April 25, 2025 • 30 mins
“Time doesn’t equal transformation.” Just because you’ve been near the truth, even for years, doesn’t mean it’s been formed in you. In this kickoff episode of her Rule of Life series, Michele Kus exposes the myth that more time passing and more Bible studies and more sermons and more books automatically lead to spiritual growth. With wisdom drawn from her seminary course (a work in progress!), Michele explores why so many of us feel stuck — despite being steeped in endless Christian content — and how we can finally break through and make real progress in our spiritual journeys. It’s simpler than you might think!
If you’ve been consuming without actually being changed, this episode is your wake-up call. Michele walks you through how to reflect on the actual rhythms that are shaping your soul right now — on purpose or by accident — and invites you to create sacred space for real, grace-based growth. Plus, she shares a simple 10-minute practice you can try this week to start shifting from information consumption to intentional transformation. Don’t miss it!
Interested in our private mentorship group? Connect with Michele here to stay in the loop!
Today’s Kus Word is spiritual growth with a touch of snark! Join author and spiritual formation prof, Michele Kus, as she serves up short, powerful teachings, immersive meditations, bold declarations, and f(reedom)-bombs to fuel your faith and get you laughing. #TodaysKusWord
*There is no actual cussing on Today's Kus Word. We keep it squeaky clean!
Find us online at TodaysKusWord.com
Follow Today’s Kus Word on your favorite podcast platform here!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Michele (00:00):
It's Friday, April 25th , and this is Today's Kus Word.
It's Friday, fam, and you knowwhat that means: Time to light
the fuse and drop another freshfreedom bomb.
This is your spiritual growthcoach, Michele Kus, dropping in
with your weekly Kus Word toinspire you, challenge you, and
(00:23):
throw some miracle grow on yoursoul.
Happy Friday, my friend.
Hope you had a wonderful Easterweekend.
I know I did so.
Every year our church hosts amorning worship service at this
huge historic theater in ourtown that was built in 1928,
almost 100 years ago and thistheater is absolutely gorgeous
(00:47):
and it always smells likepopcorn in there and there are
over a thousand seats in thereand almost every single one of
them was filled on Easter Sunday.
And I've been playing keys forthat Easter service for the past
four Easters now and in all theyears I've been playing keys on
worship teams, which isprobably well over 15 years now,
(01:10):
that is the one service thatalways makes me nervous because
it's so many people and so manymoving parts, and we had our
kids sing and dance and we hadour youth group get up on stage
and present, we had a message,we had testimony videos and lots
of worship.
So it was absolutely wonderful,and we now have a thousand
(01:34):
people from all over our townwho heard the gospel and we
filled that theater with themagnificent presence of God, so
I fully expect that presence tolinger on for a while.
So if someone innocently walksin to come watch the Minecraft
matinee and suddenly getsclobbered with some leftover
(01:55):
Holy Ghost, I think we all knowwhat church is to blame.
Yeah, that would be mine.
Anywho, I had some reallyencouraging feedback from last
Friday's episode called What'sSo Good About Good Friday?
, and I'll read just a couple ofthose messages.
One came in from Sacramento,California, so refreshing, thank
(02:18):
you so much for speaking truth.
And another one from Northbrook, Illinois, Michele! Mic drop on
this Good Friday message.
I will definitely share it.
Well done! I love your feedback, guys.
And just FYI, whenever you textthe show, those are one-way
text messages.
So when you text the show, Ican't actually text you back.
(02:39):
In fact, I can't even see yourname or your phone number, just
your city and your message.
So if you want me to know whoyou are, you have to put your
name in there.
I can, however, pin yourmessage to my website, which is
pretty cool.
So if you check outTodaysKusWord.
com and click on Fan Mail, youcan see some of your messages
(03:05):
there.
Pretty cool.
So last Friday I dismantled ooh,maybe five or six commonly held
beliefs in the church,including, but not limited to
penal substitutionary atonementtheory, the difference between
paying for sins and forgivingsins, sin as a soul sickness
(03:28):
requiring a healer instead of acrime requiring punishment.
The fact that the Trinity wasnever broken apart when Jesus
was dying on the cross, meaningthat the Father never abandoned
Jesus on the cross.
And when Jesus said My God, myGod, why have you forsaken me?
(03:50):
on the cross, he was actuallyquoting Psalm 22, not crying out
in a moment of desperation.
So that episode was definitelyfull of juicy nuggets and it
actually got a lot moredownloads than I was expecting.
So I was pretty excited aboutthat and some of those, I think,
(04:11):
really challenged some of you.
So if you haven't checked outlast Friday's episode, make sure
you check that out.
I'm really proud of it.
And so today I'm kicking off aseries that is actually based on
a course that I am developingfor my seminary.
I'm actually developing afull-blown certificate program.
(04:32):
It's a certification inspiritual formation which is
going to consist of 10 onlinecourses and this particular
course that I'm writing rightnow is course number 10 of 10.
So it's the last one in theseries, and the name of the
course that I'm writing iscalled Crafting Your Personal
(04:54):
Rule of Life, and I decided itwould be fun to pull out some of
the juicy morsels from thatcourse and offer them to you
here on the podcast.
