The Discerning Leader Podcast

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Matt Scott " It is hard to do the 'one- anothering ' of the New Testament when we are in a hurry "  - Matt Scott   How does hurry hinder humility? In this episode, Steve and Matt tackle this question as they invite you to  " slow down and be more humble ."   Exploring the reality that hurry drives our selfish ambition, this conversation looks at practical ways to slow d...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Matt Scott " How are we going to know God with heart, soul, mind, and strength if we don't know Him in the inner core of our being - our soul? " - Steve Macchia   In this second episode of Season 31, Steve and Matt talk about the practice of silence. The goal of silence is to know God in the core of our being. Practices that lead us to silence include stillness, solitud...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Matt Scott " I think the biggest danger of hurrying is that it pours fuel into my addiction to be busy, to be hurried, to be productive, to be noticed. " - Steve Macchia   Season 31, entitled 'Discerning God in Slowness', begins by exploring a phrase that is central to who we are as an organization: Slow Down, Be More. In this conversation, Steve and Matt answer the que...

Co-Hosts: Steve Macchia and Matt Scott " I'll spend the rest of my life helping people notice God and discern His presence, His power and His way. " - Steve Macchia   This special 200th episode is a celebration of what the Lord has done through this podcast. With listenership in over 130 countries, all fifty of the United States, and almost 200,000 downloads we are grateful for you - the listeners...

Hosts: Steve Macchia & Jeremy Stefano " So much of the work of God in my life contains so much mystery. God is at work doing amazingly deep things that are unseen. " - Steve Macchia   Throughout the summer, team members of Leadership Transformations Inc. have shared a favorite psalm. This week, we swap seats and Jeremy Stefano interviews Steve Macchia to hear about one of his favorite Psalms - Psa...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Chrissy Chang " In the middle of busyness and life, how do I enter into this retreat-like presence? " - Chrissy Chang   Chrissy Chang is the Online Ministry Coordinator for Leadership Transformations, Inc. a trained spiritual director with LTI's Selah certificate program, and the Associate Director of Mosaic Network with Mosaic Formation. Chrissy joins Steve for a conve...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Suz Skinner " Can I stand up to evil and say, 'I'm not afraid'? " - Suz Skinner   Suz Skinner is a member of the Emmaus Faculty, Abide Faculty, and a Spiritual Formation Associate for Leadership Transformations Inc. and the Pierce Fellowship at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Suz joins Steve for a conversation around her favorite Psalm - Psalm 23. Suz shares that t...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Susan Currie " As we become present to Him, He re-orients us to His rule, to His righteousness, His justice, His abundance, His blessing, and praise rises within us, and we worship " – Susan Currie   Susan Currie is the Director of Selah and a Minister of Spiritual Formation for Leadership Transformations Inc. Susan joins Steve for a conversation around her favorite Psa...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: James Hauptman " It's not a flippant thing to remember the goodness of God. God has been present and overseeing even the hard and difficult times. " - James Hauptman   James Hauptman is the Executive Assistant for Leadership Transformations Inc. James joins Steve for a conversation about his favorite Psalm – Psalm 90. This Psalm written by Moses reminds us of the faithf...

