Goodbye 2012

This is the year-end post. Hey, 2012 see ya…wouldn’t want to be ya!

I’d like to make this final post exciting and sexy and convince you that this blog had an awesome year with so many things that gladdened so many hearts. As far as stats are concerned, yes, it was by far the best year yet. But this doesn’t lighten my heart. Not that much.

I think I’m about ankle deep in a rather unexpected “dark night of the soul” (a topic which I’ve covered here, but won’t touch on now). This makes it hard to amass and list the victories of 2012 or even forecast too much into what 2013 will hold for us here at the blog. I will carry on, and I hope you come with me!

Here are a few highlights of 2012:

January. My video series with some great authors (usually called the NINJA Interviews)

February-March. The Spiritual Guidance for Bloggers Series featured many contributions from authors and bloggers with stories, advice, or encouragement about blogging and the unique spiritual dimensions to that calling and activities. I really appreciated this series and the generosity of the participants.

Spring/Early Summer. My first digital book Soul Care for Creators and Communicators came out. (This is no longer a free PDF document as it was in the beginning, but can still be found at the Kindle Store).

For that, click the Kindle Bookstore image at the top of the page. It’s whispering to you right now, waiting to offer encouragement and water for the thirsty artist’s or communicator’s soul…you.

Autumn. I started as the Director of Communications at Evangelical Seminary. Some of the responsibility includes overseeing all the entries and themes at the Deeper Leader blog. New entries occur 2-3 times per week. Get in some good reading from many notable thinkers, leaders, and authors in the archives. It’s a real treat.

3 other digital books were completed and housed in the Kindle Store too. All are $2.99…cheaper than most anything at Starbucks. Click the Kindle Bookstore image above for the list. It’s high time for a spending spree, right?!

Autumn/Early Winter. Lots of stuff on Advent (especially from my twylah account which includes lots of articles from the interwebs). It’s safe to assume that when Victoria’s Secret puts out an Advent Calendar any shred of  original purpose and meaning of the season has been thoroughly …um…stripped…as it were…from it by a perverse culture that we haven’t properly influenced enough. Am I right?

December….um. we averted a Mayan apocalypse (or any other kind) and yet despite this wonderful news…still I descended into a strange funk that had something to do with the intense brokeness of the world and my acute response to it… :) NICE, right?!

So, it’s a sabbatical time for me and I’m also sitting with my pain. This is something you’re supposed to do to heal and grow and avoid 1. finding ways to go “numb” 2. Finding distractions that hinder growth or 3. Shoving away feelings that should get attention. I’d love to tell you this is a beautiful experience, but no. It may be on the other side of it. I’ll let you know.

In the next post….in 2013, I’ll be sharing some things I harvested from a Henri Nouwen book. It’s about how the 3 desert temptations of Christ give us a model and insights into how we handle ambition, leadership, and success, as well as pitfalls and problems common to the human condition. Quite good stuff. AND…Grad school starts January 8th for me. Gulp! I’ll keep you up to speed. There’ll be much to share.

In 4 weeks, I’ll be ending the call for entry into The Cadre (see tab above). See if this is something that would benefit you in the new year, especially if you’d like to embark on something new creatively. It’s free, and it’s a secret community…so shhh. Contact me with questions, if you have them.

May you have a great time kicking 2012 to the curb, and may the new year bring greater insights and blessing for you.

Love you all!

-Lisa

The Cadre is forming

Starting February 2013 there will be a learning and friendship group (a.k.a. The Cadre) with the public hub here www.facebook.com/TheCadre360. Spaces are limited for the core group, but all are welcomed to request admittance and view the public fulcrum The Cadre 360.

I invite you to learn more by clicking the tab (The Cadre) above also.

Free for the taking…

YEP. Good news about free stuff!

Right after we feast like mad and express our gratitude and thankfulness we charge out to buy and shop! I’ve always thought this was the strangest thing…But, the sales do seem unbeatable, right?

Confession: I can’t handle the bustle. I grow weary so fast from shopping, let alone doing it amid crowds and while fighting chock-a-block traffic. What about you?

Perhaps Cyber Monday is a different kind of bustle?…nevertheless….

I have some things for you. It won’t cost anything. And you don’t have to get “malled” or drive anywhere.

Click  “Kindle Bookshelf”. (4 FREE books)

On Monday 11/26/2012 all four of my digital (Kindle) books are free for the taking. ONE Day only. (One of the four has not been offered for free until now, and it won’t happen again anytime soon.)

Here’s a secret! If you DON’T have a kindle or a kindle app, you can still click to buy, and Amazon houses them for you, for whenever you want them, on which ever device you choose. So, if you’re getting a kindle for Christmas, click to get them now, and enjoy them later.

I do hope you enjoy them.

If you would please leave an Amazon review, I would be most grateful! I have lots of people reading, but hardly anyone leaving reviews yet. So, I need your help!

Season’s Blessings!

-Lisa

P.S. Spread this good news with a Tweet or two, please?

(If you miss your chance, don’t fret. Each is only $3. Way less than a latte at Starbucks. Amazon lets you read sample pages. Try each one and see what you like!)

Learning Leadership…the Adventure Begins!

For those of you who’ve been reading for a while, I’ll update you on the last few months.

• I’ve been blogging, with a focus on helping those who lead, create, and communicate.