So this series will probablyrun for a few weeks, but I think
you're really going to enjoy it, especially if you love
(05:14):
spiritual growth, personalgrowth, emotional intelligence,
healthy self-awareness, thosekind of topics.
I love that stuff or if youjust love being challenged to
rethink how you're doing life.
And if you've never heard of arule of life before, no worries,
(05:34):
because we'll cover all of that.
So let me kick us off with thisquestion have you ever felt like
you should be further along inyour spiritual journey than you
currently are?
So maybe you've been walkingwith Jesus for a long time.
So you've read all the books,you've heard all the sermons,
(05:58):
you've sat in church, you'vedone the devotionals, but you
still feel kind of stuck or kindof stagnant.
Maybe you're feeling frustrated, maybe you're feeling burnt out
or just kind of spirituallyflat.
Have you ever hit a season inyour life like that?
So one of my goals for thiscourse that I'm writing and also
(06:20):
in this podcast series that I'mkicking off today, is to help
you get unstuck and to set yourheart on fire again and to help
you move upward and onward inyour spiritual journey in a
healthy way.
So I'm calling this firstepisode in the series The Myth
(06:40):
of Automatic Growth.
So here's the deal (06:43):
Spiritual maturity does not just happen by
osmosis.
The time that you have spent inchurch does not equal your
transformation.
It is entirely possible to sitin church services for 10 or 20
or 30 or 40 years and bepersonally at the same place you
(07:09):
are spiritually, as you alwayswere when you first came to
believe.
That is a tragedy.
It's a tragedy to take anothertrip around the sun only to be
in the exact same place that youwere a year ago in your
spiritual journey.
Right" I mean, it's just awaste of time.
(07:31):
And then you meet others whojust met Jesus two weeks ago and
seem to have this incredibledepth and maturity about them,
and it's like what's the deal?
What is the difference?
So here's the secret (07:44):
Proximity to the truth doesn't necessarily
mean formation by the truth.
So you can be near the truth.
You can hear it, you can singit, you can even preach it, and
you can still remain totallyunchanged.
You can know all the rightanswers, memorize all the
(08:08):
scriptures, you can fill yourshelves with all of the
Christian books, and you canstill live from a place of fear
or control or self-loathing orperformance, or you name it.
So the truth isn't magic, right?
The truth is actuallyrelational.
The truth is in fact a Person,right, and his name is Jesus.
(08:34):
Jesus said I am the Truth.
So truth doesn't form us, reallyspiritually form us, until we
slow down long enough to let itsink in, until we sit with it
and wrestle with it and, most ofall, surrender to it and let it
(08:54):
really have us.
And I use this term spiritualformation a lot.
If you are in the evangelicalworld, you probably more often
hear the word discipleship, butit just means letting yourself
be formed by the Spirit.
So spiritual formation happensnot when the truth passes
(09:17):
through your ears or even yourbrain, but really when it sinks
down into your heart and itstarts transforming your habits.
So here is Today's Kus Word: Time doesn't equal (09:26):
undefined
transformation.
Just because you've been aChristian for 10 or 20 or 50
years doesn't mean that you'veactually grown 10 or 20 or 50
(09:46):
years deep in Christ.
Spiritual maturity is notguaranteed by how long you have
been a believer or by how longyou've been sitting in churches,
or by how many sermons you'veheard or how many Bible studies
you've attended or how manydevotionals you've read.
(10:07):
Transformation does not ride inon the back of time.
It actually rides in onintentionality and presence and
participation.
So time can be a container forgrowth, but only if we are fully
engaged and attentive andresponsive to what the Holy
(10:28):
Spirit is actively doing insideof us.
And without intention, the timejust accumulates, the time just
passes by right.
But with intention, with thatgrace-filled intention, your
time on this earth can becomesacred ground.
(10:49):
So let's bust a myth real quick, because you guys know how much
I love busting myths on thisshow.
So here's the myth (10:57):
More time, more knowledge, more noise
equals more growth.
Nope, that's a myth.
We live in the most content-richgeneration in all of human
history.
I mean, we have podcasts likethis one, we have Instagram
(11:17):
Reels and devotionals and appsand YouTube videos galore.
So Eric Schmidt, who was theformer CEO of Google, noted that
until 2003, humanity hadcreated about five exabytes of
information.
Don't ask me what an exabyte is, but that's how much
(11:42):
information we created and,remarkably, by 2010, seven years
later, that same amount ofinformation was being generated
every two days.
Now that statistic is now 15years old, so imagine how much
information we humans aregenerating now.
(12:03):
So the amount of content that'savailable to us in this day and
age is mind-boggling, and youcan spend your whole life
gobbling up all the informationand, believe me, I know what
this is like.
My number one strength on theStrengths Finder is Input.
(12:24):
So I love gobbling up all theinformation and sorting it and
categorizing it.
But you can do that only tofind that it hasn't changed you
at all, and that's becausetransformation doesn't happen at
the speed of information.
So we have this overwhelminginflux of information and it
(12:51):
presents this unique challengeand also a unique opportunity
for spiritual growth.
