Here we are on the threshold of another Lenten season! Since the Paschal mystery is the culmination of the Lenten season, we are going to "begin with the end in mind" by exploring this great mystery of our faith and where it might be playing itself out in our own lives. Relying on Fr. Ron Rolheiser’s description in The Holy Longing, Ruth identifies the five movements of the Paschal mystery and the inner dynamics that can help us enter more fully into our own journey of suffering, death, burial, and transformation. This episode is intended to usher you in to the Lenten season with purpose and thoughtfulness.

Mentioned in the episode:

The Holy Longing by Ronald Rolheiser

Music Credit: Kingdom Come by Aaron Niequist Returning from Lent Music in Solitude

There’s still room to join us in our upcoming course, Theology that Shapes the Soul. Many Christian leaders have a well-formed theology of what they believe about God, but far less clarity about a theology of spiritual formation: how those beliefs shape the way we live and lead.

Led by Ruth Haley Barton, Theology That Shapes the Soul is a six-week guided experience for leadership groups who want to engage a biblical, theological, and spiritual framework for Christian formation—not merely as abstract ideas, but as truth to be embodied within communities. The course begins on March 4, 2026. Find out more and register here.

We’ve started a Substack! This will be “a new home for reflection, conversation, and connection with our transforming community.” Our new Substack is called “On the Journey with the Transforming Center,” and it will include thoughtful reflections from Ruth Haley Barton and the Transforming Center team, as well as alumni and friends of the Transforming Center, occasional special video teachings and guided practices, and space to interact with our content and respond with how God is working in your life through the posts. This will also be the new home of all of our podcast patron content! There will be free and paid tiers. We’d love for you to join us over on Substack.

Support the podcast! During Lent we are providing paid Substack supporters guided practices to help them journey through Lent meaningfully. Led by members of our TC alumni community, these practices include a prayer of surrender, a scripture based breath prayer, a practice of holy naming and truth telling before God, a guided meditation of one of the Gospel accounts of Jesus' passion and more. Become a paid member of Substack today to receive these practices and so much more!

The Transforming Center exists to create space for God to strengthen leaders and transform communities. You are invited to join our next Transforming Community:® A Two-year Spiritual Formation Experience for Leaders. Delivered in nine quarterly retreats, this practice-based learning opportunity is grounded in the conviction that the best thing you bring to leadership is your own transforming self! Learn more and apply HERE.

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In this final episode of the Advent season Ruth and Marilyn discuss the unique spiritual invitations and soul work of the winter season. They touch on the inward journey of self-examination, processing grief, and embracing the transformation in life's dormancy. They conclude with a deep discussion on themes of letting go, living in the present, and the spiritual significance of endings and new beginnings. The episode also features a poignant poem by Robert Hayden and an Advent-themed prayer by Ted Loder.

Questions for Reflection:

How would you name or characterize the season that you're in?

 How can we be present in the season that we're in versus clinging to something else?

How  can we trust the letting go process of one season, letting go of one in order to embrace the next?

In this season of the Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership podcast, Ruth invites listeners to embark on a unique journey during Advent 2025. Departing from traditional liturgical approaches, we will focus on the overlap between the seasons of Advent and winter, inspired by Marilyn McIntyre's book 'Midwinter Light: Meditations for the Long Season.' Ruth will be joined all through Advent by Marilyn McIntyre, herself. Together they will explore themes such as inner reflection, the significance of silence, and the profound connections between spirituality and the physical season of winter.

Marilyn McEntyre is an author of over 20 books, including Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies (2021) and Speaking Peace in a Climate of Conflict (2020). Her book, What’s in a Phrase? Pausing Where Scripture Gives You Pause won the Christianity Today book award in spirituality. Midwinter Light, reflections on poems for the “long season,” has just been released. A former professor, now writer, writing coach, speaker, and retreat leader, her deepest interests lie in connections between spirituality, language, healing earth, and each other. She teaches regularly for programs at Western Seminary, New College Berkeley, and the Oblate School of Theology.

