The Discerning Leader Podcast

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Adele Calhoun This episode originally aired on September 23, 2021 as Episode 1 of Season 14. " Shaming voices have the power to cripple us. They isolate us from the truth about ourselves and others. " – Adele Calhoun How we deal with the shaming voices of our past will either set us free to live more abundantly, or will keep us crippled by their falsehood. In this week'...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Gary Franklin *This episode originally aired on May 11, 2023 as Episode 5 of Season 26.* " For the first twenty years of my ministry, discernment wasn't a part of my way of life – it was just busyness and activity. " – Gary Franklin  A large part of discernment is learning to pay attention to our soul. Gary Franklin is a pastor in the greater Atlanta area who has minist...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Matt Scott "A spiritual practice is not a prescription for success; it's an invitation to deeper intimacy with God." - Steve Macchia As Season 40 of The Discerning Leader Podcast comes to a close, Steve Macchia and Matt Scott reflect on the journey of exploring the state of our souls through the lens of LTI's Soul Care Audit. Together they revisit key themes from the se...

Host: Steve Macchia Guests: Gayle Heaslip, Matt Scott "Hospitality of the soul is about a gracious welcome, not just a literal space. It's a kind of inner spaciousness and unhurried quality that's created within our hearts." – Steve Macchia What does it mean to practice hospitality—not just in our homes, but within our souls? In this episode of The Discerning Leader Podcast , Steve Macchia welcome...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guests: Gail Edmonson, Matt Scott "Community is built through trust, but it is redeemed through love, grace, forgiveness, and a lot of listening." - Steve Macchia In this episode, Steve Macchia, Matt Scott, and Gail Edmondson explore the beauty, challenges, and transformative power of spiritual community. Together they discuss why healthy community requires trust, humility, li...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guests: Susan Currie, Matt Scott "I'm becoming more and more convinced that every leader needs a spiritual director." – Steve Macchia This week's episode of The Discerning Leader Podcast , offers a thoughtful conversation about the transformative practice of spiritual direction. Steve Macchia and Susan Currie explore what spiritual direction is, how it differs from counseling,...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guests: Rick Anderson, Matt Scott "We all need people who believe the best in us, stand beside us when we feel like falling, and help us keep going." – Steve Macchia If you've ever longed for deeper connection, wondered how to cultivate genuine soul friendships, or found yourself feeling isolated in leadership or life, this conversation offers encouragement and practical next...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guests: Marcos Leon, Matt Scott "If we don't go to the place of owning and identifying our feelings and emotions, we won't be able to embrace both our brokenness and wholeness." – Steve Macchia Why do so many of us struggle to name what we feel? How do family systems and early experiences shape our emotional lives? And what might happen if we stopped treating emotions as enemi...

Host: Steve Macchia Guest: Suz Skinner, Matt Scott "Soul care begins by creating space to listen." - Steve Macchia If you feel spiritually weary, distracted, or hungry for deeper intimacy with God, this episode offers a gentle invitation to create space for the One who refreshes our souls. Steve Macchia is joined by Suz Skinner and Matt Scott for a rich conversation about creating space to be with...

In this reflective episode of the Discerning Leader podcast, Steve Macchia, Matt Scott, and Dr. Kim Alexander explore the deep spiritual practice of Sabbath rest and its impact on the soul. Moving beyond the idea of simply "stopping," they unpack what it means to truly rest—embracing surrender, trust, and delight in God's presence. Through personal stories, cultural observations, and spiritual ins...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Matt Scott, Fyfe Blair "What are the 'pillows' that allow your soul to finally rest in God?" – Steve Macchia In this episode of the Discerning Leader Podcast, Steve Machia is joined by Matt Scott and Fyfe Blair for a rich and reflective conversation on silence and solitude. Together, they explore why these ancient practices feel so difficult in a distracted, fast-paced...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Matt Scott, Jeremy Stefano "The mind must be renewed if the soul is to be transformed." – Steve Macchia In a world saturated with distraction, misinformation, and anxiety, what we think about—and how we think—deeply shapes the condition of our soul. In Episode 03 of Season 40, Steve Macchia, Jeremy Stefano and Matt Scott unpack how examining truth, prayerful reflection,...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Matt Scott and Dr. Brenda Woods "We cannot separate the body and the soul—our bodies impact our spiritual health." – Steve Macchia How does your physical body shape the health of your soul? In this episode, Dr. Brenda Woods joins Steve Macchia and Matt Scott as they explore the deep connection between our physical and spiritual well-being. Together, they challenge the f...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Matt Scott "The soul is the only part of us that is eternal—so why do we neglect it the most?" - Steve Macchia "How is it with your soul?" This timeless question opens the door to a deeper awareness of our life with God. In this first episode of the new season, Steve Macchia and Matt Scott explore the meaning, depth, and importance of the soul—described as the very esse...