So, number one informationversus transformation.
We have access to a huge amountof information, but none of
that will automatically lead toyour personal transformation.
(13:15):
We feel like it does and wethink it should, but it actually
doesn't.
You can absolutely gorgeyourself on videos and teachings
and sermons and online schoolsand still remain in spiritual
infancy.
So spiritual formation requiresintentional engagement,
intentional reflection andapplication.
(13:37):
It's not just going to happenwith information consumption.
The second thing is this ideaof creating sacred space.
So we live in an age ofconstant connectivity.
We're always bumping intopeople, we're always interacting
(14:01):
with people most of us anywayand so carving out intentional
time for solitude and prayer andreflection becomes an essential
spiritual discipline in ourlives.
So establishing somethingcalled a rule of life can help
(14:22):
structure these kinds ofpractices and help you foster
some deep communion with Godamidst all the noise out there.
And a third point is this pointof discernment.
So with this huge proliferationof information that we're all
(14:43):
exposed to on a daily basis,discernment, like real spiritual
discernment, becomes crucial.
Not all information is edifying.
Not all information is evenaccurate or truthful or
beneficial right?
(15:03):
So we have to learn to getthese discernment filters
activated and operating at highgear in this day and age.
So cultivating a discerningheart is going to help you
navigate relationships and thedigital landscape with some good
(15:27):
, solid wisdom.
So during this podcast serieswe're going to touch on all of
these points (15:34):
the information versus transformation, creating
a sacred space, and discernment.
So a rule of life, this is notjust a list of religious chores.
This is a rhythm of grace.
It's a simple, Spirit-led wayof structuring your life around
(15:58):
what matters most.
If you've ever read the bookEssentialism by Greg McKeown
which, by the way, is an awesomebook, highly recommend it
definitely pick that up.
But you can think of the ruleof life as a spiritual version
of essentialism.
So a rule of life is not yourto-do list, it's not legalistic,
(16:23):
it's just a set ofintentionally chosen holy habits
and it's also a process ofletting go of things that aren't
serving us anymore.
So when we talk about spiritualrhythms or crafting a rule of
(16:43):
life, we're not talking aboutto-do lists or religious
checkboxes or anything like that.
We're talking about creatingspace for grace, for
relationship, for transformationto happen in our lives.
So let's talk a little bitabout this idea of creating
(17:04):
sacred space.
I love this phrase creatingsacred space.
I am a hardcore introvert.
Some of you are probably goingto be shocked to know that if
you know me in real life, Idefinitely present in the world
(17:24):
as an extrovert, but I'm not.
I love my alone time.
I love my quiet time and I getfully recharged when I'm alone.
I could spend hours here in mybabe cave working on projects
and just totally get lost in thework.
I am much better at singletasking than multitasking, which
(17:48):
is quintessentially introverttrait, and I prefer depth over
breadth.
So usually I would prefer to godeeper into fewer topics versus
covering more topics, and weare going to spend in this
(18:10):
series at least one episode,maybe more, on the differences
between introvert and extrovertspirituality.
It's pretty fascinating and Igot certified on the
Myers-Briggs way back in 1999and actually wrote a book on the
(18:30):
cross-section betweenspirituality and the
Myers-Briggs.
Fascinating stuff.
So we'll dive deep into that onanother episode.
But in a world that runs at thisbreakneck speed, where
multitasking and doing all thethings in hurry is a badge of
honor, creating sacred space canfeel counterintuitive and to
(18:54):
some of you it might actuallyfeel lazy.
So if you're a super productiveperson like me, creating space
is going to feel very unnatural.
You're going to feel likeyou're wasting your time.
And here's a quick funny story: When I was in first grade our (19:05):
undefined
class was being super noisy, andso our teacher made all of us
kids sit down and put our headson our desks and relax for a
while.
Now, as an adult, I can see howthis practice could help us
(19:25):
reset our nervous systems andcalm us down, but as a little
six-year-old girl, it made mevery upset.
I was so upset that I told theteacher later that she shouldn't
do that to us, because she wasmaking us and I quote waste our
lives.
I came home from school thatday and complained to my mom
(19:48):
that my first grade teacher wasnot good because she was wasting
our lives.
So thank God, I have learned tochill out a little over the
last 40-plus years.
But in the kingdom of God,sacred space is essential, and
(20:08):
what we might feel like is awaste of time, God sees as holy
and time that has been set apartfor Him and he treasures that.
We see this all throughScripture that God created the
world by separating and creatingspace, light from darkness,
(20:28):
land from sea.
He created space so that lifeand human beings could flourish,
and Jesus often withdrew tolonely places.
He made space to commune withthe Father, and the Holy Spirit
doesn't shout over our noise, hewaits, he whispers, he is the
(20:51):
still small voice.
He fills the space that we makeavailable.
And I mean God rested himselfright?
On the seventh day and made itholy.
So many of us say that we wanttransformation, and I believe we
genuinely do, but we justhaven't made room for it to
(21:13):
happen.
In fact, in my own church funnyside note we actually wrote a
song that came out of our churchcalled Make Room, and it's a
Community Music song, gorgeousworship song, and it says I will
make room for you to dowhatever you want to, right?