Host: Steve Macchia | Guest: Matt Scott " That experience was when the Psalms came alive to me. " -Matt Scott     Matt Scott is the Creative Director and a Minister of Spiritual Formation for Leadership Transformations Inc. Matt joins Steve for a conversation about his favorite Psalm – Psalm 27. With themes of trust and reliance on God; Psalm 27 invites the reader to fix our eyes on the Lord. In t...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Kim Alexander " We can't be more attached to the outcome than we are to Christ. " - Kim Alexander Kim Alexander is a Senior Faculty Member of LTI's Selah, a two-year certificate program in Spiritual Direction. Kim joins Steve for a conversation on her favorite Psalm – Psalm 63. This Psalm was written by David in the wilderness and contrasts a dry and parched land withou...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Rick Anderson " In a time when there is anxiety or panic, there is something about this psalm that calms me down. It reminds me that I don't have a lot of control over anything. God has control over everything. " - Rick Anderson Rick Anderson is the Executive Vice President of Leadership Transformations Inc., where he has served for the last 19 years. Rick joins Steve M...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Jeremy Stefano " Blessing the Lord is a daring thing to do, and it is the thing for which we've been created. " - Jeremy Stefano   Season 30 will feature team members from Leadership Transformations Inc. and focus on discerning God in the Psalms. The Psalms are prayers that God has given us to pray. These prayers cover almost every human emotion we will experience as ch...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Olivier Bala " Anyone that comes in here really feels comfortable. It's something we have not tried to work hard at. It's in our DNA. "  – Oliver Bala     Oliver Bala has been the Senior Pastor of Mount Hope Community Baptist Church for the past 28 years. Oliver joins Steve today for a conversation around Healthy Church Trait 5: A Commitment to Loving and Caring Relatio...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Barry Corey " My dad said, 'Whoever comes my way, I'm going to make myself receivable.' Receivable is another word for kindness. " – Barry Corey     Barry Corey grew up as a pastor's son in Quincy, Massachusetts. His early life was shaped by seeing people's lives changed at the altar at his father's church. Barry joins Steve for a conversation about Trait 7 of a Healthy...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Bob Ludwig " Good management can assist the mission of the organization and make it more effective by setting people free from the complex irritations of bad management ." – Bob Ludwig     Bob Ludwig has enjoyed a two-track career with business consulting and church/ministry leadership. In this conversion with Steve Macchia, Bob shares principles from Healthy Church Tra...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Ellen Bishop Little " You don't need a big budget, a lot of people, or a nice building to have the presence of God and loving, caring relationships. " – Ellen Bishop Little   Ellen Bishop Little along with her husband Larry responded to a call to teach at their local church. They chose an unlikely group - two-year-olds! After the first year was finished, they chose to c...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guests: Greg & Doug Scalise " You don't need a big budget, a lot of people, or a nice building to have the presence of God and loving, caring relationships. "  –  Greg Scalise   Pastors Doug and Greg Scalise are third and fourth-generation pastors. Their family has over one hundred years of Christian ministry. Doug and Greg join Steve Macchia for a conversation on healthy chur...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Tom Sparling " I see it now among Gen Zers ; there is a passion in my young adults that is as fresh and real as what we were experiencing. "  – Tom Sparling   The second trait of a Healthy Church is "God Exalting Worship". Tom Sparling was a part of the original team that worked with Steve Macchia on Becoming a Healthy Church . Tom joins Steve for a conversation about w...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Dennis Baril " God's empowering Presence is a value and a relationship, not a doctrine. " – Dennis Baril   Dennis Baril was part of the original research team for Becoming a Healthy Church . In this episode, Dennis sits down with Steve to share a conversation about the first trait of a healthy church, a value for God's empowering Presence. Before serving as a senior pas...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Rick Anderson "It is so important that all of this is held together with spiritual discernment and a posture of leadership that is listening to God."  – Rick Anderson   Twenty-five years later, the ten traits of a healthy Church as outlined in Becoming a Healthy Church are still relevant because they are principles from Scripture, solid theology, and practical research....

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Matt Scott " My vision is that we would be known for our love, not our conflicts and difficulties and estrangement " - Steve Macchia     Season 29 will focus on the soul of the Church. From its first days, Leadership Transformations Inc. has prioritized the local congregation and its health. These episodes will highlight the updated 25th-anniversary edition of Becoming...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Matt Scott " It's in that place of deeper solitude and reflection that we meet the living God face to face, heart to heart. " – Steve Macchia    Find a time and space for a personal retreat. Maybe you only have a few hours and a bench somewhere in nature. Schedule it and prioritize it because you will have a million reasons why you should fill it with something else. In...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Matt Scott " You don't need to memorize where all the Psalms are, just pray the Psalms. " – Steve Macchia     The Psalms are a reminder that God is not threatened by our emotions. He is big enough to handle the combination of human emotions - faith and doub, hope and despair, joy and sorrow. In episode thirteen, we continue to explore the spiritual practices that are at...

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Matt Scott " Our lives are driven by our loves - what we think about, dwell upon, what we allow to be enthroned in our hearts. When we re-order our loves, we re-order our lives. " – Matt Scott   Simply put, we become what we love. In episode twelve, we continue to explore the spiritual practices that are at the heart of Leadership Transformations Inc. and have been cele...