Transforming Center

Ash Wednesday | Invitation to Lent: Participating in the Paschal Mystery

Transforming Center — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 11:00:43 +0000

Here we are on the threshold of another Lenten season! Since the Paschal mystery is the culmination of the Lenten season, we are going to “begin with the end in mind” by exploring this great mystery of our faith and where it might be playing itself out in our own lives. Relying on Fr. Ron Rolheiser’s description in The Holy Longing, Ruth identifies the five movements of the Paschal mystery and the inner dynamics that can help us enter more fully into our own journey of suffering, death, burial, and transformation. This episode is intended to usher you in to the Lenten season with purpose and thoughtfulness.

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Mentioned in the episode:

The Holy Longing by Ronald Rolheiser

Music Credit:

Kingdom Come by Aaron Niequist
Returning from Lent Music in Solitude

There’s still room to join us in our upcoming course, Theology that Shapes the Soul. Many Christian leaders have a well-formed theology of what they believe about God, but far less clarity about a theology of spiritual formation: how those beliefs shape the way we live and lead.

Led by Ruth Haley Barton, Theology That Shapes the Soul is a six-week guided experience for leadership groups who want to engage a biblical, theological, and spiritual framework for Christian formation—not merely as abstract ideas, but as truth to be embodied within communities. The course begins on March 4, 2026. Find out more and register here.

We’ve started a Substack! This will be “a new home for reflection, conversation, and connection with our transforming community.” Our new Substack is called “On the Journey with the Transforming Center,” and it will include thoughtful reflections from Ruth Haley Barton and the Transforming Center team, as well as alumni and friends of the Transforming Center, occasional special video teachings and guided practices, and space to interact with our content and respond with how God is working in your life through the posts. This will also be the new home of all of our podcast patron content! There will be free and paid tiers. We’d love for you to join us over on Substack.

Support the podcast! During Lent we are providing paid Substack supporters guided practices to help them journey through Lent meaningfully. Led by members of our TC alumni community, these practices include a prayer of surrender, a scripture based breath prayer, a practice of holy naming and truth telling before God, a guided meditation of one of the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ passion and more. Become a paid member of Substack today to receive these practices and so much more!

The Transforming Center exists to create space for God to strengthen leaders and transform communities. You are invited to join our next Transforming Community:® A Two-year Spiritual Formation Experience for Leaders. Delivered in nine quarterly retreats, this practice-based learning opportunity is grounded in the conviction that the best thing you bring to leadership is your own transforming self! Learn more and apply HERE.

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Season 28: Episode 4 | Advent Week 4: Soul Work in Winter

Transforming Center — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 11:00:38 +0000

In this final episode of the Advent season Ruth and Marilyn discuss the unique spiritual invitations and soul work of the winter season. They touch on the inward journey of self-examination, processing grief, and embracing the transformation in life’s dormancy. They conclude with a deep discussion on themes of letting go, living in the present, and the spiritual significance of endings and new beginnings. The episode also features a poignant poem by Robert Hayden and an Advent-themed prayer by Ted Loder.

Questions for Reflection:

How would you name or characterize the season that you’re in?
How can we be present in the season that we’re in versus clinging to something else?
How can we trust the letting go process of one season, letting go of one in order to embrace the next?

In this season of the Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership podcast, Ruth invites listeners to embark on a unique journey during Advent 2025. Departing from traditional liturgical approaches, we will focus on the overlap between the seasons of Advent and winter, inspired by Marilyn McIntyre’s book Midwinter Light: Meditations for the Long Season. Ruth will be joined all through Advent by Marilyn McIntyre, herself. Together they will explore themes such as inner reflection, the significance of silence, and the profound connections between spirituality and the physical season of winter.

Marilyn McEntyre is an author of over 20 books, including Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies (2021) and Speaking Peace in a Climate of Conflict (2020). Her book, What’s in a Phrase? Pausing Where Scripture Gives You Pause won the Christianity Today book award in spirituality. Midwinter Light, reflections on poems for the “long season,” has just been released. A former professor, now writer, writing coach, speaker, and retreat leader, her deepest interests lie in connections between spirituality, language, healing earth, and each other. She teaches regularly for programs at Western Seminary, New College Berkeley, and the Oblate School of Theology.