(21:40):
But is that really the case ifwe have the worship service
planned out down to the minute?
And are we making room?
Are you making room?
And what do you want to makeroom for?
And here's a question (21:50):
What needs to be cleared away so that
what you really want has roomto flourish?
So by creating sacred space,you're not forcing spiritual
growth to happen, but you aretilling the soil and creating
(22:11):
this environment for the HolySpirit to come and move.
And sacred space is this openspace.
It's set apart for the Lord.
It's where you set down yourstriving and you just be.
There's no to-do list.
You are simply letting yourselfbe loved, and it doesn't
(22:35):
require a monastery or a retreatcenter or even a special room.
It might just be you sitting inyour favorite chair, or you
getting 10 minutes quiet in yourcar, which is very hard for
some of you, or you may beturning an evening walk into
(22:56):
this moment of presence andawareness and sacredness.
It's any time where you canjust say here, I am God, I'm
listening, I'm willing, I ampresent, I am aware.
Communing with the Lord is notabout proximity, it's about
awareness.
Proximity isn't the issue.
(23:17):
He is always near, he is alwaysin us.
We cannot be separated from theLord, but the issue is
awareness.
Are we aware of Him?
And creating sacred space helpsus become aware.
It is one of the mostcountercultural things that you
(23:39):
can do in this world that isaddicted to hustle, because
creating space is all aboutsaying hey, it's not about what
I can accomplish right now, itis all about how deeply I can
receive.
So, whether you realize it ornot, your whole life is already
(24:00):
being shaped by rhythms.
You actually already have arule of life, whether you
realize it or not, whether youhave named it that or not.
You have a schedule, you havescreen time, you have your sleep
, you have your self-talk, youhave your reactions and
responses to people.
You even have your food choices.
(24:20):
All of these things are formingyou.
So the real question is not amI being formed?
It is, how am I being formedand is it the way that I want to
be formed?
So here's a couple questions tothink about: What is your life
currently forming in you?
And what are your choicescurrently forming in you?
(24:47):
Let me give you a quick example.
If you want to get in shapelet's say you want to get really
buff, okay, but you have a bowlof ice cream every night.
You have to ask yourself (24:57):
Is this choice forming buffness in
me, or is it forming a littlefluff in me?
Oh, my gosh, I just thought ofthat off the top of my head.
That was funny, okay, moving on, so you're always being formed
(25:18):
by something, whether it's byintention or just by default,
like it just might be a habit.
And this is your excuse to takea step back and look at your
habits and say is this somethingthat I actually want in my life
?
Is it moving toward theformation I want in my life, or
(25:42):
is it actually moving me in theopposite direction?
So no shame here, nocondemnation.
Don't get hard on yourself,don't beat yourself up.
Just be honest with yourselfand get curious.
And if there's things you wantto change, then you can change
them.
Here's your invitation.
This week, between now and nextFriday, I want you to take 10
(26:04):
minutes and just sketch out yourcurrent rule of life and it
could be completely anunintentional rule of life.
You might not have even thoughtof that phrase before.
And do it without any judgment,do it without any
self-condemnation, but just askyourself some questions with
(26:26):
curiosity.
Things like what does mytypical day look like?
Or what does my typical weeklook like?
Where does my time go?
Where does my energy go?
What are some of the rhythms inmy day or week that are shaping
me right now, and are therethings I want to change?
(26:50):
And then you can ask the HolySpirit what do you want to grow
in me in this season of my life?
So those are just a fewquestions that you can kind of
just make some space, get alonewith the Lord and ask Him and
maybe journal some things outand don't overthink it, but it
(27:12):
can be a door to transformation.
Just some of those very simplequestions with God.
So, as I close out this episode,let me pray for us.
Holy Spirit, thank you that wedon't have to force our own
growth, but simply cooperatewith you.
(27:35):
We want to create sacred spacefor you, real space, so that
(28:01):
Christ can be deeply formed inus.
Space not to achieve anything,but to receive.
Not to earn anything, but torest in everything that you've
already done and everything youare doing in us.
Help us to say yes to the gracethat's already moving in and
through us.
And we trust you to shape usand form us slowly, steadily and
beautifully into who we trulyare.
(28:26):
You're not in a hurry, and soneither are we.
We simply want to stay in stepwith you.
In the powerful and beautifulname of Jesus.
Amen.
And that, my friend, is what Igot for you today.
(28:50):
I hope you enjoyed today'sepisode and, if you did, make
sure you follow the show on yourpodcast platform so you don't
miss a single episode.
Or, if you're tuning in onYouTube, make sure you click
subscribe and hit thenotification bell.
And if you loved it, share itwith a friend.
That is how the podcast growsby you sharing with your friends
(29:15):
.
And if this episode stirredsomething in you and you're
interested in going deeper inthis whole area of spiritual
growth, personal growth andhealthy self-awareness, I am
actually going to start aprivate spiritual mentorship
(29:36):
group that includes someexclusive teaching content that
I am not putting on the podcast,and it's also going to include
some live monthly Zoom callswith me.
And if that sounds intriguingto you, then get in touch with
me.
