude and Silence: Experiencing God’s Transforming Presence
“Without solitude it is impossible to have a spiritual life.” –Henri Nouwen It is a wonderful thing to be invited. Not coerced or manipulated but truly invited. To the home…
Read MoreAvailable to God on Behalf of Others
“On the day I called, you answered me, you increased my strength of soul.” Psalm 138:3 This week I went to a funeral with my daughter, Haley. It was the…
Read More