Preaching for Transformation: 8 Vital Skills You Need
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Most of us were trained to look for God in the big moments — the breakthrough, the open door, the dramatic call. But what if God is most consistently present in the ordinary moments we rush past every day?
In this episode, I want to share a 500-year-old practice that has quietly transformed my leadership, my marriage, and my relationship with God. It's called the Examen — and I believe it may be the single most underused tool in the modern pastor's spiritual formation toolkit.
I'll take you through the history of this practice, born out of the life of Ignatius of Loyola — a soldier brought low by a cannonball who discovered that God speaks through our interior movements. I'll share the 2-question version you can start today, and the fuller 4-movement practice the Jesuits have done twice a day for five centuries.
This isn't theory. I'll be honest with you about the years I spent pushing past the heaviness in my chest — misreading desolation as something to overcome rather than something to hear. What I missed cost me. You don't have to miss it too.
The Examen interrupts the cycle of leading from wounds and repeating old patterns. It teaches discernment, not just decision-making. And it begins with just two questions.
Reserve your spot at our upcoming Global Leaders Conference.
September 30 – October 1, 2026
14th St. Salvation Army, NYC
(Live Spanish Translation available)
Register Now: https://ehd.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3421612
Learn more about the EH Global Leader Conference 2026: emotionallyhealthy.org/conference
Free Resource: Download the Day Alone with God Guide at emotionallyhealthy.org/sabbath
Most leaders I know have a daily time with God. Very few ever stop long enough to actually hear Him.
There's a difference between a longer quiet time and a day alone with God. One sustains you. The other re-orders you. And if you're honest, you know the difference—because you've felt what happens when your life gets disordered and nothing seems to bring it back into focus.
In this episode, I'm walking you through how to spend a half day—or full day—alone with God, and why this practice may be the most important thing missing from your leadership right now. We'll look at how Jesus, Moses, Elijah, and Anna all built extended withdrawal into their lives with God—not as a luxury, but as a necessity.
I'll also share a simple six-movement structure you can use right away, along with the fears and resistances that keep most leaders from ever doing this.
Your leadership will only go as deep as your life with God. You cannot give what you don't have.
This episode could change everything.
Reserve your spot at our upcoming Global Leaders Conference.
September 30 – October 1, 2026
14th St. Salvation Army, NYC
(Live Spanish Translation available)
Register Now: https://ehd.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3421612
Learn more about the EH Global Leader Conference 2026: emotionallyhealthy.org/conference
Take your team through the Emotionally Healthy Leader Book. Download the FREE discussion guide: http://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/leader
Church scandals don’t begin the day they are exposed. They begin years earlier—in quiet compromises, ignored red flags, and leaders whose gifting has grown faster than their maturity.
In this episode of The Emotionally Healthy Leader Podcast, I go beneath the headlines to name the real issue: church scandals are not first a PR problem. They are a formation problem.
Jesus told us pressure would come. He told us not to be surprised. And He made clear that what will matter in the end is not image management, but whether we have become the kind of leaders who can stand firm under pressure without collapsing.
I unpack four essential pillars every pastor and church leader needs if they hope to lead with integrity over the long haul: facing your shadow, leading out of your marriage or singleness, slowing down for loving union with Jesus, and practicing Sabbath delight.
This is not about quick fixes. It’s about deep transformation.
If you care about the name of Jesus, the witness of the church, and finishing well, this episode is for you.
Reserve your spot at our upcoming Global Leaders Conference.
September 30 – October 1, 2026
14th St. Salvation Army, NYC
(Live Spanish Translation available)
Register Now: https://ehd.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3421612
Learn more about the EH Global Leader Conference 2026: emotionallyhealthy.org/conference
🗓️ Discover the Sabbath - Download a free e-book to learn the 4 countercultural practices of a biblical Sabbath day. https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/sabbath/
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Today, pastors and leaders are grappling with burnout, shallowness in discipleship, and a waning passion for God's mission.
On today's episode, I share some insights that have transformed the way I view mission and ministry—insights rooted in Celtic Christian spirituality.
Geri and I just returned from a two-week journey through Ireland, where we had the privilege of meeting with pastors and church leaders in both Belfast and Dublin. This trip refreshed us in so many ways, especially in reconnecting with the powerful legacy of St. Patrick.
I believe that St. Patrick's life and leadership are a map to rekindle the fire of mission that flows from a deep, inner life with God—an "overflowing cup" that sustains outward action. Through Patrick's leadership, the Celtic church rooted themselves in prayer, community, and a mission-focused monastic life. In doing so, they transformed an entire nation.
This is one of the missing keys that I believe will unlock passionate, world-changing mission in every member of our churches.
Reserve your spot at our upcoming Global Leaders Conference.
September 30 – October 1, 2026
14th St. Salvation Army, NYC
(Live Spanish Translation available)
Register Now: https://ehd.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3421612
Learn more about the EH Global Leader Conference 2026: emotionallyhealthy.org/conference
One of the greatest threats to leading with joy is giving into the temptation of overcommitment.