If you know me, you know I amnot a high pressure salesperson.
(29:57):
So if that sounds intriguing toyou, all you need to do is
click down in the show noteswhere it says Connect with
Michele here! When you clickthat link it'll take you to my
Linktree and from there you canjust join my email list.
If you pop your email addressin the box.
That is the best way to stay inthe loop with everything I'm
(30:19):
doing, everything I'm building,and I promise I will never, ever
spam you.
I hate spam, but I will keepyou in the loop on this private
mentorship group if that soundsinteresting to you.
No pressure, of course.
And with that, I will leave youthe way I always do.
(30:42):
Thanks so much for joining metoday, and I will see you again
next Friday for another Kus Word.
Until then, have a great week.
It's Friday, April 25th , and this is Today's Kus Word.
It's Friday, fam, and you knowwhat that means: Time to light
the fuse and drop another freshfreedom bomb.
This is your spiritual growthcoach, Michele Kus, dropping in
with your weekly Kus Word toinspire you, challenge you, and
(00:23):
throw some miracle grow on yoursoul.
Happy Friday, my friend.
Hope you had a wonderful Easterweekend.
I know I did so.
Every year our church hosts amorning worship service at this
huge historic theater in ourtown that was built in 1928,
almost 100 years ago and thistheater is absolutely gorgeous
(00:47):
and it always smells likepopcorn in there and there are
over a thousand seats in thereand almost every single one of
them was filled on Easter Sunday.
And I've been playing keys forthat Easter service for the past
four Easters now and in all theyears I've been playing keys on
worship teams, which isprobably well over 15 years now,
(01:10):
that is the one service thatalways makes me nervous because
it's so many people and so manymoving parts, and we had our
kids sing and dance and we hadour youth group get up on stage
and present, we had a message,we had testimony videos and lots
of worship.
So it was absolutely wonderful,and we now have a thousand
(01:34):
people from all over our townwho heard the gospel and we
filled that theater with themagnificent presence of God, so
I fully expect that presence tolinger on for a while.
So if someone innocently walksin to come watch the Minecraft
matinee and suddenly getsclobbered with some leftover
(01:55):
Holy Ghost, I think we all knowwhat church is to blame.
Yeah, that would be mine.
Anywho, I had some reallyencouraging feedback from last
Friday's episode called What'sSo Good About Good Friday?
, and I'll read just a couple ofthose messages.
One came in from Sacramento,California, so refreshing, thank
(02:18):
you so much for speaking truth.
And another one from Northbrook, Illinois, Michele! Mic drop on
this Good Friday message.
I will definitely share it.
Well done! I love your feedback, guys.
And just FYI, whenever you textthe show, those are one-way
text messages.
So when you text the show, Ican't actually text you back.
(02:39):
In fact, I can't even see yourname or your phone number, just
your city and your message.
So if you want me to know whoyou are, you have to put your
name in there.
I can, however, pin yourmessage to my website, which is
pretty cool.
So if you check outTodaysKusWord.
com and click on Fan Mail, youcan see some of your messages
(03:05):
there.
Pretty cool.
So last Friday I dismantled ooh,maybe five or six commonly held
beliefs in the church,including, but not limited to
penal substitutionary atonementtheory, the difference between
paying for sins and forgivingsins, sin as a soul sickness
(03:28):
requiring a healer instead of acrime requiring punishment.
The fact that the Trinity wasnever broken apart when Jesus
was dying on the cross, meaningthat the Father never abandoned
Jesus on the cross.
And when Jesus said My God, myGod, why have you forsaken me?
(03:50):
on the cross, he was actuallyquoting Psalm 22, not crying out
in a moment of desperation.
So that episode was definitelyfull of juicy nuggets and it
actually got a lot moredownloads than I was expecting.
So I was pretty excited aboutthat and some of those, I think,
(04:11):
really challenged some of you.
So if you haven't checked outlast Friday's episode, make sure
you check that out.
I'm really proud of it.
And so today I'm kicking off aseries that is actually based on
a course that I am developingfor my seminary.
I'm actually developing afull-blown certificate program.
(04:32):
It's a certification inspiritual formation which is
going to consist of 10 onlinecourses and this particular
course that I'm writing rightnow is course number 10 of 10.
So it's the last one in theseries, and the name of the
course that I'm writing iscalled Crafting Your Personal
(04:54):
Rule of Life, and I decided itwould be fun to pull out some of
the juicy morsels from thatcourse and offer them to you
here on the podcast.
So this series will probablyrun for a few weeks, but I think
you're really going to enjoy it, especially if you love
(05:14):
spiritual growth, personalgrowth, emotional intelligence,
healthy self-awareness, thosekind of topics.
I love that stuff or if youjust love being challenged to
rethink how you're doing life.
And if you've never heard of arule of life before, no worries,
(05:34):
because we'll cover all of that.
So let me kick us off with thisquestion have you ever felt like
you should be further along inyour spiritual journey than you
currently are?
So maybe you've been walkingwith Jesus for a long time.
So you've read all the books,you've heard all the sermons,
(05:58):
you've sat in church, you'vedone the devotionals, but you
still feel kind of stuck or kindof stagnant.
