You can be saved and still have a fragmented soul. In this episode of Student of Life, I reflect on a simple but weighty question: How is your soul? Scripture calls us to be formed into the image of Christ—mind, heart, body, and soul. But when areas in us remain unhealed or untouched, they don’t stay private—especially in leadership. We talk about the difference between salvation and formation, hearing and obeying, and why mastering the language of healing without doing the work can still hurt people. This isn’t about perfection. It’s about honesty, formation, and leading from a whole soul.

Student of Life Guide — How Is Your Soul?

Key Idea

Salvation is immediate, but formation is lifelong. What remains fragmented in us eventually impacts others.

3 Big Insights

• You can be saved and still need soul formation. Grace initiates salvation; obedience shapes maturity.
• Fragmented souls affect people, not just leaders. Influence multiplies what’s unresolved.
• Hearing God’s Word means obeying it. Fluency without obedience creates the illusion of wholeness.

Reflection Questions

1. How is my soul—not my role, not my output, but my inner life?
2. What part of me feels unhealed, avoided, or untouched?
3. Where might my leadership be shaped more by coping than by formation?

Practice

Sit with one familiar passage this week (Psalm 23, James 1, or Colossians 2).
Ask:

• “What is this revealing about my soul?”
• “What step of obedience is being invited?”

Don’t rush it.

Anchor Thought

“You can know the truth and still need to be formed by it.”

In this episode of Student of Life, I’m processing something I believe the Lord has been pressing on my heart: returning to our first love. It’s easy to become agenda-driven with Jesus—always needing something, always rushing, always turning faith into tasks. Using Mary and Martha (Luke 10) and Jesus’ warning to the church in Ephesus (Revelation 2), we talk about what it looks like to slow down—not to be lazy, but to do the deepest work: being present with Jesus. I love the local church and I’m grateful for vision and ministry, but I also want to hold the tension of not letting “doing for God” replace being with God.

Student of Life Guide:

Key Idea
Returning to our first love isn’t about doing less—it’s about loving Jesus more deeply, without an agenda.

Reflection Questions

1. When do I spend time with Jesus just to be with Him?

2. Where has ministry or responsibility crowded out attentiveness?

3. What would slowing down with Jesus look like this week?

Practice

• Set aside 10–15 minutes this week with no requests.

• No agenda.

• Just Scripture, silence, and presence.

Anchor Thought

“Presence with Jesus isn’t a detour from the work—it’s the foundation of it.”

In this episode of Student of Life, we unpack why heroic leadership leads to burnout and chaos — and how clarity, systems thinking, and simple rhythms can transform how teams work and thrive.

Student of Life Guide — “Beyond Heroic Leadership”

Heroic leadership feels sacrificial, but it’s actually a symptom of an unhealthy system. Sustainable teams are built through clarity, shared responsibility, and simple rhythms that enable flow and reduce chaos.

3 Big Insights

• If everything depends on a few people, the system is broken.

• Clarity is a gift — it frees people to contribute without burnout.

• Healthy leadership slows things down, simplifies work, and amplifies early signals.

Reflection Questions

1. Where am I carrying more than I should because the system isn’t clear?

2. What’s one area my team depends on me too much?

3. How can I simplify or visualize our workflow this week?

Next Step (Application)
Pick one workflow, meeting, or ministry process. Visualize it. Clarify it. Improve it.
Small clarity today prevents heroic rescue tomorrow.

Anchor Thought:
“Heroic leadership saves the day. Healthy leadership builds a system so the day doesn’t need saving.”