Henri Nouwen’s words, when he wrote about the Desert Fathers and Mothers are impactful. He noted that solitude is “the place of conversion, the place where the old self dies and the new self is born.”

A few weeks back, I shared that I was heading to a Catholic monastery for an Ignatian silent retreat, and I received so many messages from many of you along with lots of questions. I even spoke with a few of you personally who had never heard of anything like this and would have never considered such an experience. All of that leads me to this post, where I want to share more about the retreat and some of the details of what it was like.

For some context that many of you already know, my church history has been both wonderful and fairly narrow. All of my adult life in the Church has been spent in two very well-known Evangelical Protestant churches. It has been an incredible experience for my family and me. However, as I have had the opportunity to travel around the world, visiting and serving the global Church, I have been exposed to a much broader tapestry of the Christian faith.

What I have come to appreciate is that, much like in business or building a great product, you cannot and should not try to be all things to all people. Different expressions of the Church tend to find their lane and lean into what they are called to be. They work hard to faithfully steward the particular space God has entrusted to them.

This strategy is wise, and I understand it. But for me personally, it also meant that my exposure to parts of the Church that are more contemplative, liturgical, ancient, and Spirit-formed was fairly limited.

Over the years, I have slowly begun exploring that world through reading, learning, and spiritual practices. I have deeply appreciated voices like Richard Rohr, Richard Foster, Ronald Rolheiser, John Mark Comer, Henri Nouwen, and Ruth Haley Barton. Along the way, I have also been shaped by the wisdom of Dallas Willard, Thomas Merton, Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Ávila, John Ortberg, and Trevor Hudson, all of whom invite us into a deeper, quieter life with God.

At some point in that journey of reading and curiosity, I kept encountering the spiritual tradition flowing from Ignatius of Loyola. Ignatius developed what are called the Spiritual Exercises, a set of practices designed to help people slow down, listen to God, and discern the movements of the Spirit in their lives.

What struck me most about Ignatian spirituality was its simplicity and depth. It assumes something that many of us say we believe but rarely practice. God is present and active in our everyday lives, and if we slow down enough, we can learn to notice His voice, His invitations, and even His gentle corrections.

Many of the thinkers I mentioned earlier point to this same idea in different ways. Dallas Willard once wrote, “You must arrange your days so that you are experiencing deep contentment, joy, and confidence in your everyday life with God.” That kind of life does not happen accidentally. It requires intention, rhythm, and space. Thomas Merton warned that the noise of the modern world can easily drown out the deeper life of the soul. And writers like Trevor Hudson remind us that spiritual growth rarely happens in a hurry. Instead, it unfolds slowly through quiet attentiveness to God.

All of that slowly built a curiosity in me.

What would it actually look like to step away from the noise for a few days and simply be with God?

Not leading a meeting.
Not creating a strategy.
Not building something.
Not preparing a deck or a talk.
Just listening.

That question is what eventually led me to sign up for a three-day Ignatian silent retreat.

And yes, the word silent means exactly what it sounds like.

For most of the retreat, there is no conversation. No phones. No meetings. No podcasts. No music. Just prayer, walking, journaling, reflecting on the spiritual direction that is given, and a lot of time alone with God.

For someone who has spent most of his adult life building, leading, and moving at a pretty fast, even hyper pace, this felt both intriguing and a little terrifying.

But as I would soon discover, the silence was not empty. Far from it. It was full and absolutely amazing.

However, let me be clear. The no phone, no talking, and complete silence at first was very uncomfortable.

The first several hours felt strange. My instincts kept reaching for the things I normally depend on. I would instinctively think about checking my phone, reading or researching something online, or filling the quiet with activity. The reality is that my body was in a hurry to get to the next thing. And you know what? There was no “next thing.”

Even my mind felt noisy. It was surprising to realize just how accustomed I have become to constant input and movement.

But slowly, something began to shift.

The quiet and solitude started doing their work.

The pace of my mind slowed down. Journaling felt different when nothing was competing for my attention. Prayer felt less like something I needed to accomplish and more like something I could simply enter. Walking the grounds of the monastery became its own form of prayer.

What I began to experience was something that many of the contemplative writers talk about, but that is hard to understand until you actually live it. There is a strange tension in silence. At first it feels uncomfortable and unproductive. Yet inside that tension, there is something deeply beautiful.

One of the things I have learned from Richard Rohr over the years is that many of us in Western Christianity are trained to seek quick resolution. We tend to see the world in binaries. Right or wrong. Black or white. Productive or wasted time. But life with God is often far more nuanced than that.

Jesus repeatedly invites us beyond simple binary thinking into a deeper way of seeing. Again and again in the Gospels we see Him leading people into a both-and way of living. A life that holds tension while also experiencing abundance.

That is what the retreat began to teach me.

The silence was uncomfortable and beautiful at the same time.
The stillness felt unfamiliar and deeply life-giving.
The absence of noise created space for something fuller.

It reminded me that part of spiritual formation is not always about adding more disciplines to our lives. Many of us, myself included, naturally gravitate toward doing more. More reading. More studying. More building. More activity.

But some of the most important disciplines in the Christian life are actually disciplines of abstinence.

Silence.
Solitude.
Simplicity.
Slowing down.
Letting go of constant input.

Practices that create space rather than filling it.

I often talk with others about how I see this same principle in the artistry of sculpting. Sculpting is an art form where removal, chiseling, and shaping reveal the beauty the artist sees within the stone. The beauty is not created by adding more, but by carefully subtracting what does not belong.

In many ways, spiritual formation works the same way.

As I left the monastery, one thing became clear to me. I want to prioritize a silent retreat each year. Not because it sounds spiritual or dramatic, but because there was something deeply grounding about stepping away long enough to simply be with God. Yet what I really found myself longing for was not just an annual retreat, but a different way of living. A slower, more attentive life with God woven into the everyday rhythms of my days. In many ways, I realized I do not just want to experience this kind of life occasionally. I want to grow into it. To become more centered. More attentive to God’s presence in the ordinary.

In many ways, the experience reminded me of Jesus’ teaching about new wine and new wineskins.

New wine cannot simply be poured into old skins that have been stretched and hardened by years of use. The new wine requires something flexible, something open, something ready to receive what is being poured out.

Silence, solitude, and these kinds of spiritual rhythms begin to do that work in us. They soften the old wineskins of our lives. They loosen our grip on constant activity and productivity. They create space for God to do something new within us.

I left the retreat with a deep sense that God often does His deepest work in our stillest moments.

It reminded me of the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19. A great wind tore through the mountains, then an earthquake, then a fire. Yet the Lord was not in any of those. And after the fire came what many translations call a gentle whisper, but what others describe even more beautifully as the sound of sheer silence.

It was there, in that quiet moment, that Elijah heard the voice of God.

During those three days of silence, God spoke and did a beautiful work in my soul. And when it was time to leave, I found myself wanting more.

Until next time,

Terry

A liminal space is a place or time of transition, representing the “in-between” threshold between “what was” and “next”. Derived from the Latin word limen (threshold), these spaces are often physically, psychologically, or temporally transitional, such as hallways, airports, waiting rooms, or life stages. They are characterized by feelings of nostalgia, eeriness, and discomfort.

It’s been a week since I officially stepped off the team at Life.Church/YouVersion, and it still feels pretty odd. I suppose after 19 years, deep habits, routines, and rhythms are pretty dialed in and set. If you missed that news and announcement, you can read more about it here.

When I was eighteen years old, I started working full time and never looked back. So basically, for 35 years I have been waking up every weekday and heading to work, and generally speaking, it’s been pretty great. I have had some great jobs, gained wonderful experience, and been able to do some pretty amazing things with some of the most brilliant people in the world. And just a few days ago, for the first time ever, I woke up and didn’t have a job. And just to be clear, this is by choice.

I desire to take a few months off of work, to step into a liminal space of honest discomfort. What would be easy for me would be to roll right into something and just keep going. But what I believe would be a better decision is to use this key time of transition, this “in-between,” to get prepared for what is next and new. My prayer for this time is to be restored, rested, and filled, with my mind, body, and spirit full and ready to pour out into what God has planned for me.

Today I check into a Catholic Monastery for an Ignatian Silent Retreat, where the focus is to encounter Christ through silence, solitude, and stillness. I am very excited and have wanted to do something like this for a few years, but never made the time for it. To be honest, I am also extremely nervous about this time, and I know it is going to be very hard. I know I am addicted to my phone, to activity and productivity, as well as progress. I have ebbed and flowed in and out of sabbath, and have not found consistency in this space. I am praying for a bit of a reboot, and for a new and fresh desire for stillness and spaciousness. I am also praying for the Lord to bring clarity around the “new wine” He desires to bring out of me for this next season.

As I exited the Life.Church/YouVersion team, I could not have been more grateful and thankful for the 19 years. The time was tremendous and absolutely amazing. And please know, it was super hard. Those two things can be true at the same time, super hard and absolutely amazing. As God made it clear, it was time to step away and prepare for something new He has for Robin and me.