Maybe you're feeling frustrated, maybe you're feeling burnt out
or just kind of spirituallyflat.
Have you ever hit a season inyour life like that?
So one of my goals for thiscourse that I'm writing and also
(06:20):
in this podcast series that I'mkicking off today, is to help
you get unstuck and to set yourheart on fire again and to help
you move upward and onward inyour spiritual journey in a
healthy way.
So I'm calling this firstepisode in the series The Myth
(06:40):
of Automatic Growth.
So here's the deal (06:43):
Spiritual maturity does not just happen by
osmosis.
The time that you have spent inchurch does not equal your
transformation.
It is entirely possible to sitin church services for 10 or 20
or 30 or 40 years and bepersonally at the same place you
(07:09):
are spiritually, as you alwayswere when you first came to
believe.
That is a tragedy.
It's a tragedy to take anothertrip around the sun only to be
in the exact same place that youwere a year ago in your
spiritual journey.
Right" I mean, it's just awaste of time.
(07:31):
And then you meet others whojust met Jesus two weeks ago and
seem to have this incredibledepth and maturity about them,
and it's like what's the deal?
What is the difference?
So here's the secret (07:44):
Proximity to the truth doesn't necessarily
mean formation by the truth.
So you can be near the truth.
You can hear it, you can singit, you can even preach it, and
you can still remain totallyunchanged.
You can know all the rightanswers, memorize all the
(08:08):
scriptures, you can fill yourshelves with all of the
Christian books, and you canstill live from a place of fear
or control or self-loathing orperformance, or you name it.
So the truth isn't magic, right?
The truth is actuallyrelational.
The truth is in fact a Person,right, and his name is Jesus.
(08:34):
Jesus said I am the Truth.
So truth doesn't form us, reallyspiritually form us, until we
slow down long enough to let itsink in, until we sit with it
and wrestle with it and, most ofall, surrender to it and let it
(08:54):
really have us.
And I use this term spiritualformation a lot.
If you are in the evangelicalworld, you probably more often
hear the word discipleship, butit just means letting yourself
be formed by the Spirit.
So spiritual formation happensnot when the truth passes
(09:17):
through your ears or even yourbrain, but really when it sinks
down into your heart and itstarts transforming your habits.
So here is Today's Kus Word: Time doesn't equal (09:26):
undefined
transformation.
Just because you've been aChristian for 10 or 20 or 50
years doesn't mean that you'veactually grown 10 or 20 or 50
(09:46):
years deep in Christ.
Spiritual maturity is notguaranteed by how long you have
been a believer or by how longyou've been sitting in churches,
or by how many sermons you'veheard or how many Bible studies
you've attended or how manydevotionals you've read.
(10:07):
Transformation does not ride inon the back of time.
It actually rides in onintentionality and presence and
participation.
So time can be a container forgrowth, but only if we are fully
engaged and attentive andresponsive to what the Holy
(10:28):
Spirit is actively doing insideof us.
And without intention, the timejust accumulates, the time just
passes by right.
But with intention, with thatgrace-filled intention, your
time on this earth can becomesacred ground.
(10:49):
So let's bust a myth real quick, because you guys know how much
I love busting myths on thisshow.
So here's the myth (10:57):
More time, more knowledge, more noise
equals more growth.
Nope, that's a myth.
We live in the most content-richgeneration in all of human
history.
I mean, we have podcasts likethis one, we have Instagram
(11:17):
Reels and devotionals and appsand YouTube videos galore.
So Eric Schmidt, who was theformer CEO of Google, noted that
until 2003, humanity hadcreated about five exabytes of
information.
Don't ask me what an exabyte is, but that's how much
(11:42):
information we created and,remarkably, by 2010, seven years
later, that same amount ofinformation was being generated
every two days.
Now that statistic is now 15years old, so imagine how much
information we humans aregenerating now.
(12:03):
So the amount of content that'savailable to us in this day and
age is mind-boggling, and youcan spend your whole life
gobbling up all the informationand, believe me, I know what
this is like.
My number one strength on theStrengths Finder is Input.
(12:24):
So I love gobbling up all theinformation and sorting it and
categorizing it.
But you can do that only tofind that it hasn't changed you
at all, and that's becausetransformation doesn't happen at
the speed of information.
So we have this overwhelminginflux of information and it
(12:51):
presents this unique challengeand also a unique opportunity
for spiritual growth.
So, number one informationversus transformation.
We have access to a huge amountof information, but none of
that will automatically lead toyour personal transformation.
(13:15):
We feel like it does and wethink it should, but it actually
doesn't.
You can absolutely gorgeyourself on videos and teachings
and sermons and online schoolsand still remain in spiritual
infancy.
So spiritual formation requiresintentional engagement,
intentional reflection andapplication.
(13:37):
It's not just going to happenwith information consumption.
The second thing is this ideaof creating sacred space.
So we live in an age ofconstant connectivity.
We're always bumping intopeople, we're always interacting
(14:01):
with people most of us anywayand so carving out intentional
time for solitude and prayer andreflection becomes an essential
spiritual discipline in ourlives.