Music Credit: Kingdom Come by Aaron Niequist Joseph’s Prayer from Advent Music in Solitude

We’re starting a Substack! This will be “a new home for reflection, conversation, and connection with our transforming community.” Our new Substack is called “On the Journey with the Transforming Center,” and it will include thoughtful reflections from Ruth Haley Barton and the Transforming Center team, as well as alumni and friends of the Transforming Center, occasional special video teachings and guided practices, and space to interact with our content and respond with how God is working in your life through the posts. This will also be the new home of all of our podcast patron content! There will be free and paid tiers. We’d love for you to join us over on Substack. (Existing patrons, check Patreon for a special link to provide you with a discounted rate!)

Support the podcast! This season patrons will receive spiritual practices tethered to the lectionary readings to accompany them through Advent. Become a paid member of Substack today to receive these practices and so much more!

The Transforming Center exists to create space for God to strengthen leaders and transform communities. You are invited to join our next Transforming Community:® A Two-year Spiritual Formation Experience for Leaders. Delivered in nine quarterly retreats, this practice-based learning opportunity is grounded in the conviction that the best thing you bring to leadership is your own transforming self! Learn more and apply HERE.

*this post contains affiliate links

In this week’s episode, Ruth and Marilyn discuss the themes of winter and vulnerability. They explore the metaphorical storms of winter, praying beyond safety, and infinite longing. The conversation also touches on the challenges posed by climate change, the significance of collective humility, and the importance of grappling with complex, real-world issues within church communities. Marilyn concludes by reading her poem 'After the Fire,' reflecting on loss, renewal, and the essential nature of vulnerability in the spiritual journey.

Questions for Reflection:

 How do we open up to moving beyond safety? How do we pray beyond safety?

How do we find security within the midst of our frailty and fragility and vulnerability?

Where does our security come from even if we've lost things that are the most certain to us?

Where does our security come from and what are the particularities of our situation that we're being invited to live in fully?

In this season of the Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership podcast, Ruth invites listeners to embark on a unique journey during Advent 2025. Departing from traditional liturgical approaches, we will focus on the overlap between the seasons of Advent and winter, inspired by Marilyn McIntyre's book 'Midwinter Light: Meditations for the Long Season.' Ruth will be joined all through Advent by Marilyn McIntyre, herself. Together they will explore themes such as inner reflection, the significance of silence, and the profound connections between spirituality and the physical season of winter.

Marilyn McEntyre is an author of over 20 books, including Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies (2021) and Speaking Peace in a Climate of Conflict (2020). Her book, What’s in a Phrase? Pausing Where Scripture Gives You Pause won the Christianity Today book award in spirituality. Midwinter Light, reflections on poems for the “long season,” has just been released. A former professor, now writer, writing coach, speaker, and retreat leader, her deepest interests lie in connections between spirituality, language, healing earth, and each other. She teaches regularly for programs at Western Seminary, New College Berkeley, and the Oblate School of Theology.

Music Credit: Kingdom Come by Aaron Niequist O Come O Come Emmanuel from Advent Music in Solitude

We’re starting a Substack! This will be “a new home for reflection, conversation, and connection with our transforming community.” Our new Substack is called “On the Journey with the Transforming Center,” and it will include thoughtful reflections from Ruth Haley Barton and the Transforming Center team, as well as alumni and friends of the Transforming Center, occasional special video teachings and guided practices, and space to interact with our content and respond with how God is working in your life through the posts. This will also be the new home of all of our podcast patron content! There will be free and paid tiers. We’d love for you to join us over on Substack. (Existing patrons, check Patreon for a special link to provide you with a discounted rate!)

Support the podcast! This season patrons will receive spiritual practices tethered to the lectionary readings to accompany them through Advent. Become a paid member of Substack today to receive these practices and so much more!

The Transforming Center exists to create space for God to strengthen leaders and transform communities. You are invited to join our next Transforming Community:® A Two-year Spiritual Formation Experience for Leaders. Delivered in nine quarterly retreats, this practice-based learning opportunity is grounded in the conviction that the best thing you bring to leadership is your own transforming self! Learn more and apply HERE.

*this post contains affiliate links