As we were preparing for the transition, I was reminded again of Dallas Willard’s quote, “The main thing God gets out of your life is not the achievements you accomplish. It's the person you become.” Because of that, I spent a few months working on my Becoming Manifesto. What simply started as a question, “God, who have you made me to be?”, developed into something more. This has become my North Star, my guide for this next season of new. I know He is making new wine. He is breaking new ground. And we desire to step into whatever He has set out for us next.

Until next time,

Terry

I have been writing about the talks Robin and I were able to be a part of at the Holy Spirit Conference in Portland. Again, an absolutely amazing experience, and the fact that I got to be in the room with Tyler Staton, NT Wright, and Tim Mackie…that is just about as good as it gets. If you are not familiar with Tim, I'm sorry! Tim is one of the creators of the Bible Project, and in my opinion one of the most important modern day theologians.

Ok, so here we go. Tim unpacked what do we really mean by "Come Holy Spirit." Let's walk through the talk, and I will do my best to share his key points.

The Paradox Tim Uncovered

The first thing that struck me was Tim's observation about the paradox in this phrase we use constantly. When we say "come," we typically mean something isn't here that we want to be here. Tim talked a lot about his new dog Pippin, and circled back to him regularly. When he calls Pippin from across the yard - "Come!" - he says that precisely because Pippin is over by a tree and Tim needs him to be next to him.

But Tim pointed out that this can't possibly be what we mean about the Holy Spirit, and here's why:

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.” -Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

There is literally nowhere in God's creation where the Spirit isn't already fully present. So when we say "Come Holy Spirit," we certainly don't mean that the Spirit isn't already here. And yet this is our number one most-used phrase in our spiritual gatherings. So what are we really saying?

The Spirit's Presence Throughout Creation

I loved how Tim expanded on this using other psalms. In Psalm 33, we read: "By the word of Yahweh the skies were made, by the ruach (spirit/breath) of his mouth all their inhabitants."

“By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.” -‭‭Psalms‬ ‭33‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Tim highlighted the parallel structure - God's word is associated with the structure of reality (the blue dome of sky), while God's spirit is associated with all the living, animated creatures under that dome. Every breath we take connects us to this reality - we're literally sharing the same "breath" as we inhale and exhale.

Psalm 104 takes this even further: "You take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. You send forth your ruach, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground."

“All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.” - ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭104‬:‭27‬-‭30‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This blew my mind - creation isn't a one-time event in the distant past. It's happening continuously! Every new birth, every breath, every generation is a fresh intimate kiss of God's spirit. Every creature who dies is returning that borrowed breath back to God.

Let that sink in. Back up and read that again. Creation isn't a one-time event, it's happening continuously.

How Jesus Saw Reality

A key insight Tim offered was about how Jesus himself viewed reality. Jesus' perspective was shaped by deep immersion in the Hebrew Scriptures, particularly certain books.

If you count which books Jesus quoted and referenced most often, the clear winner is the Psalms. The runner-up is Isaiah, followed by Deuteronomy and Genesis. These texts, especially the Psalms, formed Jesus' entire worldview and understanding of God's presence.

One of the most powerful moments in Tim's talk was when he connected Jesus' saying about sparrows to this Psalm-shaped worldview. Jesus told his disciples, "Not even a sparrow falls to the ground without your Father knowing it" (Matthew 10:29). This wasn't just a nice metaphor – it was Jesus expressing his deep conviction, formed by Psalms 139, 33, and 104, that God's Spirit is intimately present in every moment of creation.

As Tim put it, "There is nowhere, no when, no what, and no who in which the Spirit is not." Every breath, every moment, every creature, every person – all exist within and because of God's ruach. This is how Jesus saw the world, with such clarity that he could recognize God's presence in the most ordinary moments.

This helps me understand why Jesus could see God at work everywhere - in birds being fed, in seeds sprouting, in the wind blowing across fields. His imagination was saturated with the Psalm-writer's vision of God's spirit animating all creation.

Spirit-Filled People in Scripture

Tim walked us through several examples of spirit-filled individuals in Scripture that I found fascinating:

1. Joseph - When he interpreted Pharaoh's dream and proposed an economic policy solution, Pharaoh exclaimed, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the ruach of God?" (Genesis 41)

2. Bezalel - This artist (whose name means "in the shadow of God") was "filled with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, understanding, knowledge and all kinds of skills" to craft the tabernacle (Exodus 31:3)

3. Micah - This prophet described his calling: "As for me, I am filled with power, with the ruach of Yahweh, and with justice and might" (Micah 3:8)

4. David - Reflecting on his poetry, he said, "The ruach of Yahweh spoke through me, his word was on my tongue" (2 Samuel 23:2)

What's striking is that these were all deeply flawed humans (David, for example, committed adultery and arranged a murder), yet in specific moments, they became vehicles through which heaven and earth aligned.

What I'm Learning About This Prayer

After hearing Tim's talk, I'm seeing at least three layers of meaning when we pray "Come Holy Spirit":

1. We're Asking for Awareness

   We're not asking the Spirit to come from somewhere else; we're asking to "come to our senses" and perceive the reality that's already surrounding us.

2. We're Asking for Partnership

   Like Joseph, Bezalel, Micah, and David, we want our words and actions today to be vehicles for God's presence. We're asking that what we say and do today would contribute to bringing heaven's reality into our earthly situations.

3. We're Asking for Transformation

   At the deepest level, we're asking to become more like Jesus - the human who was perfectly filled with God's Spirit. We're saying, "Holy Spirit, please create me as the Jesus version of me."

Jesus showed us what a fully Spirit-filled human looks like from conception to ascension. Every step was guided by and filled with the Spirit's presence.

How This Enhances My Approach to Tov Leadership

This perspective is shifting how I pray, live, and lead. It should be obvious, but worth calling out, the world doesn't need a version of us driven by fear, self-preservation, and ego. What our families, workplaces, communities, and churches need - what yours needs - is the most Jesus-like version of us.

Tim suggested that the most real version of you already exists, hidden in God. It's not just a possibility - it's your truest self, waiting to be actualized through partnership with the Spirit. All Creation was Tov! Good, not perfect. Dynamic, evolving, moving, living and breathing. You and I were created and were very good. "Tov Meod" (טוֹב מְאֹד). Very good, but as humans, not perfect.

As I consider what this means for Tov Leadership, I see several key implications:

1. Leadership as Partnership with the Spirit - Rather than seeing leadership as something we do through our own power or wisdom, Tov Leadership recognizes that our best contribution comes when we're vessels for the Spirit's presence, just like Bezalel, Joseph, and others. Leadership development must be deeply integrated with Spiritual formation.

2. Leading from Awareness - Leaders who cultivate awareness of God's presence in all things approach decisions, conflicts, and opportunities differently. We lead from a place of seeing what's already happening, what God is already doing, rather than trying to force our own way and agenda. A key that will help us understand that only God controls and owns the outcomes.

3. Developing Others' True Selves - Perhaps our greatest leadership contribution is helping those around us discover and become their most Jesus-like versions. Instead of molding people into what we want them to be, we help them uncover who they truly are in Christ. We realize that the fruit of our leadership now grows on others’ trees.

4. Embracing Our Imperfections - Like David, we can be deeply flawed and still be vehicles for God's spirit in specific moments. This gives us grace for ourselves and others in leadership journeys. As Brené Brown powerfully states, "Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it's having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome." When we embrace this as leaders, we create spaces where others can be their authentic selves. True Spirit-led leadership requires this kind of courage—acknowledging our humanity while allowing God's ruach to work through our imperfections.

5. Leading Through Ordinary Moments - The Spirit's creative work happens in ordinary breaths and everyday moments. Tov Leadership recognizes the sacred potential in seemingly mundane interactions and decisions.

Next time we gather and pray those familiar words, "Come Holy Spirit," I'll remember what we're really asking for:

• To see what's already here, with the Psalm-shaped vision Jesus had

• For my words and actions to reveal God's presence

• To become my truest, most Jesus-like self

• To lead in a way that helps others discover their true selves

I am so grateful and thankful for talks like this, and being exposed to conferences like this that continue to grow and expand my thinking and understanding of Jesus. We must continue to expand our hearts, minds and spirit and never stop growing. Being with Jesus. Becoming Like Jesus. And doing what Jesus did. This has been one of those paradigm-shifting insights that continues to work its way through my thinking, daily life, and leadership approach. I'd love to hear if it impacts you the same way.

Until next time,

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Holy Spirit Conference Writings:

• Small Working Models of New Creation, Session 1

• Beyond 'Going to Heaven': Finding Paradise in God's Presence, Session 2

"You must arrange your days so that you are experiencing total contentment, joy, and confidence in your everyday life with God — that and that alone is what makes a soul healthy." - Dallas Willard

"How do we think wisely and speak clearly about what our life will be between bodily death and bodily resurrection?"

"Where are they now?"

N.T. Wright opened up the second day of the Holy Spirit conference with these deceptively simple questions. They're the kind that might come up at a Thanksgiving dinner after all the political discussions have died down (pun intended). But as pastors and people of faith, these are also the questions we face in our most sacred moments - when sitting with the dying, comforting the grieving, or wrestling with our own mortality.