So establishing somethingcalled a rule of life can help
(14:22):
structure these kinds ofpractices and help you foster
some deep communion with Godamidst all the noise out there.
And a third point is this pointof discernment.
So with this huge proliferationof information that we're all
(14:43):
exposed to on a daily basis,discernment, like real spiritual
discernment, becomes crucial.
Not all information is edifying.
Not all information is evenaccurate or truthful or
beneficial right?
(15:03):
So we have to learn to getthese discernment filters
activated and operating at highgear in this day and age.
So cultivating a discerningheart is going to help you
navigate relationships and thedigital landscape with some good
(15:27):
, solid wisdom.
So during this podcast serieswe're going to touch on all of
these points (15:34):
the information versus transformation, creating
a sacred space, and discernment.
So a rule of life, this is notjust a list of religious chores.
This is a rhythm of grace.
It's a simple, Spirit-led wayof structuring your life around
(15:58):
what matters most.
If you've ever read the bookEssentialism by Greg McKeown
which, by the way, is an awesomebook, highly recommend it
definitely pick that up.
But you can think of the ruleof life as a spiritual version
of essentialism.
So a rule of life is not yourto-do list, it's not legalistic,
(16:23):
it's just a set ofintentionally chosen holy habits
and it's also a process ofletting go of things that aren't
serving us anymore.
So when we talk about spiritualrhythms or crafting a rule of
(16:43):
life, we're not talking aboutto-do lists or religious
checkboxes or anything like that.
We're talking about creatingspace for grace, for
relationship, for transformationto happen in our lives.
So let's talk a little bitabout this idea of creating
(17:04):
sacred space.
I love this phrase creatingsacred space.
I am a hardcore introvert.
Some of you are probably goingto be shocked to know that if
you know me in real life, Idefinitely present in the world
(17:24):
as an extrovert, but I'm not.
I love my alone time.
I love my quiet time and I getfully recharged when I'm alone.
I could spend hours here in mybabe cave working on projects
and just totally get lost in thework.
I am much better at singletasking than multitasking, which
(17:48):
is quintessentially introverttrait, and I prefer depth over
breadth.
So usually I would prefer to godeeper into fewer topics versus
covering more topics, and weare going to spend in this
(18:10):
series at least one episode,maybe more, on the differences
between introvert and extrovertspirituality.
It's pretty fascinating and Igot certified on the
Myers-Briggs way back in 1999and actually wrote a book on the
(18:30):
cross-section betweenspirituality and the
Myers-Briggs.
Fascinating stuff.
So we'll dive deep into that onanother episode.
But in a world that runs at thisbreakneck speed, where
multitasking and doing all thethings in hurry is a badge of
honor, creating sacred space canfeel counterintuitive and to
(18:54):
some of you it might actuallyfeel lazy.
So if you're a super productiveperson like me, creating space
is going to feel very unnatural.
You're going to feel likeyou're wasting your time.
And here's a quick funny story: When I was in first grade our (19:05):
undefined
class was being super noisy, andso our teacher made all of us
kids sit down and put our headson our desks and relax for a
while.
Now, as an adult, I can see howthis practice could help us
(19:25):
reset our nervous systems andcalm us down, but as a little
six-year-old girl, it made mevery upset.
I was so upset that I told theteacher later that she shouldn't
do that to us, because she wasmaking us and I quote waste our
lives.
I came home from school thatday and complained to my mom
(19:48):
that my first grade teacher wasnot good because she was wasting
our lives.
So thank God, I have learned tochill out a little over the
last 40-plus years.
But in the kingdom of God,sacred space is essential, and
(20:08):
what we might feel like is awaste of time, God sees as holy
and time that has been set apartfor Him and he treasures that.
We see this all throughScripture that God created the
world by separating and creatingspace, light from darkness,
(20:28):
land from sea.
He created space so that lifeand human beings could flourish,
and Jesus often withdrew tolonely places.
He made space to commune withthe Father, and the Holy Spirit
doesn't shout over our noise, hewaits, he whispers, he is the
(20:51):
still small voice.
He fills the space that we makeavailable.
And I mean God rested himselfright?
On the seventh day and made itholy.
So many of us say that we wanttransformation, and I believe we
genuinely do, but we justhaven't made room for it to
(21:13):
happen.
In fact, in my own church funnyside note we actually wrote a
song that came out of our churchcalled Make Room, and it's a
Community Music song, gorgeousworship song, and it says I will
make room for you to dowhatever you want to, right?
(21:40):
But is that really the case ifwe have the worship service
planned out down to the minute?
And are we making room?
Are you making room?
And what do you want to makeroom for?
And here's a question (21:50):
What needs to be cleared away so that
what you really want has roomto flourish?
So by creating sacred space,you're not forcing spiritual
growth to happen, but you aretilling the soil and creating
(22:11):
this environment for the HolySpirit to come and move.
And sacred space is this openspace.
It's set apart for the Lord.
It's where you set down yourstriving and you just be.
There's no to-do list.
You are simply letting yourselfbe loved, and it doesn't
(22:35):
require a monastery or a retreatcenter or even a special room.