When our lives are crowded, cluttered, and cramped, it is difficult to hear God and live in loving union with Him. The irony is, we can "fit in" regular practices of Sabbath and silence while still being driven by an overscheduled life.
But how do we resist this temptation?
Silence, solitude, and sabbath must become our practices.
AND spaciousness must become our mindset.
In order to live spacious lives, we must avoid the critical traps that keep us settling for an overcommitted life.
- What would it feel like to live with breathing room?
- How would it feel to limit your "Yes" and claim more margin in your schedule?
- What if you could build in time for extended thinking, praying, and being?
On today's podcast, I identify several traps that keep you from the gift of spaciousness and offer wisdom that will help you live with a renewed sense of joy.
Reserve your spot at our upcoming Global Leaders Conference.
September 30 – October 1, 2026
14th St. Salvation Army, NYC
(Live Spanish Translation available)
Register Now: https://ehd.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3421612
Learn more about the EH Global Leader Conference 2026: emotionallyhealthy.org/conference
We must recover the ancient practice Sabbath. It's how we slow down our lives to delight in Jesus, and in doing so, anchor ourselves into eternity.
On today's podcast, I share a message which is the second part of our podcast series on the Sabbath.
Reserve your spot at our upcoming Global Leaders Conference.
September 30 – October 1, 2026
14th St. Salvation Army, NYC
(Live Spanish Translation available)
Register Now: https://ehd.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3421612
Learn more about the EH Global Leader Conference 2026: emotionallyhealthy.org/conference
This is the theme we explore in today's podcast episode. Working from our rest allows our lives to become a sign and wonder pointing to the reality of Jesus.
Want to see how? Listen to the episode now.
Reserve your spot at our upcoming Global Leaders Conference.
September 30 – October 1, 2026
14th St. Salvation Army, NYC
(Live Spanish Translation available)
Register Now: https://ehd.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3421612
Learn more about the EH Global Leader Conference 2026: emotionallyhealthy.org/conference
We were made by God to live within rhythms and limits.
Today's episode is a continuation of an 8-week podcast series in which we explore the seminal work from Emotionally Healthy Spirituality. If you are a pastor, leader, or listener and you want to start the journey toward emotional and spiritual health, this series is a must-listen.
Reserve your spot at our upcoming Global Leaders Conference.
September 30 – October 1, 2026
14th St. Salvation Army, NYC
(Live Spanish Translation available)
Register Now: https://ehd.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3421612
Learn more about the EH Global Leader Conference 2026: emotionallyhealthy.org/conference
The integration of Sabbath delight in the midst of an active, missional life is one of the more subversive, radical and powerful gifts we can offer our people and the world we aim to serve. In this podcast Pete explores a number of related Sabbath applications and tangents and answers a number of common FAQ's.
Reserve your spot at our upcoming Global Leaders Conference.
September 30 – October 1, 2026
14th St. Salvation Army, NYC
(Live Spanish Translation available)
Register Now: https://ehd.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3421612
Learn more about the EH Global Leader Conference 2026: emotionallyhealthy.org/conference
Pete continues his series on The Emotionally Healthy Leader by sharing a sermon on Sabbath. Sabbath is God's foundation for our work. It guards us against the powerful idol of making our work the center of meaning for our lives, protecting us from defining ourselves by our work.
Reserve your spot at our upcoming Global Leaders Conference.
September 30 – October 1, 2026
14th St. Salvation Army, NYC
(Live Spanish Translation available)
Register Now: https://ehd.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3421612
Learn more about the EH Global Leader Conference 2026: emotionallyhealthy.org/conference
Keeping Sabbath is a core spiritual practice – an essential means God uses to slow us down and mature us. In this podcast, Pete expounds on ten core reasons Sabbath is indispensable for those who lead in Jesus' name.
Reserve your spot at our upcoming Global Leaders Conference.
September 30 – October 1, 2026
14th St. Salvation Army, NYC
(Live Spanish Translation available)
Register Now: https://ehd.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3421612
Learn more about the EH Global Leader Conference 2026: emotionallyhealthy.org/conference
Many leaders are overworked, tired, and weighed down with too much to do in too little time. In this podcast, Pete discusses two keys to creative leadership: Sabbath and silence.
Reserve your spot at our upcoming Global Leaders Conference.
September 30 – October 1, 2026
14th St. Salvation Army, NYC
(Live Spanish Translation available)
Register Now: https://ehd.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3421612
Learn more about the EH Global Leader Conference 2026: emotionallyhealthy.org/conference
Reserve your spot at our upcoming Global Leaders Conference.
September 30 – October 1, 2026
14th St. Salvation Army, NYC
(Live Spanish Translation available)
Register Now: https://ehd.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3421612
Learn more about the EH Global Leader Conference 2026: emotionallyhealthy.org/conference