In typical Wright fashion, he completely reframed how we approach these questions. Instead of asking "How do we get to heaven?", he challenged us to consider "How is God coming home to us?" This shift in perspective opened up a whole new way of understanding the Spirit's role in our lives, death, and future resurrection.

A New Way of Seeing

The traditional Western Christian narrative about death usually goes something like this: our immortal soul leaves our body and goes to heaven. It's a nice, neat package that fits on a sympathy card, or in a modern church sermon. But Wright was direct in his critique: this common view simply isn't biblical. As a biblical scholar, he emphasized that the New Testament never uses the word "heaven" to describe the place of the righteous dead, nor does it use "soul" to describe our ultimate state.

This idea of an immortal, disembodied soul comes not from Scripture but from Greek philosophy. Wright points specifically to Plutarch, a first-century pagan priest and biographer, who taught: "We humans have an immortal soul which came from heaven and has taken up temporary residence here and is looking forward to going back home at the appropriate time." Wright notes the irony that this pagan philosophical view has become what many Christians believe about death. When the Bible uses the word "soul," it typically means "life" - the whole, breathing, embodied existence of a person.

The biblical story is far richer and more profound. It's not about us escaping to some distant realm, but about God coming home to dwell with His creation:

• First through Jesus in the incarnation

• Now through the Spirit at Pentecost and in believers

• Finally when Christ appears and creation is renewed

The Spirit as Life-Bearer

Here's what struck me deeply: The Holy Spirit isn't just preparing our "souls" for a distant heaven - He's actively holding our whole selves in life, even through death, until resurrection. Paul puts it beautifully in Romans.

"If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you." - Romans 8:11

This means the Spirit who shapes us now is the same Spirit who will hold us after death and ultimately raise us to new life. It's all one continuous work of God coming home to His creation.

Beyond "Going to Heaven"

Wright specifically warns against our casual use of the phrase "going to heaven" to describe what happens after death. When Jesus told the thief on the cross "Today you will be with me in paradise," He wasn't describing our final destination. As Tim Mackie has explained as well, the word paradise (Greek: paradesos) specifically means "garden" - the Garden of Eden. This raises a fascinating puzzle: When exactly is paradise? We see it in the past (Genesis), the immediate future (Jesus and the thief), the cosmic future (Revelation), and even the present (Paul's experience of being caught up to paradise).

The key to understanding this puzzle, both Wright and Mackie suggest, is that paradise isn't primarily about a place or time - it's about presence with Jesus. As Mackie puts it, it's about encountering the One who is the "Eternal Now," the Person who makes every moment and molecule possible. This isn't just theoretical - it's deeply practical. Paradise becomes accessible whenever we move beyond our surface-level consciousness into a deeper awareness of God's presence, whether that's through prayer, worship, or the Spirit's unexpected interventions in our daily lives.

This understanding transforms how we think about both death and life. Paradise isn't primarily about escaping to a distant realm - it's about being with Jesus, who through His Spirit makes every moment potentially sacred ground. After all, Jesus Himself didn't remain in paradise - He was raised bodily on the third day. The same will be true for us. The biblical story isn't about escaping earth for heaven; it's about heaven coming to earth through Spirit-filled people who are learning to live in consistent awareness of God's presence.

Living in the Now and Not Yet

As I process this through my own journey of spiritual formation (and as an Enneagram 8 who loves clarity and direction), I'm struck by how this reshapes not just our view of death, but how we live now. According to Wright, the Spirit's work isn't just about preparing us for some future state - it's about transforming us in the present and making us participants in God's ongoing work of renewal.

The Spirit that will one day give life to our mortal bodies is the same Spirit working in us now. This means we're not just waiting for some future paradise - we're called to be what Wright describes as "small working models of new creation." Through the Spirit's presence, we become living previews of God's renewed world in action.

This shows up in three key ways:

1. How we face suffering - The Spirit is just as present in our pain as in our victories, transforming rather than bypassing our struggles

2. How we view our bodies - Our physical existence isn't something to escape but something to be transformed through the Spirit's work

3. How we engage in mission - We're not just saving souls for heaven but participating in God's work of bringing heaven's life to earth

Wright suggested this happens as we:

1. Stand humbly in the Divine Council through prayer - bringing the world's needs before God

2. Stand boldly in human councils through witness - carrying God's presence into every sphere of life

This "now and not yet" perspective changes everything. It means every moment holds the potential for divine encounter, every space can become sacred ground, and every action can participate in God's work of renewal. We're not just waiting for God's future - we're becoming part of it now through the Spirit's transforming presence.

A Prayer for Us All

Lord, expand our vision to see what Your Spirit is doing. Shape us into people who can stand both humbly in Your presence and boldly in the world's need. May we be carriers of Your homecoming, vessels through which Your kingdom comes "on earth as it is in heaven."

Until next time,

Holy Spirit Conference Writings:

• Small Working Models of New Creation, Session 1

Recommended Reading:

• N.T. Wright's "Surprised by Hope"

• Dallas Willard's "The Divine Conspiracy"

• John Ortberg's "Soul Keeping: Caring for the Most Important Part of You"

Additional Resources:

• The Bible Project's "Heaven & Earth" video series

• The Bible Project's Q&R episodes on Paradise and the Afterlife

• Paradise Now by Tim Makie

"You must arrange your days so that you are experiencing total contentment, joy, and confidence in your everyday life with God — that and that alone is what makes a soul healthy." - Dallas Willard

Over the next few weeks, I'll be unpacking each talk from the Bridgetown Holy Spirit Conference. My goal is to capture not just the content, but the impact - what stirred my spirit and challenged my thinking. While no written reflection can fully convey being in those moments, I hope these posts will give you a glimpse of what God was doing in our midst.

Friday night opened with N.T. Wright setting a powerful foundation for what would become a transformative series on "The Kingdom, Now and Not Yet." As I sat listening to him explore the Holy Spirit and the Church's role in God's new creation, one phrase kept emerging that captured my imagination: the Church as a "small working model of new creation." This concept, woven throughout his message, has profound implications for how we understand both our individual calling and our collective purpose as the Church.

The Pattern of New Creation

Wright traces a fascinating pattern through Scripture, from Genesis to Acts. In Genesis, God's Spirit hovers over the waters, bringing order and beauty from chaos. At Pentecost, that same Spirit comes to create a new kind of order - not uniformity, but what Wright calls "differentiated unity." The Church becomes the place where diverse people and gifts come together in harmony, modeling what God intends for all creation.

More Than Just a Signpost

What struck me most was Wright's insistence that the Church isn't just pointing to God's future new creation - we're meant to be an active embodiment of it. Like the ancient tabernacle and temple, we're meant to be the place where heaven and earth meet, where God's presence dwells. But unlike those physical structures, we're a living, breathing community filled with the Spirit.

The Dual Calling

Wright highlighted two essential aspects of becoming these "small working models":

1. A People of Lament: We're called to stand in the world's pain, groaning with creation, interceding for God's kingdom to come. This isn't passive sympathy but active participation in the Spirit's work of renewal.

This point landed as a loving but firm jab to my spirit. As an Enneagram 8, I naturally gravitate toward action, solutions, and forward movement. Lament, grief, sitting with emotions, and slowing down are not my natural rhythms. Yet here was Wright, echoing what the Spirit has been pressing into my life - the necessity of standing in the world's pain, and often harder; my pain, rather than rushing to fix it. This theme would later be amplified powerfully in Gemma Ryan's closing session (more on that in a future post).

2. A People of Commission: Just as Jesus was sent by the Father, we're sent to be His presence in the world. The Spirit equips us not just for our own transformation, but to be agents of transformation.

The Challenge and Promise

Wright delivered a powerful critique of what he calls the "evacuation theology" that has dominated much Western Christianity. This view sees salvation primarily as souls escaping earth to go to heaven, treating the physical world as temporary and ultimately disposable. As Wright pointed out, if Ephesians 1:10 had been taken as the watchword of the church in the 16th century, the entire history of Western Europe and North America would have been different.

The biblical hope, Wright emphasized, is not the Platonic hope that our souls will eventually escape through some tortuous journey to end up in a place called heaven. Instead, the living God always intended to dwell with His people. He did this in the Tabernacle, in the temple, in Jesus (who "pitched his tent among us"), and now through the Spirit in the church. The goal isn't to escape earth for heaven, but for heaven and earth to come together - first in the church as a working model, and ultimately in all of creation.

This vision radically challenges both individualistic and escapist versions of Christianity. We're not waiting rooms for souls bound for heaven - we're meant to be places where Heaven and Earth intersect right now. We're called to be advance signs of God's promise that one day "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (Habakkuk 2:14).

Practical Implications

Being a "small working model of new creation" means:

• Taking our unity in diversity seriously

• Standing with those who suffer

• Living as communities of hope

• Demonstrating God's justice and peace

• Being signs of God's future in the present

Looking Forward

Wright's image of "small working models" offers both humility and hope. We're small, were human and finite - we don't have to pretend we've got it all figured out. For the love, I am not sure I have anything figured out! But we're working - actively participating in what God is doing. And we're models - showing the world a glimpse of what God intends for all creation.