It might just be you sitting inyour favorite chair, or you
getting 10 minutes quiet in yourcar, which is very hard for
some of you, or you may beturning an evening walk into
(22:56):
this moment of presence andawareness and sacredness.
It's any time where you canjust say here, I am God, I'm
listening, I'm willing, I ampresent, I am aware.
Communing with the Lord is notabout proximity, it's about
awareness.
Proximity isn't the issue.
(23:17):
He is always near, he is alwaysin us.
We cannot be separated from theLord, but the issue is
awareness.
Are we aware of Him?
And creating sacred space helpsus become aware.
It is one of the mostcountercultural things that you
(23:39):
can do in this world that isaddicted to hustle, because
creating space is all aboutsaying hey, it's not about what
I can accomplish right now, itis all about how deeply I can
receive.
So, whether you realize it ornot, your whole life is already
(24:00):
being shaped by rhythms.
You actually already have arule of life, whether you
realize it or not, whether youhave named it that or not.
You have a schedule, you havescreen time, you have your sleep
, you have your self-talk, youhave your reactions and
responses to people.
You even have your food choices.
(24:20):
All of these things are formingyou.
So the real question is not amI being formed?
It is, how am I being formedand is it the way that I want to
be formed?
So here's a couple questions tothink about: What is your life
currently forming in you?
And what are your choicescurrently forming in you?
(24:47):
Let me give you a quick example.
If you want to get in shapelet's say you want to get really
buff, okay, but you have a bowlof ice cream every night.
You have to ask yourself (24:57):
Is this choice forming buffness in
me, or is it forming a littlefluff in me?
Oh, my gosh, I just thought ofthat off the top of my head.
That was funny, okay, moving on, so you're always being formed
(25:18):
by something, whether it's byintention or just by default,
like it just might be a habit.
And this is your excuse to takea step back and look at your
habits and say is this somethingthat I actually want in my life
?
Is it moving toward theformation I want in my life, or
(25:42):
is it actually moving me in theopposite direction?
So no shame here, nocondemnation.
Don't get hard on yourself,don't beat yourself up.
Just be honest with yourselfand get curious.
And if there's things you wantto change, then you can change
them.
Here's your invitation.
This week, between now and nextFriday, I want you to take 10
(26:04):
minutes and just sketch out yourcurrent rule of life and it
could be completely anunintentional rule of life.
You might not have even thoughtof that phrase before.
And do it without any judgment,do it without any
self-condemnation, but just askyourself some questions with
(26:26):
curiosity.
Things like what does mytypical day look like?
Or what does my typical weeklook like?
Where does my time go?
Where does my energy go?
What are some of the rhythms inmy day or week that are shaping
me right now, and are therethings I want to change?
(26:50):
And then you can ask the HolySpirit what do you want to grow
in me in this season of my life?
So those are just a fewquestions that you can kind of
just make some space, get alonewith the Lord and ask Him and
maybe journal some things outand don't overthink it, but it
(27:12):
can be a door to transformation.
Just some of those very simplequestions with God.
So, as I close out this episode,let me pray for us.
Holy Spirit, thank you that wedon't have to force our own
growth, but simply cooperatewith you.
(27:35):
We want to create sacred spacefor you, real space, so that
(28:01):
Christ can be deeply formed inus.
Space not to achieve anything,but to receive.
Not to earn anything, but torest in everything that you've
already done and everything youare doing in us.
Help us to say yes to the gracethat's already moving in and
through us.
And we trust you to shape usand form us slowly, steadily and
beautifully into who we trulyare.
(28:26):
You're not in a hurry, and soneither are we.
We simply want to stay in stepwith you.
In the powerful and beautifulname of Jesus.
Amen.
And that, my friend, is what Igot for you today.
(28:50):
I hope you enjoyed today'sepisode and, if you did, make
sure you follow the show on yourpodcast platform so you don't
miss a single episode.
Or, if you're tuning in onYouTube, make sure you click
subscribe and hit thenotification bell.
And if you loved it, share itwith a friend.
That is how the podcast growsby you sharing with your friends
(29:15):
.
And if this episode stirredsomething in you and you're
interested in going deeper inthis whole area of spiritual
growth, personal growth andhealthy self-awareness, I am
actually going to start aprivate spiritual mentorship
(29:36):
group that includes someexclusive teaching content that
I am not putting on the podcast,and it's also going to include
some live monthly Zoom callswith me.
And if that sounds intriguingto you, then get in touch with
me.
If you know me, you know I amnot a high pressure salesperson.
(29:57):
So if that sounds intriguing toyou, all you need to do is
click down in the show noteswhere it says Connect with
Michele here! When you clickthat link it'll take you to my
Linktree and from there you canjust join my email list.
If you pop your email addressin the box.
That is the best way to stay inthe loop with everything I'm
(30:19):
doing, everything I'm building,and I promise I will never, ever
spam you.
I hate spam, but I will keepyou in the loop on this private
mentorship group if that soundsinteresting to you.
No pressure, of course.
And with that, I will leave youthe way I always do.
(30:42):
Thanks so much for joining metoday, and I will see you again
next Friday for another Kus Word.
Until then, have a great week.
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