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You can also access podcast on Stitcher and Spotify.

Listen to other episodes from Season 28 Access past podcast seasons

Music Credit:

Kingdom Come by Aaron Niequist
Joseph’s Prayer from Advent Music in Solitude

We’re starting a Substack! This will be “a new home for reflection, conversation, and connection with our transforming community.” Our new Substack is called “On the Journey with the Transforming Center,” and it will include thoughtful reflections from Ruth Haley Barton and the Transforming Center team, as well as alumni and friends of the Transforming Center, occasional special video teachings and guided practices, and space to interact with our content and respond with how God is working in your life through the posts. This will also be the new home of all of our podcast patron content! There will be free and paid tiers. We’d love for you to join us over on Substack. (Existing patrons, check Patreon for a special link to provide you with a discounted rate!)

Support the podcast! This season patrons will receive spiritual practices tethered to the lectionary readings to accompany them through Advent. Become a paid member of Substack today to receive these practices and so much more!

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Cynthia’s Story: The impact of a Transforming Community in the life of a pastor

Transforming Center — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 22:03:55 +0000

My name is Cynthia and I am an ordained United Methodist pastor. Transforming Community came at the right time for me. I was looking for a spiritual director when I came across the Transforming Center website. At the time, I was trying to regain my spiritual focus as I felt I had lost my direction spiritually from investing too much spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically in church ministry. The church I was serving was growing leaps and bounds. Things were moving in the right direction, but I was not. I felt I was drifting further away to the point of being disconnected from God. I had to hit the pause button in my life to attend to my soul and spirit. I wanted to be a guest for one Transforming Community retreat, but the one I wanted to attend was full. I decided, why not just be a part of a two-year Transforming Community. This was the best decision and investment that I made.

My next two years, while in Transforming Community, were filled with many changes. The retreat provided me with space, community, and material that helped me navigate the changes. One month prior to the initial retreat, I underwent open-heart surgery to replace a congenital heart valve defect. A year later, I was diagnosed with lung cancer. Although I missed two in person retreats, I received the materials and recordings to do the retreats myself. Through the different topics for retreat, I worked through my spiritual desert experience. I arrived at the second retreat feeling dangerously tired. I had nothing left to give; I took time during retreat and throughout the quarter to connect with God and to once again be in tune with the Spirit in me. I took time in prayer, spending quiet time with God through centering prayer, and reading scripture and other spiritual writings to strengthen my soul for leadership.

After a year and a half into Transforming Community, I decided that I can take time off from church ministry to continue to learn more about myself and what exactly is God calling me to going forward. With prayers, joint discernment, support of leaders and small group members, I took a leap of faith. I rotated out of church ministry to do a year-long Chaplaincy Residency. I am a third into the year and I am experiencing God’s intimate presence with me on my journey. I still do not know what I will be doing starting fall 2026, but I am transforming and enjoying this journey. Transforming Community has and continues to provide me with the space, rhythms, structure, tools, and support to continue to examine my inner self and strengthen my connection with God so I can be God’s presence for others.

Season 28: Episode 3 | Advent Week 3: Beyond Safety

Transforming Center — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 11:00:55 +0000

In this week’s episode, Ruth and Marilyn discuss the themes of winter and vulnerability. They explore the metaphorical storms of winter, praying beyond safety, and infinite longing. The conversation also touches on the challenges posed by climate change, the significance of collective humility, and the importance of grappling with complex, real-world issues within church communities. Marilyn concludes by reading her poem ‘After the Fire,’ reflecting on loss, renewal, and the essential nature of vulnerability in the spiritual journey.

Questions for Reflection:

How do we open up to moving beyond safety?
How do we pray beyond safety?
How do we find security within the midst of our frailty and fragility and vulnerability?
Where does our security come from even if we’ve lost things that are the most certain to us?
Where does our security come from and what are the particularities of our situation that we’re being invited to live in fully?

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You can also access podcast on Stitcher and Spotify.