The phrase reminds me of Jesus' parables about the kingdom - the mustard seed, the leaven in the dough. Small things through which God does His big work. May we embrace this calling to be faithful small working models, trusting that the Spirit who hovered over creation's waters is the same Spirit working in and through us today.

Leading Small Working Models in our Vocation

Wright emphasized that God's plan for new creation isn't just about Saturday or Sunday worship or "spiritual" activities - it encompasses all of human vocation. Just as God gave humans the task of tending and cultivating creation in Genesis, our work today is meant to be part of God's restorative purpose. Our vocations - whether in business, ministry, education, or any other field - are meant to be spaces where God's future breaking into the present becomes visible.

This understanding transforms how we view leadership and organizational life. If our workplaces are meant to be "small working models of new creation," then everything should change - from how we structure our organizations to how we measure success. Here are several key principles for leading with this vision:

1. Differentiated Unity in Practice

Just as the Spirit at Pentecost created unity while preserving diversity, our organizations should:

• Celebrate different perspectives and approaches

• Build teams that complement rather than clone

• Create cultures where unity doesn't require uniformity

• Value each person's unique contribution to the whole

2. Counter-Cultural Leadership

Wright's emphasis on the "upside-down kingdom" suggests leadership should:

• Prioritize serving over being served

• Focus on formation over mere performance

• Build sustainable, life-giving rhythms

• Model vulnerability and authenticity

3. Spaces of New Creation

Our organizations can become "thin places" where heaven meets earth through:

• Just and equitable practices

• Cultivation of beauty and excellence

• Care for both people and creation

• Integration of spiritual formation with daily work

4. Signs of Hope

Like the ancient temple, our organizations can be places where:

• People experience God's presence

• Healing and restoration happen

• Justice and mercy meet

• The future breaks into the present

5. Communities of Formation

Leadership in this context means:

• Prioritizing character over competency alone

• Creating space for spiritual growth

• Integrating prayer and discernment into decision-making

• Viewing profit and productivity as means, not ends

The challenge for leaders is to resist the gravitational pull of business as usual and instead create spaces where God's new creation can take root and flourish. This might mean slower growth, different metrics of success, and practices that seem counter-intuitive to conventional wisdom. But if we truly believe we're called to be small working models of new creation, then our leadership must reflect that reality.

This aligns deeply with what I've been learning and writing about with Tov leadership - the Hebrew concept of "good" that implies fulfilling the purpose for which something was created. Tov leadership and spiritual formation are inseparable; we cannot lead beyond where our spiritual formation has taken us. As Wright reminded us, God's project isn't to snatch people away from Earth to Heaven but to colonize Earth with the life of Heaven. This transforms both the purpose and practice of our leadership.

When we embrace this vision, our organizations become spaces where people can flourish as they were created to be, where work becomes worship, and where we participate in God's new creation breaking into the present. It requires us to resist being just about performance-based metrics and instead integrating formation, character, and the slow work of cultural transformation. Leading the whole person is a great start. We're not just building successful organizations - we're cultivating spaces where God's new creation can take root and flourish in the here and now.

What is the right next step for you, for me, for us collectively? May the Holy Spirit guide us on this journey.

Until next time,

"You must arrange your days so that you are experiencing total contentment, joy, and confidence in your everyday life with God — that and that alone is what makes a soul healthy." - Dallas Willard

Robin and I are currently in Portland where we had the incredible privilege of attending the Holy Spirit Conference, hosted by Bridgetown Church. The anticipation had been building for weeks - I mean, N.T. Wright and Tim Mackie on the same stage? That's like a Bible nerd's dream come true! These two have shaped my understanding of Scripture in profound ways through their books, podcasts, Bible Project videos and teaching over the years.

As I sit here processing the conference, one theme continues to surface above all others: the tension of the "Now and Not Yet" of God's Kingdom. This sacred tension isn't just a theological concept - it floods into every aspect of our lives as followers of Jesus. We see the Kingdom breaking in, yet we also experience the reality that it's not fully here.

Gemma Ryan captured this beautifully in her session on suffering and the Holy Spirit. She brought a powerful perspective that, honestly, you don't often hear in our Western church context. Using three profound images - The Cup, The Cross, and The Crucible - she unpacked the reality that the Spirit is just as present in our suffering as He is in our victories. This message doesn't exactly align with our American up-and-to-the-right, “winning” theology, does it? But it's exactly what many of us need to hear. She quoted Ronald Rolheiser's sobering truth: "Any pain we do not transform, we will transmit." That hit me hard. How often do we try to bypass our pain instead of allowing the Spirit to transform it? The Holy Spirit isn't just the power for miracles; He's also our comfort in pain, our strength in weakness, and our hope in waiting. Gemma reminded us that spiritual maturity means embracing both the power and pain of faith, allowing the Spirit to form us into Christlikeness through every season.

Then there were the firehoses of content from N.T. Wright and Tim Mackie - I'll be processing their talks for months! Wright, in his brilliant way, showed us how the Spirit is actively reversing the tower of Babel story. Instead of scattering and dividing, the Spirit is creating a diverse but unified body - the Church as God's new temple. Then he dropped a perspective that left me stunned: the Church is meant to be a small working model of new creation. Wow! Not just a group of people waiting for heaven, but an actual preview of God's renewed world in action. But it was his second talk that really resonated deeply. He challenged how many of us have inherited a highly Platonised version of Christianity, where 'heaven' is seen as some distant place where disembodied souls float away to after death. This view, he explained, comes from Roman philosophers before Jesus' time and is remarkably different from the Jewish understanding that Jesus and His followers would have held. Walking us through 2 Corinthians 5, he showed how the biblical hope isn't about souls escaping to heaven but about resurrection - full bodily resurrection empowered by the Spirit. The Jewish scriptures and Jesus' own words consistently point to something far more revolutionary: God coming to Earth to dwell with His people. This isn't just theological hair-splitting; it completely reframes how we understand the Spirit's work in our lives right now. The Spirit isn't just helping us get ready for some distant heavenly existence; He's actively preparing our whole selves - body, soul, and spirit - for resurrection life. It's not about escaping earth for heaven; it's about heaven coming to earth through Spirit-filled people. When you grasp this, you start to see why being a "working model of new creation" matters so much - we're not just waiting for God's future, we're embodying it now.

Tim Mackie brought his characteristic depth to understanding what we mean when we pray "Come, Holy Spirit." He opened up Psalm 139 to show that the Spirit is already present everywhere - our prayers aren't about getting the Spirit to show up, but about becoming aware of His constant presence. This hit me hard. How often do I miss the Spirit's work because I'm looking for the extraordinary while He's moving in the ordinary moments of my day?

As I think about what it means to be Kingdom people and Kingdom leaders in light of all this, several key takeaways keep stirring in my spirit:

First, this journey of leadership requires us to embrace tension and diversity. I'm learning that true Kingdom leadership isn't about creating uniformity but fostering what Wright called "differentiated unity." Just as the Spirit at Pentecost didn't eliminate differences but unified diverse voices, we're called to lead in a way that celebrates different perspectives while maintaining unity in mission.

Second - and this really challenges me - we must embrace the power of lament alongside celebration. Gemma's teaching reminded me that spiritual maturity, especially as leaders, means holding both joy and sorrow. The Psalms show us this path: honest lament that leads to hope. As leaders, we need to model this for our teams and communities.

Third, we've got to resist our culture's addiction to instant results. This one hits close to home for me. The Spirit often works slowly, deeply, transforming us and our communities over time. Kingdom leadership means trusting this slower, more profound work rather than chasing quick wins.

Fourth, we need a fresh understanding of how the Spirit works in leadership. It's not just about dramatic moments or powerful experiences. The Spirit works through wisdom, administration, teaching, and discernment - all the ordinary yet sacred ways we serve our teams and communities.

Finally - and this ties back to Gemma's powerful teaching - we must embrace the role of suffering in leadership formation. The crucible moments, the Gethsemane experiences, aren't obstacles to our leadership; they're essential parts of being shaped into Christ-like servants. As she reminded us, "Any pain we do not transform, we will transmit."

The question I'm sitting with is this: How can we build communities and lead organizations in a way that truly embodies this "working model of new creation" that Wright talked about? It means being people who embrace both the power and the pain, the celebration and the lament, the instant and the slow, all while staying deeply connected to the Spirit's presence in every moment.

To be honest, there was so much amazing content from these talks that I'm still processing it all. I might need to write a dispatch for each session just to unpack everything and allow myself to process it through writing. We'll see. Sometimes the deepest truths need time to settle in our spirits before we can fully grasp their implications for our lives and leadership.

This isn't the kind of leadership that typically gets celebrated in conferences or goes viral on social media. But it's the kind of leadership our world desperately needs - leaders who understand that the Kingdom is both now and not yet, who can hold tension with grace, and who are being shaped by the Spirit into previews of God's future reality.