• I became a Communications Consultant which then lead to a Director of Communications position.

• I enrolled in a graduate Leadership program which starts in January (yes, Masters Degree # 2. I’m a 100% Certified NERD!)

So, what does the last part mean for this blog?

As some of you know grad school is very demanding. Well, I’ll rephrase that: My graduate school is REALLY demanding. I got my first Masters Degree two years ago and I’ve never worked harder in my life. I read about 2,700-3,000 pages of text per course. At 3 credits a pop I logged on 57 credits to finish. My eye glass prescription showed it too! But, I love to learn (informally and formally) and I’m at it again!

I considered a 1-2 year blog writing hiatus. Trust me. I really did. 

However, I got to thinking, “Can I merge the blog and my education somehow, and maybe bring along some readers and friends for the ride? Probably.” We could all learn a lot and have some fun this way, I think. I’ll be developing a  CADRE to test out ideas and put some learning into practice with a group of committed online cohort. I hope we’ll even get to have a vacation retreat together…but more on that later!

I’ll be starting my reading early, and when classes run for 9 weeks, they will be primarily conducted online. About every 9 weeks I’ll be on-campus for a weekend learning residency. I’ll be excited to share what I’m learning.

So, as soon as I get my books, I’ll be posting on those topics and my thoughts as I work through them, and asking you to come along with me as much as you possibly can.

If you’d like to upgrade this experience (for both of us), buy/download or borrow some of the books on the list (below) for yourself and we’ll do this together.
The first book I’ll be reading is by Henri Nouwen,
In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership (click title for book link)

We’ll start there soon.

(my) Required Course Materials for SF665:

 

  1. Barton, Ruth Haley. Sacred Rhythms: Arranging our Lives for Spiritual Transformation. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2006. ISBN: 978-0830833337
  2. Benner, David G. Soulful Spirituality: Becoming Fully Alive and Deeply Human. Grand Rapids: Brazos, 2011. ISBN: 978-1587432972
  3. Calhoun, Adele Ahlberg, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices that Transform Us Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2005. ISBN: 978-0830833306
  4. Hagberg, Janet and Robert Guelich. The Critical Journey: Stages in the Life of Faith. 2nd ed. Salem, WI: Sheffield Publishing, 2005. ISBN: 978-1879215498
  5. May, Gerald. The Dark Night of the Soul: A Psychiatrist Explores the Connection Between Darkness and Spiritual Growth. San Francisco: HarperOne, 2005. ISBN: 978-0060750558
  6. Nouwen, Henri. The Inner Voice of Love: A Journey Through Anguish to Freedom. Reprint ed. (New York: Image Books, 1999). ISBN: 978-0385483483
  7. Rollheiser, Ronald. The Shattered Lantern: Discovering a Felt Presence of God. New York: Crossroad Publishing Company, 2005. ISBN: 978-0824522759

Below is the link to syllabus for the first class.
A second class runs at the same time for a one year period.
To read/download them click the class (link) and scroll to the bottom of the page. Then, click download.

first class
SF665 Christian Devotional Classics
Download (411 KB)

year-long class
SF549 Spiritual Formation and Leadership I
Download (366 KB)

Required Course Materials SF549

 

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Life Together. San Francisco: HarperOne. ISBN 978-0060608521.

(Other editions are acceptable).

Holder, Arthur, ed. Christian Spirituality: The Classics. London: Routledge, 2010. ISBN 978

0415776028

Nouwen, Henri. In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership

Longman and Todd, 1989. ISBN 978-0232518290

Sheldrake, Philip. A Brief History of Spirituality. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2007.

ISBN 978-1405117715.

Are you a mature Leader? {Mary DeMuth on Being a ‘Deeper Leader’}

Are most leaders mature?

“whaa WHAH!”
(That’s the “nope” sound from Sesame Street in case you’re wondering.)

A deeper leader leads from a place of integrity and maturity.

I’m very happy to be partnering with Evangelical Seminary to bring greater awareness and dialogue to the topic of Leadership and Spiritual Formation. Their new (part distance/part in-person cohort learning method) under 2 year graduate studies program prioritizes spiritual maturity in leadership training, and in our culture, it’s sorely needed.

I’m looking into getting a second masters degree. That’s how good this program is.
Are spiritually mature leaders important to you?
If so, there is an excellent opportunity to associate with the leadership resources launching at ES, and participate in promoting and nurturing spiritually formed leaders through a new variety of approaches. First of all you can help spread the word by sharing the information and resources you find at ES, and through their social media outlets. Articles, events, forums, go-to resources, guest writers, and more is coming.
Also, a synchroblog is in the works for the 2nd September (soon!) on the topic. Learn more on the Evangelical Facebook page or their website this week and next. (I will also post updates here.)

You can join in and be a part of something BIG.

If you are a leader and have a tribe or a blog, you can submit articles for consideration for a featured guest post spot at the Deeper Leader blog sponsored by ES. (Use the contact form on the right to express your interest.) This will pair you with some amazing professions in the the field of leadership, spiritual formation (sometimes called discipleship), leadership studies at the graduate level, and help nurture a whole new generation of better equipped leaders.

The first featured guest writer in this new phase is unveiled today! It’s none other than prolific author, the “living uncaged” Mary DeMuth. Read her contribution on leadership here.

Mary DeMuth is Living Uncaged!