Listen to other episodes from Season 28 Access past podcast seasons

Music Credit:

Kingdom Come by Aaron Niequist
O Come O Come Emmanuel from Advent Music in Solitude

We’re starting a Substack! This will be “a new home for reflection, conversation, and connection with our transforming community.” Our new Substack is called “On the Journey with the Transforming Center,” and it will include thoughtful reflections from Ruth Haley Barton and the Transforming Center team, as well as alumni and friends of the Transforming Center, occasional special video teachings and guided practices, and space to interact with our content and respond with how God is working in your life through the posts. This will also be the new home of all of our podcast patron content! There will be free and paid tiers. We’d love for you to join us over on Substack. (Existing patrons, check Patreon for a special link to provide you with a discounted rate!)

*this post contains affiliate links

Season 28: Episode 2 | Advent Week 2: Blue Christmas

Transforming Center — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 11:00:11 +0000

This week, Ruth and Marilyn discuss the concept of Blue Christmas services that acknowledge grief during the festive season and offer consolation to those experiencing loss. The episode also delves into the idea of dormancy, likening spiritual dormancy to the natural world’s winter phase, where growth happens unseen. The conversation highlights the importance of creating space for mourning, acknowledging our vulnerabilities, and the need for faith and guidance during these seasons of grief and apparent inertness.

Questions for Reflection:

Where do you feel that you need to mourn? Have you had the guidance that you’ve needed for your mourning? And if not, how might you seek that out?
Is there any place in your life right now that can be explained or given meaning through an understanding of dormancy?

In this season of the Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership podcast, Ruth invites listeners to embark on a unique journey during Advent 2025. Departing from traditional liturgical approaches, we will focus on the overlap between the seasons of Advent and winter, inspired by Marilyn McIntyre’s book ‘Midwinter Light: Meditations for the Long Season.’ Ruth will be joined all through Advent by Marilyn McIntyre, herself. Together they will explore themes such as inner reflection, the significance of silence, and the profound connections between spirituality and the physical season of winter.

SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS

You can also access podcast on Stitcher and Spotify.

Listen to other episodes from Season 28 Access past podcast seasons

Mentioned in this episode:

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Wintering by Katherine May
The Reed of God by Caryll Houselander

Music Credit:

Kingdom Come by Aaron Niequist
A Light Unto My Path from Advent Music in Solitude

We’re starting a Substack! This will be “a new home for reflection, conversation, and connection with our transforming community.” Our new Substack is called On the Journey with the Transforming Center, and it will include thoughtful reflections from Ruth Haley Barton and the Transforming Center team, as well as alumni and friends of the Transforming Center, occasional special video teachings and guided practices, and space to interact with our content and respond with how God is working in your life through the posts. This will also be the new home of all of our podcast patron content! There will be free and paid tiers. We’d love for you to join us over on Substack. (Existing patrons, check Patreon for a special link to provide you with a discounted rate!)

*this post contains affiliate links

Season 28: Episode 1 | Advent Week 1: Invited Inward

Transforming Center — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 11:00:16 +0000

This week, Ruth and Marilyn discuss the importance of recognizing and responding to the invitation for inward focus during this time and the subsequent freedom it can bring. We conclude with practical suggestions for embracing the quiet and contemplative aspects of the season and posing the following questions for reflection: How are you perceiving or sensing the invitation inward? As you sense or perceive that invitation, do you feel yourself resisting, or are you willing? And finally, do you have any sense at all of what you might be invited to freedom from and freedom to?

Marilyn McEntyre is an author of over 20 books, including Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies (2021) and Speaking Peace in a Climate of Conflict (2020). Her book, What’s in a Phrase? Pausing Where Scripture Gives You Pause won the Christianity Today book award in spirituality. Midwinter Light, reflections on poems for the “long season,” has just been released. A former professor, now writer, writing coach, speaker, and retreat leader, her deepest interests lie in connections between spirituality, language, healing earth, and each other. She teaches regularly for programs at Western Seminary, New College Berkeley, and the Oblate School of Theology.

SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS

You can also access podcast on Stitcher and Spotify.

