Faithwalking English

In this episode Ken provides a framework of the components of emotional maturity, starting by elucidating what we mean by "self" to help the group and listeners better understand the concept of self-differentiation. As we grow in our emotional maturity, the self we "own" will become more and more differentiated while also staying connected to other "selves." Ken empha...

In this episode, Lou Huesmann challenges us to consider who we are becoming and identify where we are in the unfolding narrative of our lives. He reflects on how we know where we are and asks what framework we are using to answer this question -- one we have thoughtfully considered and chosen, or one we have received from our society, our culture, our family, our friends, or our church? Lou shares...

In this episode Ken Shuman continues his series on polarization. He shares a quote from Ronald Richardson ( Polarization and the Healthier Church ) that "a differentiated person is one who can maintain his or her emotional objectivity while others are polarizing." Feelings don't run these people's lives; they don't let emotions dictate their judgment or actions. Ken shares a...

In this episode Ken continues the conversation on polarization. Intense polarization is the result of low levels of emotional maturity, he says, and according to Ronald Richardson, progress in society depends on people achieving a higher level of self-differentiation [another way of saying "emotional maturity"]." "If we want to change the world," he states, "we have t...

In this episode Ken talks about Henry Cloud's book "Necessary Endings" and specifically Dr. Cloud's assertion that there are three kinds of people - wise, foolish, and evil. Ken shares the characteristics of each type of person according to Dr. Cloud, then transitions to discussing where Dr. Cloud's three kinds of people would be on the scale of emotional maturity. He leaves...

In this episode of Faithwalking Stories, Ken speaks with Marcos Leon, Faithwalking's Spanish Program Team Leader, about his Faithwalking journey both personally and as a member of our staff. A native of Ecuador, Marcos has been living in the US for more than 20 years and has been a part of Faithwalking in a variety of roles since the very beginning. In addition to his Faithwalking work, Marcos...

In this episode, Lou Huesmann unpacks a Substack post by Richard Beck about the impact of mattering in mental well-being. He talks about two types of mattering - relational and existential, or cosmic . Lou shares from the post that existential mattering is "the more robust predictor of mental health....We need our value to be grounded in something more durable and consistent than the current...

In the latest episode in our series on polarization, Ken returns to the topic of triangling. "So when people get anxious," he says, "they move towards someone else...in hopes that the other person will be their advocate and will join their team and will think what they think, believe what they believe, and be against whatever they're against." This is how triangulationunfol...

In this episode, Ken talked about the role of triangling in the polarization process. He explained the concept of triangles in the context of relationships and how we can get sucked into them, becoming part of the polarization problem. Ken shared examples of triangling in scripture and showed how Jesus refused to be sucked into triangles. Ken then explained how to respond when others attempt to pu...

In this episode, Ken begins by recapping some of what heshared last week and the assignment he gave the group. He said that success is not determined by how others respond to us, but by whether we show up as the person we want to be, based on our best thinking. Emotional maturity is the growing capacity to consistently live in alignment with who we want to be. Rather than reacting out of anxiety t...

In this episode, Ken continues the conversation aboutpolarization, beginning by stating that we don't have a knowledge problem; we have a reactivity problem. He explains that anxiety is contagious within groups, and that even one person who can regulate their anxiety can positivelyinfluence the entire system. By becoming less reactive, we help bring greater calm to anxious situations in which...

In this episode, Ken returns to the topic of polarization. He suggests that differences between people are not the core issue; rather, it is the level of anxiety surrounding those differences that fuels polarization. He emphasizes theimportance of recognizing our own reactivity and growing in self-regulation. This begins with asking, How can I be less threatened by differences and less reactive to...

In this episode, Ken speaks with Danae Labocki about her journey with Faithwalking. Danae is the president of Immix, the marketing firm Faithwalking partners with, and is a Faithwalker herself. She lives in Akron, Ohio, where Immix is based, with her family. Danae shares how profoundly Faithwalking has shaped her life—impacting her marriage, her relationships with her young adult children, and the...

