Faithwalking English

In this episode, Ken Shuman continues his teaching on loving our enemies from Matthew 23, and specifically on what it means to speak blessing over those who curse us. He explains that "speaking blessing" means speaking good words about a person, words of praise or blessing. At the same time - in a way that could be considered a contradiction if you don't look more closely - Christ de...

In this episode, Ken speaks on Luke 6:27-38, which he believes is at the heart of the message of Jesus and what life in the Kingdom is like - and perhaps the most challenging section of Scripture. In this passage, Ken states, "Jesus invites us to love our enemies... and it's not so our enemies will change! " Christ expands on this by urging us to: - Keep doing good to those who hate...

In this episode, Ken Shuman speaks with Tammy DeRuyter about her Faithwalking journey. Tammy is a Faithwalking facilitator, coach, and former board member and Circle leader who is a middle school and high school teacher on the island of St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands. Tammy credits Faithwalking with giving her the tools to manage anxiety in much healthier ways. She speaks of how anxiety affect...

In this episode, Ken discusses Mark chapter 11 and the "triumphal entry" of Christ and relates it to what is going on in America today. There were two very different Jesuses Christians were choosing to follow - then and now. The people were crying out for a political king, a gladiator, a hero - and what they got instead was a humble servant on a donkey. They wanted a king of power, not t...

In this episode, Ken Shuman speaks with Josh Kuipers, a Faithwalking graduate from Sioux Center, IA who is Director of Worship at Northwestern College. Josh credits Faithwalking with helping him understand himself more and more deeply so that he can live in integrity with who he is and who he wants to be. He shared that he has been in a really difficult season in recent years, with both the politi...

In this episode, Ken Shuman asks us what kind of person we want to be in the midst of the polarized, highly anxious, reactive culture we are in. He then spends time unpacking James 3:13-18 and the two distinct kinds of wisdom James talks about - earthly, "natural" wisdom and the wisdom that comes from God. Are we aligning ourselves with wordly wisdom or with the wisdom from above during...

In this episode, Ken Shuman speaks of how easy it is to throw diverse groups of people into one category, which results in polarization. You hear people in the US say or imply that "ALL conservatives are evil" or "ALL liberals are evil," and so forth. Lumping people together and labeling them comes too easily in our world. It is far too easy to get sucked into the anxiety out t...

In this episode, Ken Shuman speaks with Sherri Meyer-Veen, a pastor and long-time Faithwalking facilitator, coach, and Circle leader who lives in upstate New York, about her Faithwalking journey. In it Sherri reflects that Faithwalking was a "coming home" to her - coming home "to a committed community of people seeking to truly live our their faith." Faithwalking, for her, is a...

In this episode, guest speaker, FW board member, and member of the Keep Calm community Lou Huesmann explains that self-differentiation requires clarity about what really matters to us. If we are not really clear on our values, we will be influenced and pressured by the values of everyone around us. According to Edwin Friedman, self-differentiation is the ability to claim your goals and values in t...

In this episode, Ken Shuman digs deeper into the concept of differentiation in relationships by speaking of what we mean when we say we are "close" to someone. "Typically," he states, "people define closeness as sameness." Ken unpacks this notion and asks the group how they behave when they discover someone they feel close to is different, or when that person disappoi...

In this episode, Ken Shuman speaks with Ryan Ashley, a pastor, chaplain, and long-time Faithwalker who lives in Arvada, CO, in the greater Denver area. For Ryan, Faithwalking is an opportunity to "take discipleship deep." "Faithwalking," he says, "took me on a real deep dive to understand the truth about myself and why I show up the way I show up in different situations, a...

In this episode, Ken Shuman states that he believes self-differentiation is the last and biggest hurdle in growing in emotional maturity, and it is a really challenging one. He shares a personal story about his own growth in differentiation and then puts forward seven characteristics of highly differentiated people, as growth goals for our journey toward emotional maturity. This episode was record...