Access past podcast seasons

Mentioned in this episode:

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
Reconstructing Illness by Anne Hunsaker Hawkins

Music Credit:

Kingdom Come by Aaron Niequist
Come Thou Long Expected Jesus from Advent Music in Solitude

Join us for our next Online Oasis—a sacred pause in a busy season. Together we’ll remember Christ’s coming, anticipate his coming again, and open ourselves to the tender ways he is coming to us even now—with light for darkness, peace for turmoil, and hope for despair. Join us this Wednesday, December 3, from 12 to 1pm CST for this Online Oasis, MakingRoom for Advent. The cost is flexible, as it is our hope that everyone who wishes to participate will be able to do so. Register today!

The Transforming Center exists to create space for God to strengthen leaders and transform communities. You are invited to join our next Transforming Community:® A Two-year Spiritual Formation Experience for Leaders. Delivered in nine quarterly retreats, this practice-based learning opportunity is grounded in the conviction that the best thing you bring to leadership is your own transforming self! Learn more and apply HERE.

*this post contains affiliate links

Season 27: Episode 5 | Creative Work: Partnering with God in an Age of Distraction

Transforming Center — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 09:00:46 +0000

As we wrap up our season Taming our Technologies: [Spiritual] Practices for a Digital Age, Ruth and Jay delve into the topic of technology’s impact on deep and creative work. They discuss the transformative impact of technology on creativity, productivity, and the ability to perform deep, meaningful work. Jay highlights the distinction between human creativity and artificial intelligence, and Ruth shares personal insights from her writing process, stressing the sacred and divine nature of creative endeavors. Thank you for journeying with us this season as we explored the realities of technology and its impact on various aspects of our lives.

Questions to ponder this week:

Ask regularly this week, “God, what have you given me to give to others?”
How in touch am I with the deep work to which God has called me? Am I clear on what the work is for which I’ve been created and God has prepared for me?

We’re back for Season 27, titled Taming our Technologies: [Spiritual] Practices for a Digital Age. This season we have a special co-host, pastor, author, and podcast host Jay Y. Kim! Jay will be joining Ruth all season long to explore the impact technology is having on our lives with God, our attention span, our parenting, our community, and our creativity. Jay and Ruth will wrestle with their own questions and wonderings about finding balance in using technology in good and helpful ways while also acknowledging its challenges. This season aims to be gracefully thought-provoking, practically helpful, and ultimately hopeful and encouraging.

Jay Kim serves as lead pastor at West Gate Church in the Silicon Valley of California. He’s the author of several books including Analog Christian, Analog Church, and Listen, Listen, Speak. Jay also hosts the Digital Examen podcast and much of his work focuses on the intersection of the digital age and spiritual formation.

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You can also access podcast on Stitcher and Spotify.

Listen to other episodes from Season 27 Access past podcast seasons

Mentioned in this episode:

Analog Church by Jay Y. Kim
Analog Christian by Jay Y. Kim
Deep Work by Cal Newport

Music Credit:

Kingdom Come by Aaron Niequist
Chasing Butterflies from Music in Solitude

We’re launching our first video series! On October 13 Ways of Praying will be available for purchase! Through reflection, guided silence, and heartfelt teaching, Ruth Haley Barton encourages leaders to move beyond “the honeymoon phase” into deeper levels of intimacy with God. Each video guides you through a different kind of prayer practice, so you can discover the rhythms that resonate with your life and leadership. You can find out more and purchase Ways of Praying HERE.

Support the podcast! This season patrons will receive special bonus episodes that incorporate a spiritual practice to help balance out the technological woes discussed in each episode. Become a patron today by visiting our Patreon page!

The Transforming Center exists to create space for God to strengthen leaders and transform communities. You are invited to join our next Transforming Community:® A Two-year Spiritual Formation Experience for Leaders. Delivered in nine quarterly retreats, this practice-based learning opportunity is grounded in the conviction that the best thing you bring to leadership is your own transforming self! Learn more and apply HERE.

*this post contains affiliate links

Season 27: Episode 4 | Beyond Relevance to Transcendence in Community

Transforming Center — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 10:00:20 +0000

In this episode, Ruth and returning guest Jay Kim explore the intersection of technology and community within the church. They discuss the nuances of digital and in-person church experiences, the impact of the pandemic on church attendance and engagement, and the idea that “digital informs and analog transforms.” As always, they end by offering questions to ponder this week as it pertains to technology and community.

