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You are Made for More
We’re made for more. And yet, the road between where we are and where we want to go can feel long and uncertain and sometimes disillusioning. Many of us have…
Read MoreTransforming Center welcomes Executive Director and creates new position, Director of Strategy and Programs
Following a significant search characterized by disciplined discernment, the Transforming Center board is thrilled to announce Rev. Cole Griffin (TC2) as our new Executive Director along with Charity Barton McClure…
Read MoreSpiritual Direction (Part 2): A Space for Rigorous Honesty
Click here to read “Spiritual Direction (Part 1): A Vital Practice for Discerning Leaders.” “The whole purpose of spiritual direction is to penetrate beneath the surface of a [person’s] life,…
Read MoreSpiritual Direction (Part 1): A Vital Practice for Discerning Leaders
“A spiritual director is one who helps another to recognize and to follow the inspirations of grace in his life, in order to arrive at the end to which God…
Read MoreLectio Divina: Engaging the Scriptures for Spiritual Transformation
Lectio Divina (translated “divine [or sacred] reading”) is an approach to the Scriptures that sets us up to listen for the word of God spoken to us in this present…
Read MoreJustice and the Inner Life
In October of 2004, I gave each of my colleagues at International Justice Mission two gifts: a blank leather journal with the words “8:30 Stillness” embossed on the cover and Invitation…
Read MoreTransformation Before My Eyes
“See, I am doing a new deed, even now it comes to light; can you not see it?” (Isaiah 43:19, The Jerusalem Bible) As a former long-term pastor of a congregation,…
Read MoreA Cruciform Journey into the Cruciform God
A journey into God may be the best way to describe Lent and Holy Week. Of course, it is also the best description of the Christian life. In Paul’s words,…
Read MoreSpiritual Direction with Pastoral and Corporate Leaders
“A spiritual director is one who helps another to recognize and to follow the inspirations of grace in his life, in order to arrive at the end to which God…
Read MoreIs the Average Church a Center for Spiritual Transformation?
One of the great mysteries of my life as a pastor’s kid was the fact that many of the adults in my church—some of whom had been attending for many…
Read MoreSoul Care: Dr. Ruth Haley Barton ’81 Ministers to Those in Ministry.
by Michael Murray It’s a question pastors are accustomed to asking: How is it with your soul? Trained to lead people to the heart of the matter, church leaders often…
Read MoreTransforming Center website nominated for Best Marketing in Wheaton Chamber’s Gamon Awards
We are proud to announce that the Transforming Center website has been nominated for Best Marketing in Wheaton Chamber’s Gamon Awards. You can find our listing and the voting ballot…
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 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 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 MoreA Powerful Model for Leadership Transformation: A Two-Year Experience of Spiritual Formation for Leaders
Wheaton, IL–First there were 12. Then 25, then 38—and now 70. Those numbers testify to the quiet-but-steady growth of a spiritual transformation movement specifically designed for those who serve in…
Read MoreMake a Joyful Silence
“On the day I called, you answered me, you increased my strength of soul.” Psalm 138:3 Long ago, a wise spiritual director said to me, “Ruth, you are like a…
Read MoreDiscerning God’s Will Together: Discovering a Process of Leadership Discernment
It was a conversation similar to many I have had with Christian leaders. A pastor from a large church was telling me that his church was going through a major…
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