Until next time,

Terry

---

"The Spirit is not just about power for ministry; He's about presence for transformation." – N.T. Wright

Embracing New Rhythms: A Fresh Start in 2025

We're ten days into the new year, and here's a reality check: if you set goals or planned life changes, statistics suggest you might be wavering or have already given up. But before you abandon those aspirations, pause and consider this powerful truth:

"We overestimate what we can do in the short term and underestimate what we can do in the long term."

Don’t stop! Offer yourself some grace; today is a new and fresh day!

The Dance of Universal Rhythms

Have you ever noticed how deeply rhythm is woven into the fabric of existence? It's not just in music or the beating of our hearts – it's in the very architecture of the universe. Each day marks our planet's dance with the sun. Every month traces the moon's graceful cycle. And years? They're measured by Earth's grand orbital journey around the sun. These aren't arbitrary divisions – they're nature's own timekeeper, offering us continuous opportunities for renewal.

We find ourselves at one of these natural inflection points: a new year. It's more than just changing a calendar; it's an invitation to reboot, restart, retool, or perhaps most powerfully, to let certain things die. Because here's the profound truth: death and life are themselves rhythms, an eternal cycle where endings birth beginnings. Learning to embrace daily "deaths" – letting go of what no longer serves us – can lead to a life of beautiful surrender.

The Modern Paradox of Time

Consider how our relationship with time has evolved. The town clock in medieval squares served as a community heartbeat, orchestrating trade and social connection. Then came the Industrial Revolution's "time clock," transforming time into a measure of productivity. This shift fundamentally changed our relationship with time, often not for the better.

John Ortberg recently shared Dallas Willard's insights on "How to Get the Urgent Off Your Back," where Willard offered this striking definition:

"Hurry is the state of frantic effort one falls into in response to inadequacy, fear, and guilt." — Dallas Willard

This definition invites us to examine our relationship with hurry. While urgency sometimes has its place, the frantic energy born from inadequacy, fear, or guilt is not the life that we are intended to live. That IS NOT life and life to the full or the abundant life that Jesus calls for in the gospel of John. That's why Willard urges us to "ruthlessly eliminate hurry" from our lives.

Learning from the Unhurried Christ

Consider Jesus, history's most influential leader. The Gospels never once describe him running or hurrying. He moved with purpose but never with panic. As N.T. Wright beautifully articulates:

"If you want to know who God is, look at Jesus. If you want to know what it means to be human, look at Jesus. If you want to know what love is, look at Jesus. If you want to know what grief is, look at Jesus, and go on looking until you're not just a spectator, but you're actually part of the drama which has Him as the central character." — N.T. Wright

The Power of Being

As I embrace this new year, my focus word is simple yet profound: Be. Not do, not achieve, not accomplish – just be. Will I falter? Absolutely. Will some days feel like steps backward? Certainly, but as the universal rhythms continue their eternal dance, my prayer is to gradually become more aligned with my true nature, the person I was created to be.

Our Invitation

What needs to die in your life so something new can be born? What frantic efforts born of fear or inadequacy are you ready to lay to rest? Remember, death isn't just an ending – it's the soil from which new life springs.

Take a moment today. Breathe deeply. And consider: what are you ready to bury so something beautiful can grow in its place?

Recommendations:

John Ortberg's 1994 notes from a workshop with Dallas Willard (YouTube)

Top 7 Money Making Hacks for 2025 - The Diary of a CEO (Spotify)

Blueprint for a Transformative Year: The Knowledge Project (Spotify)

This was a pretty cool week in many ways. One way is I celebrated my 18th year at LIfe.Church. What a crazy ride! Nothing I would have ever imagined when we relocated from Dallas to Oklahoma. The journey has been full of so many highs and also had many challenges. I have grown in ways I would have never fathomed and been able to be a part of some fantastic moves of God. What a gift. In the words of the great Cousin Eddie, “It's the gift that keeps on giving all year long Clark!"

Until next time, Terry.

As a family, we had a fantastic Christmas. Robin and I flew down to Florida and attended Life.Church Wellington and West Palm Beach Christmas services. Then, Reia flew into Orlando (on her 23rd birthday), and we spent Christmas and a few days with Reese, who is currently in the Disney College Program. Five parks in two days—come on!

What a special time it was. By next Christmas Reia will be married and in Med School, so we knew we needed to seize this opportunity. Seasons change and this one has been pretty great, and I know the next chapter with Riley as a son-in-law will be different, but I also believe it will be pretty awesome.

A fourteen year tradition of spending New Year’s Eve with some of our best friends continued! Brian and Maureen moved to Portland a few years ago, and we did miss the first year they moved. However, last year Robin and I flew to Portland and continued the tradition; this year we flew into Las Vegas and spent the day with them. They currently have a foster baby and couldn’t get away overnight, so we opted to meet in Vegas, have coffee, lunch and just spend some long overdue time together even though it was short. Friendship is so important, and even though we are thousands of miles and don’t connect like we used too, we instantly caught back up like the good ol’ days.

Over the last 16 years, I have been following Chris Brogan’s concept of having a “Word of the Year.” Many have adopted, modified, and enhanced this idea, but generally speaking, it has been a great exercise in seeking clarity and direction from God in areas He is pressing into my spirit. This has also been a part of NYE discussions with the Russells. We had a great discussion over lunch about our 2024 and 2025 words.

This year’s word came to me quickly and early. In mid-December, I was journaling when a few thoughts dropped into my mind. After just a few minutes of processing and writing, the word Occupy became abundantly clear as my word.

Dave Adamson, in his book 52 Hebrew Words Every Christian Should Know, writes about the Hebrew word anavah. We often translate anavah as “humility,” but its literal definition is to occupy your God-given space in the world—to neither overestimate yourself and your abilities nor underestimate them. For a lot of reasons, I feel like I haven’t been fully occupying my God-given space. In some areas, I believe my God-given abilities have grown, changed, and developed, requiring me to make adjustments to fully leverage and steward them well.

Here are a few key closing thoughts on Occupy:

• Self-Awareness: Recognize your God-given identity and strengths. They change over time and through seasons.

• Stay Centered: Don’t overstep, but don’t retreat either. Don’t bury the talents or over use them.

• Lead in Every Moment: Occupy each moment fully. Often, the smallest moments are the most significant. Have eyes to see, and compassion to respond and “be.”

• Make Room: Create intentional space for others to step in, step up, and occupy their space. Remember, the fruit of your leadership grows on others' trees.

Update: On our flight to Vegas, I started to read one of my “annual reads” for the year, Falling Upward. As I made it through the introduction and taking copious notes, underlining, and plenty of asterisks, something really pressed into my spirit. As a second-half-of-life person, living in a first-half-of-life culture, I must stay true and embrace the second half. Occupy feels like a first-half word, but the word “Be” is what I am after. Me, my true self, who God created me to be and continues to refine, shape, and break must continue to be self-aware, centered, lead in each moment, and make room! 2025 will be a year of Be’ing me.

Favorite reads of 2024 (not in order)

1. The New Tao of Warren Buffett

2. The Sacred Overlap

3. Becoming Dallas Willard

4. From Strength to Strength

Annual must reads:

• Soul Keeping

• Falling Upward

Things I am excited about in 2025

• Reia getting married 💍

• Alaskan Cruise 🛳️

• Full year of tennis with no injuries 🙏

• Stamping my 2025 Bingo card 😎

• Celebrating YouVersion reaching 1 Billion Installs 🌍

Let’s make this a great year by staying curious, opting for experiences over things, and fully stewarding, and resting in our God given callings. I’m excited to share my journey, and hear from you as well.

Terry

This experiment involves testing my personalized ChatGPT instance, which I am training to communicate in my style and to leverage the sources and thought leaders I deeply respect.

With this personalized AI engine, I have written an article based on my day’s spiritual readings and areas of reflection. Today's readings focused on a topic that I found very interesting yet knew little about: Lament. Why am I doing this? Well, I want to deeply understand and utilize this new technology. I also recognize that one of the best ways to learn and retain information is to teach or share it. Each day’s content involves spending a significant amount of time reading, reflecting, researching, and then integrating this information into my ChatGPT engine with numerous prompts, responses, and guidance for updates, edits, or additions. I've found this process to be fun, insightful, and helpful.

I hope you enjoy them! Please feel free to comment or share your thoughts on the articles, and let me know if you notice anything off or inaccurate.

1. Embracing the Art of Lament: Finding Hope in Psalm 13

2. Embracing Lament: Learning from Heman's Heartfelt Cry in Psalm 88

3. Lament: A Pathway to Honest Prayer and Healing

4. Embracing Lament: Lessons from Psalm 61

5. The Pathway from Lament to Praise: Navigating Life’s Seasons with Faith

I know…I know…it’s been a while. Six months, to be exact! When I set out on this writing journey with my Dispatch, I said that I’d write and share when it’s flowing and that I wouldn’t stress when it’s not. Simply put, when I don’t want to write, I don’t. I told myself this because years ago I found myself a bit of a slave to the system I had created. I let an artificial deadline of a weekly dispatch drive me to nearly hate writing and sharing. So, I changed my mindset so this wouldn’t happen again. 