Questions to ponder this week:

What is the one barrier that keeps you from getting up and going and being with a church community? And then when you identify that barrier, is that barrier really worthwhile?
In our community, for our community, what is appropriate for digitized delivery, or technological delivery and what must be done in person to be effective?

We’re back for Season 27, titled “Taming our Technologies: [Spiritual] Practices for a Digital Age.” This season we have a special co-host, pastor, author, and podcast host Jay Y. Kim! Jay will be joining Ruth all season long to explore the impact technology is having on our lives with God, our attention span, our parenting, our community, and our creativity. Jay and Ruth will wrestle with their own questions and wonderings about finding balance in using technology in good and helpful ways while also acknowledging its challenges. This season aims to be gracefully thought-provoking, practically helpful, and ultimately hopeful and encouraging.

SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS

You can also access podcast on Stitcher and Spotify.

Listen to other episodes from Season 27 Access past podcast seasons

Mentioned in this episode:

Analog Church by Jay Y. Kim

Music Credit:

Kingdom Come by Aaron Niequist
Tender Moment from Music in Solitude

We’re launching our first video series! On October 13 Ways of Praying will be available for purchase! Through reflection, guided silence, and heartfelt teaching, Ruth Haley Barton encourages leaders to move beyond “the honeymoon phase” into deeper levels of intimacy with God. Each video guides you through a different kind of prayer practice, so you can discover the rhythms that resonate with your life and leadership.

*this post contains affiliate links

Season 27: Episode 3 | The Kids Will Be Alright, Right?

Transforming Center — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 14:04:46 +0000

This week, Ruth and Jay are joined by producer Colleen to discuss the challenges and strategies of parenting in the digital age. They discuss what they see as the pressing issues right now, how Jay and Colleen are navigating these pressures in their own families, and what Ruth experiences as a grandparent to young people. They also delve into practical advice for setting boundaries and expectations around technology use within families, explore the roles of empathy and community among parents, and consider the church’s potential in offering countercultural experiences. Over on Patreon the trio explores, practically, how to invite their families winsomely into a low-tech Sabbath practice.

Questions to ponder this week:

What is a winsome way that I can create an extended time for delight in my home?
What are the most important things I want my kid to know about being a person in the world as it pertains to technology?
Is there a way that I can be an empathetic, kind voice of support and community for another parent who is going through the same or similar tensions that I’m going through?

SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS

You can also access podcast on Stitcher and Spotify.

Listen to other episodes from Season 27 Access past podcast seasons

Mentioned in this episode:

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

Music Credit:

Kingdom Come by Aaron Niequist
Grace and Peace from Music in Solitude

On October 8, we will be hosting another full Online Oasis entitled, A Path to Freedom: Moving from the False Self to our True Self in God. In this Online Oasis we will clarify what we mean when referring to the false self and true self, explore the movement from the false self to the true self with reflections on several characters from Scripture, identify key spiritual practices that open us to this grace, and slow down and enter into space for reflection. REGISTER HERE to join us on Wednesday, October 8, from 12:00–1:30 CST for this bit of respite in the middle of your day.

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Season 27: Episode 2 | Paying Attention to What’s Getting our Attention

Transforming Center — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 09:00:13 +0000

In this episode, Ruth and Jay dive into the impact of digital technology on our attention spans and mental health. They reflect on personal experiences of technology’s pervasive influence and discuss the importance of reclaiming attention through spiritual practices. The conversation explores the implications of multitasking and the mental disorders associated with technology use, as well as how to steward one’s attention as a valuable gift from God.

Questions to ponder this week:

What practices will help me claim and reclaim my own sense of agency over my attention?
What technologies are destructive to me personally?
Where do I need to “fix my thoughts?”

SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS

You can also access podcast on Stitcher and Spotify.

Listen to other episodes from Season 27 Access past podcast seasons

Mentioned in this episode:

The Center for Humane Technology
The Social Dilemma (Netflix)
The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck
Invitation to Retreat by Ruth Haley Barton
Deep Work by Cal Newport
iDisorder by Larry Rosen

Music Credit:

Kingdom Come by Aaron Niequist
Tender Moment from Music in Solitude

*this post contains affiliate links