In this episode, Ken Shuman speaks with Tammi Van Drunen, a longtime Faithwalker, Faithwalking coach, facilitator, and Circle leader, and children's minister. Tammi shares about the impact of Faithwalking on her relationship with her kids and on her ministry with kids and their parents. She expresses how much she loves walking parents through this process, because of how much change she sees i...

In this episode, Ken Shuman speaks with Ben Vos, a youth pastor and Faithwalking grad who lives and serves in northwest Iowa. Ben shares that the impact of Faithwalking for him has been in layers - among other things that he is more patient, quicker to listen and much better at listening, and a less-anxious person - and that he is a better employee, husband, and father. He talks about his growth i...

In this episode, Ken Shuman speaks with Deanna Napier, a teacher and coach and a long-time Faithwalker and FW coach. Before Faithwalking, Deanna struggled with deeply ingrained feelings of worthlessness that she brought with her out of her first formation. Faithwalking helped her identify where that lack of worth was coming from and to address its root causes. Deanna shares that at the time she de...

In this episode, Ken Shuman shares a Substack post by Alan Hirsch* in which Hirsch reflects on words from theologian-psychologist Richard Beck on the concept and nature of "Satan." Hirsch speaks of the forces in the world that are anti-Jesus, and the temptation for those in the Church to adopt the same tools and become anti-Jesus in his name. But he also celebrates the good news of the O...

In this epsode, Ken Shuman shares a personal transformation story about the power of asking the question, "What is my role in keeping this problem in place?" He shares how he asked himself this question when reflecting on an area of chronic disappointment in his life, and how it led him to an important and potentially life-changing realization and a powerful guiding principle that he wil...

In this episode, Ken Shuman speaks with Aundrea Baker, a professional coach, spiritual director, Faithwalking coach and board member. Aundrea shares a powerful Faithwalking testimony of healing and reconnection - reconnection with herself, her emotions, and her body and restoration of important relationships that had been estranged. She talks about learning to manage her anxiety, dismantling her v...

In this episode, Ken Shuman speaks with Mario Ramos, a retired pastor and professor from San Antonio, TX, and a Faithwalking coach, facilitator, and board member. In it Mario tells a powerful story of personal and relational transformation as a result of the work he has done through Faithwalking. He speaks of a need for acceptance, love, and affirmation so vast "it was like the Grand Canyon -...

In this episode, Ken Shuman talks about pursuing the practice of curiosity. He states that curiosity is foundational to developing healthy relationships, to developing extraordinary relationships, and to our growth in emotional maturity. He posits that shame is what often stands in the way of curiosity, along with our triggers and wounds. This episode was recorded on June 27th, 2025.

In this episode, Ken Shuman speaks with Stacey DeLaney, a Faithwalker, FW coach, and children's book author who is retired from public education and lives in upstate NY. Stacey shares that Faithwalking pulled her out of a "deep hole" and dramatically changed how she perceives the world and her relationships and how she interacts in her relationships - and that it has had a particular...

In this episode, our guest speaker Lou Huesmann (who is a regular participant in our Keep Calm weekly gatherings) grapples with the question, "What role does faith play in Faithwalking?" as well as how faith fits in with the five components of emotional maturity that Ken has been teaching us about - self-awareness, self-definition, self-regulation, personal responsibility, and self-diffe...

In this episode, Ken Shuman speaks of the deep Faithwalking value of offering a safe space for everybody, and the challenge that presents in the midst of so much diversity and polarization in our world. He shares the critical building blocks for creating a safe place and describes the kind of safe people he hopes Faithwalkers become. This episode was recorded on June 13th, 2025.

In this episode, Ken Shuman speaks with John Reasons, a pastor and Faithwalking coach from Texas, about the authenticity and safety of the FW process and the gift of experiencing people's stories of change and transformation as a coach journeying with them through the process. John shares that the process of Faithwalking allows people to begin to experience the "fully alive life," th...

In this episode, Ken Shuman talks about another component of self-regulation - managing our anger. He speaks about the root causes of anger and getting clear about what our triggers are, then what we can do to respond to our anger without sinning. Ken distinguishes between reactive anger and assertive differentiation and reminds the group of the concept of sin as shalom (or wholeness) breaking, th...