As the title of the post says, this year has been a year of listening, contemplation, and new. I have not been in a state of sharing because I really needed to be listening and processing all that God has been doing in my family and me. I’m going to share it with you in no particular order. A random smattering of topics is coming your way. 

First up, I turned 49 this year. Yes, I am living in my 50th year. I do believe age is more of a mindset, but I cannot argue with my body and its lack of recovery. Last year I had knee surgery, and this year I have really challenging shoulder issues that require ongoing physical therapy. The hardest part of this for me is when my shoulder prevents me from playing tennis, which is my “getaway and stress reliever.” The good news is that I am making good progress and back on the court, but I’m just not as competitive as I would like. As I get older, I am more keenly aware how important taking care of my whole self is. Rob Bell once said, “Everything is Spiritual,” and I would completely agree. Mind, Body, Spirit, Soul…we need to take care of ALL of it. As we age, it’s critical to stretch and do strength training so that our muscles don’t grow dormant. This is an area I need to do better in. 

This year has also been a big year for new! Literally all the “big” things in life have changed outside of my marriage. Robin and I are still going strong and celebrated 25 years of marriage in May. That’s a big deal! Also, I have a new(ish) role at YouVersion, we moved into a new house, and we have some new family dynamics. 

Our new family dynamics are that we are entering the “empty nest” phase of life. Our youngest, Reese, graduated high school and is heading to Stillwater, Oklahoma, to start college. Robin and I are very excited about this new time in our lives. It’s not that we won’t miss Reese, but our job as parents is to launch our kids well. And we believe we have given everything we knew to give to both Reese and her older sister, Reia. In anticipation of the empty nest, we decided to downsize, which led us to a new house. We literally just moved a few miles north of our old home in Oklahoma City, and we already LOVE our neighborhood and community. 

My new role at YouVersion isn’t completely new but more newish. We have been looking to expand our executive team at YouVersion, and this year we did! God blessed us with three outstanding executive leaders, and this allowed me to step out of the Chief Operations Officer role and back into a passion of mine, which is the product and technical side of YouVersion. I am back as the Chief Product Officer of YouVersion leading all product and engineering. It’s a major shift from my role as COO, but I’m so glad to be back in this seat. Robin and I had been sensing God preparing us for a change, and now we know why. A great thing to remember is that life is a journey. All things will change over time and there will be seasons that come and seasons that go. These can be hard at times, but I am allowing sadness and joy to cohabitate in each new season! I don’t know what other new seasons will come, but I trust Christ, and know His plans are good. 

Our family recently visited some new countries together. For Reese’s graduation trip, we took a cruise that departed out of Barcelona, Spain. We circled the French Riviera in the Mediterranean Sea and were able to explore Barcelona, Spain; Cannes, France; Florence, Naples, and Pompeii, Italy. We finished off the trip by visiting the Spanish islands of Mallorca and Ibiza. It was a fantastic trip that included so many good memories and experiences. One such experience was getting tattoos. Robin opted out, but the girls and I went to the famous Meatshop Tattoo in Barcelona. Reia got a cross, Reese went with amore, and I did the heaven & earth merger. 

Now for a random smattering of topics.

Music, Concerts, the Upside-Down Kingdom and All Things AI and Internet Related

Music is something I love so much, and I often tease Robin about getting back into drums and playing again. Not sure that will happen, but maybe that will show up in a new post in the future. (I’m thinking a 50th birthday gift!) 

The concerts I have attended so far this year include Alter Bridge and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Both shows were fantastic! Mark Tremonti is one of my favorites, and Bruce is still The Boss! Seeing a 70+ year old dude bringing it at full steam for two and a half hours is impressive. This summer I will see Metallica, my all-time favorite band, in Dallas with my brother, and I can’t wait. Metallica launched the long anticipated album 72 Sessions that I have to say was a little disappointing. (Despite my refusal to admit that to my brother at first.) Sure, it’s Metallica, and they are amazing, but I just don’t think the album just has lived up to the anticipation. 

Another all-time favorite band of mine is the Foo Fighters, and sadly, they lost drummer Tyler Hawkins to a tragic drug overdose in March. I was unsure of the future of the band, but Dave and the crew launched But Here We Are — an amazing album that is pretty emotionally heavy but also fantastic. I have to believe my love for this album was fueled by reading Dave’s book Storyteller where you come to really understand the deep friendship between Dave and Tyler. 

And finally, in my opinion, one of the best bands of the recent decade — Greta Van Fleet. They released Starcatcher and the single Meeting the Master. WOW 🤯 —  it’s just amazing! Between Foo and Greta you can hear a deep calling for something authentic and greater than oneself. The raw emotion in many of the songs is deep and compelling. There’s much depth and meaning wrapped inside Meet the Master. 

When one’s focus and devotion lands on an entity or individual other than Jesus, problems and pain ensue. There has been so much pain brought by the “church,” if you will, because people have chosen to follow a man (or woman) instead of the Son of Man. Jesus has such a different message. He teaches about the upside-down Kingdom of God where the first shall be last. This is a challenge to those of us who are apprenticing under Jesus and learning to love our neighbors well and live Matthew 4 out as best as we can. Tim Mackie nailed it on this topic here. 

I don’t have the time now to share all my thoughts and how I’m processing this next chapter of the Internet that’s upon us. Yes, there is so much hype, and a lot of scare tactics and fear-mongering happening around AI. I do think we must handle this next chapter with care, but I just do not buy into the scarcity and fear that some are bringing. I do believe we will see a massive shift in technology these next few years that will be fueled by AI. It will touch us all, because it will impact healthcare, consumer interactions, education, and so much more. As a YouVersion team, we have been working in this space for years. We are currently working on some really exciting uses for AI and the Bible App. I’m not ready to share any specifics, but I believe this technology has the potential to be a powerful tool that can help people engage with Scripture in a deep and meaningful way. I highly encourage you to work ChatGPT or Google Bard into your daily flow. Put it to work and test it out. Allow it to help you be a better parent, a more effective employee, or just a modern day Cliff Claven. 

Great Stuff - Way more than you have time for! 

The Kingdom Series: Marty Solomon — LINK

Matthew by Tim Mackie at Door of Hope — LINK

Alternative Orthodoxy: Richard Rohr | Rob Bell — LINK

The Spirit of Disciplines: John Ortberg — LINK 

Rediscovering Leadership: John Ortberg | Alan George — LINK 

Soul Keeping: Caring For the Most Important Part of You by John Ortberg — LINK

God & The Whole Person: Soul, Mind, & Body in His Image — LINK

Hearing God: Listening to the Still, Small Voice of the Holy Spirit. — LINK

BEMA Liturgy: This is a really good weekly small group curriculum that our group has been using since the beginning. LINK

Something to leave you with.

If you scale chronological history down to the span of one year with the Big Bang occurring on January 1, our species, Homo sapiens, doesn’t appear until 11:59 p.m. on December 31. That means our written Bible and the Church appeared in the last nanosecond of December 31 in that one-year time frame. I can’t believe that God had nothing to say until the last moment. Rather, as both Paul and Thomas Aquinas say, “God has been revealing His love, goodness, and beauty since the very beginning through the natural world of creation” (see Romans 1:20). “God looked at everything God had made and found it very good” (Genesis 1:31). (Source)

Until next time. 

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

In the midst of political turmoil and chaos, a baby was born that set a new trajectory for all humankind. I pray that whatever your situation is, in whatever way your year played out, the Prince of Peace, the Wonderful Counselor, and our All Mighty God, Jesus, brings you comfort this holiday season.

“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” - ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬

Thank you for subscribing to my dispatch! It was a very interesting year, with new thoughts and deep learning, different rhythms, and of course, random rants that you were able to participate in. I look forward over the next few weeks to ponder and reflect on the past year and dream big with great anticipation for what the coming year with bring.

Over the break, I plan on resting and recovering well. That will include reading and listening to Surrender by Bono, diving into my new Productivity Planner, continuing in my 5-year journal, continuing in my apprenticeship with Jesus, and praying for clarity around my 2023 word of the year.

Merry Christmas, and happy new year!

Last week I let our team know that my long-time office leader, Tracy, and executive assistant is stepping off the team. I shared with the team that she has been my right hand and at times, my left hand, for a long time. She embodies many unique gifts and talents, but what I cherish most about Tracy is how she models being Holy Spirit-led. Tracy brought so much wisdom and insight and is a gift to Robin, me, and our team. She has a powerful calling in her life, and I am so excited to see how she carries that calling into this next season of her life. Tracy, we will miss you so much!

Calling -- such a confusing and complex word. I recently read something from Jeff Henderson, author of What to Do Next, and I thought I would share it with you.

It’s helpful to understand two important distinctions about a calling.

Some callings are for a lifetime. Some callings are for a season.

I’m called to a lifetime of pastoring people. I was called to a season of pastoring at Buckhead Church.

