The Being Formed Podcast

“I feel like I’ve had some kind of breakthrough related to feeling full permission, full blessing, to live with unconditional love for people around me, and some insight into some of the walls that were there that were keeping me from believing that truly being unconditionally loving is the way to be.” (Cheri Hudspith)
Our host, Adam Ormord, welcomes Lori Shoults and Cheri Hudspith (Co-Directors of Practice Collective) to The Being Formed Podcast to discuss the Ignatian Journey and the life-changing invitation to join Jesus on the way.
Their story is not unlike yours. God is always present, trying to get your attention, moving you into places of deeper trust and surrender. Are you ready to take the journey?
Practice Collective is a Christ-centered non-profit ministry providing holistic experiences, safe communities, and relevant resources that invite and encourage followers of Jesus Christ on their inward and outward journey of spiritual transformation.
Lori Shoults is the curator/designer of The Ignatian Journey: A Contemporary Approach to the Spiritual Exercises. She leads groups through The Ignatian Journey and is one of the retreat hosts for the Pastors, Priests, and Guides Retreat. She served for several years on The Practice team at Willow Creek Community Church and for three years was the Program Coordinator for the Spiritual Formation Certificate Program through Moody Distance Learning. She is passionate about spiritual formation, spiritual direction, and inviting others into a deeper intimacy with Christ. You can reach Lori at lorishoults@practicecollective.org.
Cheri Hudspith assists leaders with the unique challenges and joys of bringing Spiritual Formation ways of learning and growing into the local church. Initially, this began by training Life with God leaders, a three-year journey offered through Grafted Life Ministries, and eventually expanded into other relationships developed beyond that organization. She also completed her training in Spiritual Direction through Selah - LTi in 2013. She loves meeting with directees and now enjoys training future directors as a Supervisor through the same program. She also has experience leading retreats, Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, and guiding life-mapping tools. You can reach Cheri at cherihudspith@practicecollective.org.
Resources mentioned in today's episode:
The Ignatian Journey
The Ignatian Adventure (Kevin O'Brien, SJ)
Article: Suppose We All Presupposed?
Also recommended:
Article: Mary and the Prayer of Indifference (Ruth Haley Barton)
Practice: Prayer for Indifference (from Trinity Church)
Seeking God: Finding Another Kind of Life with St. Ignatius and Dallas Willard (Trevor Hudson)
A New Liturgy No. 6: The Examen
The Being Formed Podcast is a soul care ministry of LifePoint Resources.

“When you care for your soul as a way of life, you can handle when really hard things come your way and still maintain that groundedness. Now, it’s turbulent, it’s hard, it’s disorienting, but the bottom didn’t fall out the way it had years ago.” (Mindy Caliguire)
Mindy Caliguire is the founder and president of Soul Care (soulcare.com), an organization that exists to cultivate soul health among leaders and those they serve. Mindy works with Christian leaders in ministry and marketplace environments, serving individuals and organizations around the world and through the Soul Care Collective, an online community. Mindy and her husband, Jeff, make their home in Boulder, Colorado.
The subject of Mindy's conversation with Adam Ormord (the host of The Being Formed Podcast) is her latest book, "Ignite Your Soul: When Exhaustion, Isolation, and Burnout Light a Path to Flourishing."
Mindy also referenced two helpful resources in the conversation:
"Not the Way It's Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin" by Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.
"Living in the Vision of God" by Dallas Willard
The Being Formed Podcast is a soul care ministry of LifePoint Resources.

Adam Ormord (LifePoint Resources) welcomes Summer Joy Gross to The Being Formed Podcast for a conversation about forming a stronger attachment to God who promises to be with us always. 
Summer Joy Gross (MDiv, Virginia Theological Seminary) is the author of "The Emmanuel Promise: Discovering the Security of a Life Held By God." Summer is an Anglican priest, retreat leader, and spiritual director whose work is guided by the belief that our stories can be transformed by God's invitation to make his love our home base. She is associate faculty of spiritual formation and the art of spiritual direction at the Healing Care Ministries' spiritual direction school.
Summer walks with hundreds of people into a secure attachment with the Father through podcasts, videos, retreats, and groups of various sizes. With her warm and compassionate style, Summer sets a table for those who have heard sermons on Sunday about abiding in Christ but who are hungry for its reality.
Summer invites you to come awake to He who desires to draw you close, cup your face in His hands, and convince you your adoption is not just a sheet of paper, not just a seal for heaven, but a commitment of His constant care and connection.
Order "The Emmanuel Promise" here, and learn more about Summer's ministry, The Presence Project, at www.athirstforgod.org.
The Being Formed Podcast is a soul care ministry of LifePoint Resources.

Our host, Adam Ormord, welcomes Abigail Doust to The Being Formed Podcast to talk about the joy of serving and caring for women who serve in cross-cultural ministry all across the world.
Abigail is an author, speaker, coach, and trainer who is passionate about helping leaders get equipped to help others move forward. Abigail is the Development Director for Thrive Ministry, which replenishes and supports women serving cross-culturally by resourcing them and caring for their souls. She also runs a business, Equipping for Impact, which trains and inspires people to use coaching skills in their homes, churches, communities, workplaces, and everywhere they go.
Abigail has a Bachelor of Communications Education and Masters in Theatre in Directing. She is a Certified Professional Life Coach and accredited with the International Coaching Federation (ICF). She co-wrote Authentic Conversations with her husband, Scott. They live in Arvada, CO and have 4 daughters. When she carves out space to care for her soul, she loves reading, seeing plays, getting coffee, taking walks, and connecting with family and friends.
The Being Formed Podcast is a soul care ministry of LifePoint Resources.

