Cultivating Spiritual Community at the
Leadership Level retreats
“The best thing we bring to ministry is our own transforming self.” Most of what I have read or heard about Christian leadership in the past few years tends to focus on the importance of competency, skill, passion, and giftedness. These are all critical pieces to the life of a leader, but it seems to me that the core issue is the character and soul of a leader."
--Lynn Buckles, Director of Spiritual Development
and Community Life, Crossroads Christian Church
Lexington, Kentucky
"Most pastors, like myself, are spiritually dehydrated and don't even know it. We go through the motions of ministry, hoping we can somehow sustain ourselves over the long haul. Some of us learn how to do this so well our congregations do not suspect that our spiritual wells ran dry years ago. But we know. And God knows.
And thank goodness, the Transforming Center knows. Their retreats are outstanding, ushering leaders into intense experiences of solitude and community. We leave feeling our thirsty souls had been rejuvenated.
I have read lots of "spiritual" books during my thirty years of ministry, and no small number of books about the devotional life. But none speak to me quite like Ruth's. She has an uncanny understanding of what it means to be a dehydrated disciple/minister. She is so vulnerable with us that we cannot help but be vulnerable with ourselves. Better yet, in retreat and in her writing, she doesn't just diagnose our dehyrdation. She points us to spiritual practices and patterns that will lead us beside God's still waters, and restore our souls.
Quite simply, the Transforming Center's teaching is at the same time very down to earth, very wise spiritually, and also very eloquent. This is a potent combination, one that is extremely helpful to me and no doubt many others. And I am very excited to be on the journey to spiritual transformation with the Transforming Center.
So, it is with deep gratitude and great enthusiasm that I affirm the minstry of the Transforming Center for our clergy and for any servant of the Lord who's looking to slake life's deepest thirst."
--David Hughes, Pastor, First Baptist Church
Winston-Salem, NC