Featuring: Steve Macchia, Suz Skinner, Matt Scott "Each parable of Jesus is an invitation—not just to understand, but to be transformed." - Steve Macchia What if the parables of Jesus are not simply stories to understand—but invitations to be transformed? In this concluding episode of Season 39: Praying the Parables of Jesus , Steve Macchia, along with Suz Skinner and Matt Scott, reflects on the f...

Featuring: Steve Macchia, Suz Skinner, Matt Scott "Tell me your story…and I'll companion you in your lack of trust." - Steve Macchia What might change if you encountered the parables of Jesus as an invitation into a life of deeper trust? Episode 39.6 reflects on a powerful gathering of parables centered on the theme of trust—trusting in God's provision, His love, His rescue, and His heart toward u...

Featuring: Steve Macchia, Suz Skinner, Matt Scott "Ask. Seek. Knock… there's initiative attached to every one of those words." - Steve Macchia In this episode of The Discerning Leader Podcast , Steve Macchia, Suze Skinner, and Matt Scott continue their journey through Praying the Parables of Jesus , reflecting on a group of parables centered around one simple word: serve. Through prayerful convers...

Featuring: Steve Macchia, Suz Skinner, Matt Scott "God's invitation is always the same: come close, draw near, follow Me." - Steve Macchia What does it mean to truly receive God's invitation? In this episode of The Discerning Leader Podcast , Steve Machia, Sue Skinner, and Matt Scott explore a powerful grouping of parables from the book Praying the Parables of Jesus —each echoing a single, compell...

Featuring Steve Macchia, Suz Skinner, and Matt Scott "The parables confront us with a question: Kingdom of God or kingdom of earth?" - Steve Macchia In this episode of The Discerning Leader Podcast (Season 39, Ep 02), Steve Macchia, Suz Skinner, and Matt Scott reflect on six parables that share one compelling invitation: be all in for the kingdom of God. Through the practices of lectio and visio d...

Featuring Steve Macchia, Suz Skinner, and Matt Scott As Season 39 of the Discerning Leader podcast begins, Steve Macchia, Sue Skinner, and Matt Scott invite listeners into a 40-day journey of praying the parables of Jesus. Rooted in the ancient practices of lectio divina and visio divina, this season explores how word and image together awaken a posture of receptivity to God's kingdom. Through hon...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: James Hauptman "And that's the ripple effect that happens when men of God like you take this seriously and put real teeth into noticing what's necessary for this season." - Steve Macchia In this concluding episode of Season 38, Steve Macchia welcomes James Hopman to share how he crafted his personal rule of life in the midst of an exceptionally full season. As a pastor,...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Rev. Jen Keifer "You and I, we find our passion somewhere between a fist in the air of injustice and the tear in our eye of compassion and mercy." - Steve Macchia In this episode of  The Discerning Leader Podcast , host Steve Macchia is joined by Rev. Jen Kiefer, who shares her deeply personal journey of crafting and living a rule of life rooted in belovedness rather th...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: James Hauptman "If God's going to be in the center of our lives, we have to be willing to let him come in and take over every single aspect of our lives." - Steve Macchia In this episode of  The Discerning Leader Podcast , Steve Machia and James Hauptman explore how a personal rule of life is ultimately lived out in community. Drawing from ancient Christian wisdom and t...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: James Hauptman "If God's going to be in the center of our lives, we have to be willing to let him come in and take over every single aspect of our lives." - Steve Macchia What do we do with the raw materials of our lives? Episode 3 of Season 38 invites you into a reflective and practical conversation about crafting a personal Rule of Life. Host Steve Macchia welcomes Ja...