On today's episode, Adam Ormord (President and Founder of LifePoint Resources) welcomes Sean Nemecek to the podcast to talk about the very serious issue of burnout, especially for those who serve in ministry. This is an important conversation as we recognize the elevated state of stress and exhaustion affecting so many leaders in our communities and churches. Hope, help and health are available to all of us, so listen and share with those in need.
"It's my goal that people really experience their union with Christ, the depth of security they have with Him, and the freedom to minister out of God's love." - Sean Nemecek
Sean Nemecek is the author of The Weary Leader’s Guide to Burnout and the West Michigan Regional Director for Pastor-in-Residence Ministries. Sean served as a pastor for 18 years before joining PIR. Now he works as both a spiritual director and ministry coach — specializing in coaching people through burnout and helping organizations develop an anti-burnout culture. He is all about helping people feel seen, heard, and known in the welcoming presence of our loving God. In his spare time Sean enjoys gardening with his wife, Amy. He also enjoys learning, cooking, woodturning, and cheering for the Chicago Cubs.
"The Weary Leader’s Guide to Burnout: A Journey from Exhaustion to Wholeness" is Outreach Magazine's 2024 Leadership Resource of the Year. It also won a Silver Medalion Award (2024 Christian Book Awards Finalist in Ministry Resources). Learn more at www.wearyleadersguide.com.
You can engage with Sean Nemecek at several online locations: Seannemecek.com; The Pastor's Soul (Blog); PIR Ministries; Facebook; LinkedIn; Twitter, Threads, and Instagram: @pastorsoul.
The Being Formed Podcast is a soul care ministry of LifePoint Resources.

Adam Ormord welcomes friend and mentor, Stephen W. Smith, to The Being Formed Podcast to talk about the power of deep listening.
Steve Smith is the co-founder of Potter's Inn, a Christian ministry devoted to the work of spiritual formation and the care of the soul. He's the author of several books and small group guides, including The Lazarus Life, Soul Custody, The Jesus Life, and Inside Job. Steve and Gwen have been married since 1980 and have four grown sons and 14 grandchildren.
Steve regularly writes on his Substack page, Potter’s Inn with Stephen W. Smith, where he recently posted an article entitled "Deep Listening Might Save Us. His article is vulnerable and honest, as evidenced in today's podcast.
 "So many words—too many words is a form of abuse to the soul, I believe. I use the word abuse intentionally. Why abuse? Because abuse is not just what is done “to”us—abuse it also what is withheld from us. When we are not heard, then the message we get is, “I don’t matter.” That’s not the truth. Listening validates that the one speaking matters." (Steve Smith, Deep Listening Might Save Us, July 29, 2024)
(26:55) Adam recites the lyrics of a song called "let me listen." Text by Charles Anthony Silvestri / Music by Dan Forrest. 2022. (Watch & Listen on YouTube Here.)
(48:12) Steve offers a short practice to help us consider the value of Deep Listening. Build an acrostic of the word LISTEN based on what listening looks like to you. Steve's example: "E" means Eyes fixed; "N" means Now is the moment. Adam's example: "N" means No phone on the table. Do this exercise in community and discuss ways to practice deep listening together.
If you'd like to share your LISTEN acrostic with our LifePoint community, send an email to info@lifepointresources.org. 
The Being Formed Podcast is a soul care ministry of LifePoint Resources.

“Deep discipleship is not all that interested in power. It’s interested in listening and formation. Those two things sometimes work at odds.” - Brian Fisher
Our host, Adam Ormord, welcomes Brian Fisher (soilandroots.org) to The Being Formed Podcast for an important conversation on the topic of discipleship. Brian is the founder of Soil and Roots, a non-profit ministry helping to form and support small communities that actively listen to the stories and experiences of one another, thereby cultivating deep discipleship together.
Brian spent his early career in various executive roles in both for-profit companies and non-profit Christian ministries. He has spoken around the United States on issues such as cultural engagement, media, bioethics, and apologetics.
Brian is the author of various published articles and books, including his latest book, Soil and Roots: Cultivating Deep Discipleship. He’s also the host of the Soil and Roots Podcast, available on your favorite podcast streaming platform.
Visit the Soil and Roots website to learn more about starting a Greenhouse in your community.
The Being Formed Podcast is a soul care ministry of LifePoint Resources.
 

"Christians so often think they must always contribute something when they are in the company of others, that this is the one service they have to render. They forget that listening can be a greater service than speaking.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together)
We're delighted to welcome Melody Leeper, Program Manager of Renovaré's Listening Groups, to the podcast. Melody does a phenomenal job explaining the growing community of participants from many countries around the world who are finding their way to online and in-person monthly listening groups.
Renovaré Listening Groups are a formational experience like no other in the Church today. Imagine coming together with one intention - to listen to God, to one another, and to your own heart. The Renovaré website further explains what participants will experience in a group.
Participants in Renovaré's Listening Groups...
Experience the freedom of listening without having to respond, fix, or correct one another
Offer generous and unhurried space to share without interruption, questions, or advice
Forgo fear of others’ judgment and impression management
Learn to discern the voice of God in community
Share honestly about their journey with God
Favor God’s voice over their own
Welcome prayerful silence
Give and receive prayer
 
We hope you enjoy this conversation and prayerfully consider joining a Listening Group. Visit Renovaré to learn more and sign up for a free "Drop-in Group."
Also, visit LifePoint Resources to read Melody's beautiful poem entitled "Yes."
Resources Mentioned
Celebration of Discipline (Richard Foster)
The Making of an Ordinary Saint (Nathan Foster)
 
The Being Formed Podcast is a soul care ministry of LifePoint Resources.