I’m called to a lifetime of following Jesus. I was called to a season of pastoring at Gwinnett Church.

There’s a difference in those callings.

Before I made the decision to leave the church, my counselor reminded me, “Your calling goes with you. You aren’t leaving it behind. It will be in a different context but it will look the same.”

In these two short years, I have seen her words come to life over and over again. For example, I want to encourage business leaders and to be a pastor to pastors. 

That’s a new, seasonal calling but it’s built on a lifetime of one. I write this not to encourage pastors in our email community to leave. I write this to free you from the “calling guilt” some may throw your way.

Eventually, every calling at a specific church comes to an end. Some callings are for a season. Some callings last a lifetime.

It’s helpful not to get the two confused.

Some callings are for a lifetime. Some callings are for a season. It’s helpful not to get the two confused.

This thought might be really helpful for you. I know it was a great reminder for me. It reminds me of nearly sixteen years ago when God called us to a new season here at Life.Church. For this to be a reality, God had to close a chapter and season at Fellowship Church. My lifetime calling to follow Jesus came with me to Life.Church, as well as some other lifetime callings that I have.

Sorting out lifetime callings and seasonal callings is an important process for us to make sure we find ourselves aligned as well as postured to follow Jesus. Confusing a seasonal calling as a lifetime calling could be a tool our enemy may use to keep us from a new chapter God has for us. 

Regarding calling, Tyler Stanton delivered a powerful message on this topic right out of the book of Ephesians, chapter 4. I’m telling you, this message will blow your mind and bless your soul. Be prepared to press pause a lot and take notes. Tyler is a brilliant communicator and a fantastic teacher. 

Ephesians 4v1-28: Immeasurably More: Vocation Watch

If you want to know more than work, but vocation…you have to overcome at least these two things. First, the temptation to compartmentalize your life. Second, the definition of success that was handed to you by someone other than Jesus.  - Tyler Stanton

Lord, may we honor you and steward our vocation in a way that is pleasing to you. Lord, may we be reminded that the same Spirit and power that filled Bezalel and David for vocation lives in us. - Amen

As a bonus, I wanted to share a message from Tim Mackie called Paradise Now. Tim, a brilliant biblical scholar takes a journey through the Bible and pulls out a beautiful picture of prayer. He helps us see that there are huckleberries all around. Make time this week to watch this message. 

Until next time. 

Sabbath. When was the last time you heard that word or teaching in your environment? Maybe you have heard a friend mention it or heard it discussed on a podcast, or maybe even your pastor has referenced it in a message. Or, maybe you have no real idea what Sabbath is. The truth for me is while I had a working definition of Sabbath, I didn’t have a complete picture. I knew that I just could not find deep rest, my soul was tapped out…and a nap, a good night’s sleep, a regular weekend, or even taking a week off work wasn’t cutting it. That is what pushed me to dive in.

I have spent a lot of time and energy the last few months learning, and more recently practicing, Sabbath, and the reality is: it has been a challenge. My soul and body ache for Sabbath, and at the same time, stopping, resting, delighting, and worshiping in the culture we live in today is hard. Robin and I are on this journey together, learning, struggling, growing, and delighting, and we both know that something beautiful is coming.

I wanted to share some great resources on this topic because sabbath is a journey, not a destination. I hope you find these as helpful as I have. If you have other recommendations, please comment and share them with me.

Podcasts

John Mark Comer | Practicing the Way | Rule of Life (View Show)

Week 01: Stop (Listen to Podcast)

The word “sabbath” means “to stop.” In Genesis, God worked for six days, but then he rested on the seventh. In doing so, he built a rhythm into the fabric of creation. When we live in alignment with this ancient rhythm, we find peace and joy, but when we fight it, we fracture our souls.

Week 02: Rest (Listen to Podcast)

We hear about Sabbath rest, and we imagine sleeping or taking a day off to chill. But Sabbath rest is a form of resistance. There are powerful forces — both external and internal — that war against a Sabbath spirituality. To sabbath will require that we resist.

Week 03: Delight (Listen to Podcast)

Sabbath is not an onerous day for our religious duty but a life-giving day of delight — a weekly party. It’s a full day set aside to celebrate our life with God in his world. And it’s designed to be done in community, not alone. Few things are more provocative in the modern world than communities of joy. 

Week 04: Worship (coming soon)

Sabbath isn’t just a day to stop, rest, and throw a feast in community. Ultimately, it’s a holy day — set apart for and dedicated to God himself. Early Christians called it “the Lord’s day.” It’s a weekly day of worship by which we cultivate a spirit of worship all week long.

Ruth Haley Barton | Strengthening the Soul of your Leadership (View Show)

Season 17: Episode 1 | Awakening to God’s Gift of Sabbath (Listen to Podcast)

Season 17: Episode 3 | Sabbath as Resistance (Listen to Podcast)

Books

The Sabbath (FSG Classics)

by Abraham Joshua Heschel

Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to the Culture of Now 

by Walter Brueggemann

Sabbath: The Ancient Practices

by Dan B. Allender

Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest: From Sabbath to Sabbatical and Back Again

by Ruth Haley Barton

24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week

by Tiffany Shlain

Sermons

Bridgetown Church | Sabbath (Watch Series)

One of the most important practices of Jesus was finding rest and making time for Sabbath. The human condition is prone to restlessness, and our digital age and consumeristic culture only exacerbate the problem. We must model the restfulness of Jesus, which is more than just a day, but is a spirit we live by all week long.

New Life Fellowship Church | Remember the Sabbath (Watch Message)

Pastor Rich continues our sermon series on the 10 Commandments. He offers some fresh perspectives on the ancient practice of Sabbath-keeping. Sabbath-keeping is one of New Life's most important values, and through this message, we hope you will start the journey of keeping Sabbath or deepen it.

I love that…a way of living in a restful connection to the Father’s love all week long. I desire that, and if you are a regular reader of this Dispatch, I’m pretty sure you desire that as well. If you have an helpful tips or thoughts around the Sabbath I would love to hear about them.

Until next time, Shabbat shalom!

We have covered a lot of ground in the last few posts regarding Tov Leadership (1 & 2). Two key aligning understandings we have learned so far are:

Tov is from the Hebrew word for "good," but with a fuller intent which implies something which fulfills the purpose for which it was created.

Tov Leadership and spiritual formation are inseparable. It is not possible to lead beyond where our spiritual formation has us.

With those both as a reminder and a starting point, let's get into our topic for today: YOUnique. 

The “You do You” memes and many others in that same vein are all over the interwebs. There are many directions this can take a person. Some are not healthy and not in pursuit of Jesus, but others can be healthy. I loved this thought from Ryan Holiday:

At birth, each of us is original. Our DNA has never existed before on this planet. No one will ever have our unique set of experiences. No one will ever have our totally unique point of view.

Breathe that in for a moment. Your DNA and mine have never existed before on this planet. Let that speak to you. Let that reality envelop all parts of you. God made you unique and breathed life into you when you were born into this world! On that day, our Creator deposited into us our first breath, and we were a blessing to this world. Each of us became a new and unique human that had never existed before. I believe that our creative Creator created us uniquely for a purpose that He has and will continue to place before us. (You might want to read that again.)

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. - Ephesians 2:10

So you might be asking yourself, “Hey, Terry, what does this have to do with my leadership, and where exactly are you going with this in the spirit of Tov Leadership?” Well, I’m glad I read your mind. Here is my point, and we will unpack this a bit. 

As I said, you are unique, and you were wonderfully made for a purpose and a magnanimous one at that. Yes, magnanimous! Look it up. This is a word that was brought to my attention by my friend and mentor, J. Lee. Your very life and the purpose placed inside of you never existed before you entered this world, and it will never exist again after you take your last breath. Therefore, you must, I beg you, you must lean into who you are and not chase after, desire something different, or be molded into something you were never designed to be. 

One of my favorite authors and leadership coaches, Steve Cuss, unpacks this beautifully. (Side note: I highly recommend his book, Managing Leadership Anxiety, as well as the entire season of a wonderful podcast he joined called Strengthening the Soul of your Leadership (listen). While I'm on this topic, Ruth Haley Barton, the podcast host, is also amazing. Her books, podcasts, and content will be worth your investment.)

Differentiation is what Steve explains and brings to our attention. He says, “The differentiated self is a connected presence. Curious. Non Reactive. Keeping anxiety from spreading to others, sifting assumptions and false expectations. Connecting to self, others. and God. Ok, stop and reread that statement.” 

Let’s press into this more with a thought from an article at Psychology Today:

Differentiation is the ability to balance the autonomy and the attachment so it is not an either/or. The more differentiated you become, the closer these two forces become. Essentially, it is the ability to be connected to your thoughts, values, and feelings, while also being close to someone, especially when that person is very important to you. Alternatively, it could be defined as being close without being reactive. I like to define differentiation as simply being “big and together.”