In this episode, in light of everything happening in our country and the world right now, Lou Huesmann speaks with the group about the central human emotion of fear. He states that the most repeated command in the Bible is "Do not be afraid." Fear blocks love, and love is a relational term. When we are afraid we tend to engage in self-protection, which causes a loss of connection. Lou as...

In this episode, Ken Shuman continues the conversation onpolarization by exploring how it functions within systems, and also ties it to a relevant occurrence at the end of Jesus's ministry. He unpacks the dynamics of polarization at length, highlighting our tendency to react to what we are against rather than taking a stand for what we are for . Ken invites listeners to move toward a less reac...

In this episode, Lou Huesmann explores the role of faith inFaithwalking first by clarifying what faith is—and what it isn’t. Faith is a response to a deeper reality beyond what we can see, and living in faith allows us to begin experiencing what we hope for even now. When we act on this deeper reality, we come into contact with its substance. The practices, postures, and dynamics of Faithwalking a...

In this episode, Ken returns to Ephesians 4, this time focusing on verses 2b-3, where Paul offers three more indicators of emotional and spiritual maturity. Ken then describes what often gets in the way - polarization - sharing passages from Ronald Richardson's Polarization and the Healthier Church . We live in polarizing times in society, and sadly, it has bled into congregations. Polarizatio...

In this episode, Ken Shuman continues exploring theconnection between emotional and spiritual maturity, focusing on Ephesians 4:1–2. He suggests that Paul’s call to “live a life worthy of the calling you have received” offers another way of describing spiritual maturity. Paul then names three virtues that characterize this kind of life—humility, gentleness, and patience—which Ken identifies as key...

In this episode, Ken Shuman continues exploring the connection between emotional and spiritual maturity. He explains that we cannot become fully spiritually mature if we are not also growing in emotional maturity, because we will behave in ways that are inconsistent with the way of Jesus. Ken returns to the question, “What is spiritual maturity?” and revisits Ephesians 4:11–13 to help answer this....

In this episode, Lou Huesmann returns to Ken’s recent reflections on the relationship between emotional and spiritual maturity. At Faithwalking, we believe the two cannot be separated—spiritual maturity is grounded in emotional maturity. Lou explores how we grow in emotional and spiritual maturity- or “sanctification” - through the invitation of Jesus in Matthew 11:28-29: “Come to me, all you who...

In this episode, Ken returns to the topic of the distinction between order - or law - and justice, and how for God order is important but justice for everyone is what is paramount. Ken shared the story of Jesus healing the man born blind in John chapter 9 , which he thinks depicts well this difference between people's emphasis on the law and God's emphasis on justice and ensuring the well...

In this episode, Ken talks with Chad Crawford, VP of Immixand part of our marketing and development team, about his Faithwalking journey. Chad is a husband, father, and leader based in Akron, Ohio. Chad shares that Faithwalking helped him recognize that many of his actions and reactions were rooted in things within him he didn’t yet know about or understand. It gave him a path to uncover those hid...

In this episode Ken addresses the difference between emotional and spiritual maturity and whether one of them is more important than the other. Some would say that if spiritual maturity is in place, emotional maturity will naturally follow, but Ken contends this is not the case - that in fact if we are not growing in our emotional maturity, we cannot become spiritually mature. Many of us were taug...

In this episode, Ken returns to the work of Walter Brueggemann, this week exploring the tension between order and justice in the New Testament through the life and ministry of Jesus. Brueggemann contends that God is always on the side of justice, even when it disrupts the order of theday. Jesus focused much of his ministry on those excluded from societal benefits enjoyed by those with power, showi...

In this episode, Ken interviews Becky Gressett, a Faithwalking coach and children’s pastor from Houston, Texas, about the profound ways Faithwalking has impacted her life and ministry. Becky shares that the journey has brought deep healing and self-discovery, saying, “I have definitely become freer to be the person God created me to be.”  She describes learning to replace judgment with curiosity,...