Potter's Inn Soul Care Conversations

SHOW NOTES Each year we hear about New Year's Resolutions – we make plans to lose weight, become more organized, be on time more. All great goals, but how many times have those goals been forgotten in February?  (I raised my hand too!) In today's podcast we discuss "The Great Annual Examen,"  a simple question and answer exercise to help you reflect on the past year and anticipate the year to come...

SHOW NOTES In this episode we are treated to a special preview of the Potter's Inn Soul Care Institute where Gwen Smith teaches on Sabbath Keeping: God's Design For Our Dilemma. The discussion includes the origin of Sabbath, why we feel so much guilt concerning Sabbath, and why God gave us Sabbath in the first place. Gwen also introduces her 4 Pillars of Sabbath: Rhythm - Sabbath is God's built-in...

SHOW NOTES I n our heads, we know that b eing is more important than d oing . But the reality of our day-to-day life is that we easily drift into a performance-based relationship with God and others. Jesus modeled a different way to live. In today's episode, we learn how Jesus lived a life that began with acceptance by his Heavenly Father and ended by achieving more than any human being ever has....

This cool breeze by the river bank. A great blue heron feeding in the shallows. The pilated woodpecker serenading the forest with its haunting song. I think I need one hundred days like this!   Slowly, ever so slowly. Here. Now. This! Bit by bit and little by little, I feel a twinge of what may be life. A steady erosion has happened in me. It's taken time to do this damage. It will take more time...

Discernment is the process of gaining clarity on finding direction for the next step of our journey.   SHOW NOTES Today's podcast is part two of a discussion between Steve and Spiritual Director Martie McMane. Martie is a retired minister, artist, and spiritual director who used a collage process with Steve & Gwen to help them make some crucial life decisions during a period of repositioning. They...

Discernment is the process of gaining clarity on finding direction for the next step of our journey.   SHOW NOTES Last year Steve and Gwen went through a period of repositioning: changes were on the horizon but any clarity about what to do next was clouded by the realization that they were not on the same page. They reached out to a trusted Spiritual Director for help and the result was what they...

I am simply humbled at this stage in my career, to have the privilege to tell Walter's story and to help amplify his amazingly relevant voice. Getting to know Walter has been a healing and restorative experience for me as a former pastor and a professor deeply committed to social justice when so much of the church and society has forgotten what the biblical text says about God's care for the margi...

I came to the conclusion that I could not stay in that role and be healthy. So I chose to be a healthy person over a megachurch pastor, and it was an incredibly hard choice. — Pete Briscoe   SHOW NOTES In today's conversation, Steve talks with Pete Briscoe about why Pete no longer calls himself an "evangelical." You'll hear Pete's story, filled with pain and struggles, as he discovers more beautif...

I have learned to prize holy ignorance more highly than religious certainty and to seek companions who have arrived at the same place. We are a motley crew, distinguished not only by our inability to explain ourselves to those who are more certain of their beliefs than we are but in many cases by our distance from the centers of our faith communities as well. Like campers who have bonded over cook...

Note From Steve: We are living in a day and age of distractions. We are bombarded with choices, options and desires. This podcast lays out the way to to cultivate peace and contentment. It's about practicing the daily Examen. This is an ancient practice developed by Ignatius of Loyola. He said this ONE spiritual practice would change your life for the good. It's true. My life has thoroughly change...

Note From Steve: This conversation for me was like having a trusted friend do the deep excavation of my heart. There is nothing like a good question to allow one to feel safe and begin to open up. Steve Macchia and I had a lovely conversation which I commend to you this summer. There's a lot in this wide ranging conversation. I hope you'll enjoy!   SHOW NOTES I (Steve) recently sat down with Steve...

NOTE FROM STEVE: I love this particular podcast because it is foundational to understanding the care of the soul. In this podcast, I explain what the soul is and how we can participate in the caring for our soul.   As I've said , this message is needed because the message of soul care gets lost in our busyness and all the issues of life hitting us day by day!  I hope you'll listen and pass this al...

FROM STEVE: Until we answer life's deepest questions, we will remain stuck— unable to live with freedom and vitality. This podcast is one where Gwen and I explore three core questions.  Remember this: we can never hear this message too much because living with soul and by soul is counter cultural and for many, counter intuitive!   SHOW NOTES In this episode we join Steve and Gwen for two sessions...

This is a way of praying that just helps! And help is what most of us seem to need these days. How do we find words to form in prayer when we are knotted up inside; when we are speechless? The Welcome Prayer is a prayer of letting go and holding palms up in sweet surrender. I use this prayer often and this podcast is about learning to mouth the words and find meaning each time we pray it! Enjoy!  ...

FROM STEVE: I consider Belden Lane to Be among the most important voices in the 21st century. For the next two weeks listen deeply to his wisdom and insight. I relish in his books and find him to be among the most authentic voices I've ever heard! SPECIAL GUEST BELDEN C. LANE Belden and his dog Joey Belden C. Lane is a Presbyterian theologian who teaches on a Jesuit faculty at Saint Louis Universi...

FROM STEVE: I consider Belden Lane to Be among the most important voices in the 21st century. For the next two weeks listen deeply to his wisdom and insight. I relish in his books and find him to be among the most authentic voices I've ever heard! SPECIAL GUEST BELDEN C. LANE Belden and his dog Joey Belden C. Lane is a Presbyterian theologian who teaches on a Jesuit faculty at Saint Louis Universi...

NOTE FROM STEVE: We all need spiritual diodes to help us find the way. I consider Trevor to be a Spiritual Master. In todays world, I am suspicious of people who are not credible-- who are too young, too inexperienced and too unbroken. The voices I trust and listen to are seasoned women and men who know the landscape of the inner journey. Trevor Hudson is one voice I trust and respect. His two pod...

Steve's Podcast List for Summer 2023 If there is one podcast that defines my life message and legacy, surely it is this one. This has the key to unlock all the years of trying and performance to get it right. I explore why reading the "red letters of Jesus " is so important and some thoughts to inspire us upward and onward! Could you  PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW AND THEN SHARE THIS WITH FIVE OF YOUR FRI...

The trapeze artist free falls into the hands of trust and love. Jesus let go, while on the cross and surrendered his life into good hands of his Father. — Henri Nouwen SHOW NOTES It's hard work to let go. Ask Moses, Peter, Paul, Mary the mother of Jesus, or really—any character in the Scriptures. Like it or not, letting go is one of the big scholastic courses you sign up for in being born. Today w...

We carry these desires, our deepest longings, with us. It's part of what it means to be human, and they are drivers in our lives whether or not we acknowledge them. — Jeff Crosby SHOW NOTES Today's guest is Jeff Crosby, the author of the new book (releases May 23, 2023) Language of the Soul. For over fifteen years, Jeff has been searching for a language of the soul--a way to articulate our deepest...

Be responsible, serve, and protect. — Kyle Meyaard-Schaap SHOW NOTES Have you ever looked at the effects of climate change and the apathy of so many around you and wondered, "What are we missing here?" Today's guest Kyle Meyaard-Schaap understands this feeling from personal experience. He is the author of the recently released book, Following Jesus in a Warming World, a field guide for Christian c...

"There is no house like the house of belonging."  — David Whyte SHOW NOTES Every soul needs to belong. We look for our sense of belonging in our families, tribes, nations, and friendships Today we explore the place of our home—that place where you actually live and the role and influences that this place has on our spiritual lives. ​It all comes together in our new resource, the Soul Care Ezine. S...