You see, God made you unique, and He designed you for a magnanimous purpose. To fulfill that calling in your life, you must be a differentiated self. You can be connected with the mission you are a part of and still be able to operate in the gift mix that God has given you. You can be a great employee, while honoring your calling and not morphing into a different person, because that is what the culture often requires, encourages, and rewards. 

Tov Leaders do the ongoing hard work to understand who they are uniquely created to be and pursue that life-long journey and calling with their whole, true, and integrated self. 

I have the voice of my counselor/therapist in my mind and what I hear is self-awareness followed by self-leadership. We start with the self-awareness of our gifts, talents, and unique design. And then, we step deep into self-leadership to align our choices, decisions, and path forward, integrating them into our whole self. If it seems complex and challenging, just know this is a lifelong journey, and we don’t go at it alone! “Self” doesn’t mean without the Spirit’s guidance and wisdom, and full integration means Christ is at the center of it all.

But here is the challenge, and your mind might already be in this place. Often our environments, cultures, bosses, corporate ladders, paychecks and bonuses, and safety and security override our unique gifts and talents. When that occurs, we lose the differentiated self. I have also personally struggled in trying to become more like other leaders whom I respect and value. When my focus shifts like this, I can fall into a dangerous trap.

Sometimes this can happen quickly and abruptly, but I have seen this more often happen very slowly and over time. When we find ourselves un-differentiated and morphed and molded into a gift mix or calling that is not designed for us, we are no longer operating in the prepared works that God has for us. 

You need to find what is genuinely yours to offer the world before you can make it a better place. Discovering your unique gift to bring to your community is your greatest opportunity and challenge. The offering of that gift—your true self—is the most you can do to love and serve the world. And it is all the world needs. —Bill Plotkin

I can't say it better than that. The world needs you to be the you that our Creator created you to be. 

Lord, help us and guide us! There are so many things that shift our focus off the unique calling you have placed within our DNA. Father, I ask that you give us the curiosity, courage, and energy to step into our magnanimous true self and offer our gift to the world. Amen.

Photo by Lukáš Kulla on Unsplash

Nearly thirty years ago, I entered the marketplace as a young business leader and eventually an entrepreneur. I then transitioned into full-time ministry in 1999, and I have had the unique privilege to be in full-time ministry while leveraging my business and leadership skills for multiple decades. This experience and journey has led me to what I am calling Tov Leadership. If you missed my last dispatch describing and unpacking Tov leadership, I recommend you read it before continuing. 

“Tov is from the Hebrew word for "good," but with a fuller intent which implies something which fulfills the purpose for which it was created.

If you didn’t read my previous dispatch and my recommendation wasn’t enough to entice you in that direction, let me say this: Tov leaders are centered around fulfilling the purpose God uniquely created and equipped them for.

To start, it’s important to say that this is a journey for me, one that is not nearly complete. A journey that leaves me still processing, learning, experimenting, and in no way an expert. But I believe that the core of Tov leadership is the connection between our spiritual formation and leadership. 

“Emotional health and spiritual maturity are inseparable. It is not possible to be spiritually mature while remaining emotionally immature.”

― Peter Scazzero, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality

To be honest, I struggled with this when I first read it. But now, I believe it wholeheartedly. And just as strong as that statement is, I also believe that the connection between our spiritual formation and Tov leadership are the same. Here is my personal quote where I leverage Scazzero’s concept and words: 

Tov Leadership and spiritual formation are inseparable. It is not possible to lead beyond where our spiritual formation has us.

So, you might be struggling like I was with his quote at this point. Or maybe you are trying to wrap your mind around what spiritual formation is. Let’s turn to the expert in this field and a hero of mine, Dallas Willard:

“Spiritual Formation is the process of the human spirit or will is given a definite “form” or character. Spiritual formation for the Christ-follower refers to the Spirit-driven process of forming the inner world of the human self in such a way that it becomes like the inner being of Christ himself.”

This is my attempt to break apart this beautiful, deep, and dense paragraph. 

Spiritual formation is a process.

The process is led by the Spirit.

The Spirit is forming our inner world, our human spirit, and will. 

With the Spirit’s help, we transform into Christlikeness. 

How I visualize this and see it in my own life is that leadership and spiritual formation are different, but parallel tracks. Spiritual formation does not go hand in hand with the leadership gift. However, if you do have the leadership gift and are operating in a role of leadership, your leadership track is running parallel with your spiritual formation track. It can be a windy path with ups and downs, but your leadership track will never be able to elevate or outgrow your spiritual formation track. 

The significant challenge I see with this reality is that so many have decoupled these or never had the realization they were connected. Take a moment and think about your day to day role as a leader and where your training or learnings are focused. When it comes to leadership, what are you listening to, who are you learning from, and where are you spending your energy growing? I have seen so much focus shift to the business world. My own natural bent is to learn from corporate executives and leaders for whom a natural decoupling of spiritual formation and leadership occurs. Of course there are wonderful learnings we can gain from the business community! But if we do not prioritize our spiritual formation, we will stunt our leadership growth. 

I was recently listening to a Carey Nieuwhof Leadership podcast where Carey was interviewing Rich Villodas, the pastor of New Life Fellowship in NYC. When Pete Scazzero was transitioning the church to Rich, Pete told him that spiritual formation needed to be the number one item in his job description. It wasn’t to grow the church, to bring focus to giving, lead the staff well, or to continue programs. His number one job was to continually work towards Christlikeness above all else. I think we could all learn from Pete. 

Quick shout out to an amazing book, by Pete Scazzero - Emotionally Healthy Spirituality. A must read! 

I believe this realization and passion inside of me has lead me to love the elegant simplicity of John Mark Comer’s focus with Practicing the Way. Be with Jesus. Become like Jesus. Do what Jesus did. Three very simple statements that carry so much power, nuance, and complexity in the culture of our world today. Simple isn’t easy. But can you imagine a world where Christian leaders were pursuing and living out these three statements daily?

Spiritual formation is a process.

Tov leadership is a process.

As leaders we must recognize that our leadership track runs parallel to our spiritual formation track. As shown above, you see them running in a clean, parallel manner. This is a visual only, for I have never found it to be this clean or neat. But know that the leadership line does not have the capacity to outgrow, jump off, or exceed our spiritual formation track. 

This growth and development is a process that can not be rushed, fast tracked, or hurried in any way. We will dive deeper into the “process” below, but what I will focus on today is the reality that we must honor the process. I believe we must keep the spiritual formation process elevated as a priority, make it the core, and leadership will follow. Priority matters. 

The process is led by the Spirit.

As a leader you must come to the understanding that you are not in control of the process. For many leaders that feels like a gut punch, but it’s just the reality. We are in partnership with the Spirit, a “both/and” interaction that requires our participation and deep engagement. However, the process is led by the Spirit and that means our timelines are out the window. Our expectations can and should be presented to God, but they must be laid down in a humble posture that echoes Jesus, “Not my will, but yours, Lord.” 

The Spirit is forming our inner world, our human spirit, and will. 

We can read this language and miss the connection again to leadership. Willard does a great job helping us break down the will. He says, “The will (heart or spirit) is the executive center of the self and our likeness to God, being “in his image.” As leaders we can find ourselves working on the outer world by focusing on the tactical and the symptoms, if you will. The tracks of spiritual formation and leadership should guide us to bringing intentional focus to our inner world in partnership with the Spirit who is leading the process. 

With the Spirit’s help, we transform into Christlikeness. 

It may go without saying, but I think it’s important to say it. This transformation is a lifelong journey that is not about a destination, but about the journey and the process with Jesus. That’s sometimes hard to swallow or navigate for me as an Enneagram 8 leader who wants to execute, break the mold, check the box, and deliver on the goal all while doing it under budget and exceeding expectations. However, we cannot apply that logic to our transformation into Christlikeness. We also need to make sure we understand what Christlikeness looks like as a leader. Simply put, this looks like Jesus. 

It looks like the Sermon on the Mount and like Jesus washing His disciples’ feet. It looks like Jesus walking away from the crowds and retreating into silence and solitude. It looks like Jesus offering hope and a new life to the woman at the well.  As John Mark Comer would say, “Do what Jesus did.” Let’s apply this to our leadership, our families, our teams, our organizations, and beyond. 

The core for Tov leadership is spiritual formation. All the following parts we will discuss and unpack in subsequent dispatches will always point back to the core — spiritual formation. 

May we as leaders remember that spiritual formation is a process that is led by the Spirit, and one that is forming our inner world, our human spirit, and will. This work of the Spirit transforms us into Christlikeness and therefore, our leadership improves and looks more like Jesus. We must prioritize this, bring appropriate energy and focus towards spiritual formation, and encourage and lead those around us in this direction. 

The greatest issue facing the world today with all its heart breaking needs is whether those who are identified as Christians will become disciples, students, apprentices, practitioners of Jesus Christ, steadily learning from him how to live the life of the Kingdom of the heavens into every corner of human existence. - Dallas Willard

Lord, may we treasure and love Your name above all other names. We seek Your guidance for today and ask that Your rule be completed in us. May we as leaders prioritize becoming disciples, students, apprentices, and practitioners of Jesus Christ.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.