What if discipleship was less about learning more information about God and more about learning how to live with God?

In this episode of The Being Formed Podcast, Adam Ormord sits down with Debbie Swindoll — founder of Grafted Life Ministries and the Christ-Centered Spiritual Directors Association (CSDA). Together, they explore the difference between information-based discipleship and true spiritual formation that leads to transformation into Christlikeness.

Debbie shares her heart for the church, her concerns about the current state of discipleship, and her hope for a more relational, Spirit-led approach to formation. The conversation weaves together theology, lived experience, and pastoral wisdom, inviting listeners to reflect on their own journey of life with God.

They also celebrate CSDA’s 15-year journey — a global community of over 1,000 spiritual directors committed to Christ-centered spiritual direction, shared theological grounding, and ethical practice through a common code of conduct.

This episode is a gentle yet clarifying invitation: to slow down, to notice God’s presence, and to allow transformation to emerge from relationship rather than effort.

• The difference between knowing about God and living life with God

• Why many discipleship models struggle to produce lasting transformation

• How spiritual formation offers a more faithful and sustainable path

• Debbie’s group study, Life With God, and how churches are using it

• The vision and impact of the Christ-Centered Spiritual Directors Association (CSDA)

• Why theological grounding and community matter deeply for spiritual directors

• Where Debbie finds hope for the future of the church

• The practices that continue to form Debbie’s own life with God

• Grafted Life Ministries: https://www.graftedlife.org

• Christ-Centered Spiritual Directors Association (CSDA): https://www.graftedlife.org/csda/home/

• Life With God study by Debbie Swindoll (available via Grafted Life)

This conversation invites us to reconsider what we mean by discipleship — not as mastery of content, but as apprentices participating in a shared life with God. May it encourage you to listen more deeply, trust the slow work of the Spirit, and remain open to the ongoing formation happening in you.

The Being Formed Podcast is a soul care ministry of LifePoint Resources.

In this episode of The Being Formed Podcast, Adam Ormord (Founder of LifePoint Resources) is joined by author and ministry leader, Angie Day Peters, for a reflective conversation about spiritual freedom and transformation.

Centered on Angie’s book, Rooted Revolution: Embracing the Mess and the Mystery, this episode explores what happens when Jesus returns to the center of our lives—and how that re-centering opens the way for freedom in our relationship with Christ, within ourselves, and with others.

Special Bonus: At the 24:20 mark of the conversation, Adam shares his own prayer called “Somewhere in the Middle.” Be sure to listen to this part of the episode as a gentle reminder to return to what matters most.

• Why Jesus must be at the center of our churches and our formation
• How freedom flows from a rooted life in Christ
• Returning to love, presence, and wholeness
• The mess and the mystery of relational community

Rooted Revolution: Embracing the Mess and the Mystery by Angie Day Peters (Purchase on Amazon)

Learn more and connect with Angie at Unedited Life.

#BeingFormedPodcast #LifePointResources #SpiritualFormation #SoulCare #RootedRevolution #UneditedLife #AngieDayPeters #SomewhereInTheMiddle #AdamOrmord

The Being Formed Podcast is a soul care ministry of LifePoint Resources.

In this episode, Adam sits down with Stephen W. Smith, author and founder of The Potter’s Inn and a long-time voice in the world of soul care. Steve shares about his new book of poetry, Greening, and the inner awakening he’s been experiencing in recent years. Together, Adam and Steve explore the role of poetry in spiritual formation, the journey of discovering one’s true self, and the ongoing invitation to live from a deep heart.

• Author of many books on spiritual formation, soul care, and leadership health
• Founder (with his wife Gwen) of The Potter’s Inn, a ministry that profoundly influenced Adam’s own life and the formation of LifePoint Resources
• Longtime retreat leader and spiritual guide
• Writes regularly on Substack

• Greening: Poems in the Unfolding of Our Lives Stephen W. Smith (Purchase Hardcover and Kindle on Amazon)
• Potter's Inn (PottersInn.com)
• Steve’s Substack (Read and engage with Steve's latest work)

• How poetry opens the heart to God in unique ways
• Navigating seasons of transition and inner resurgence
• The spiritual symbolism of pilgrimage
• The urgent need for slowness in our chaotic world

The Being Formed Podcast is a soul care ministry of LifePoint Resources.

In this special Advent episode of The Being Formed Podcast, Adam Ormord sits down with two fellow spiritual directors — Niecy LoCricchio and Lynn Biskner — to explore how we can enter this Advent season with greater attentiveness, creativity, and openness to God’s presence.

Conversation with Niecy LoCricchio Adam first welcomes author and spiritual director, Niecy LoCricchio, whose new book—The Journey of Christmas Love: A Coloring Nativity Adventure and Advent Calendar for Families—invites children and adults alike into a creative, contemplative journey through the story of Jesus’ birth.

CLICK HERE to purchase The Journey of Christmas Love on Amazon.

Bonus Conversation with Lynn Biskner (plus FREE Resource) Adam and Lynn Biskner (Spiritual Direction Coordinator and Volunteer Writer for LifePoint Resources) reflect on what it means to wait with hopeful anticipation during Advent and how this season can be a gentle invitation to slow down and listen more deeply.

The subject of our conversation is the FREE Advent Retreat, written by Lynn Biskner, called “Advent: The Dawn of New Creation.”

CLICK HERE to download LifePoint's FREE Advent Retreat.

Connect With Us

• Subscribe to The Being Formed Podcast wherever you listen.
• Learn more about LifePoint Resources and opportunities for soul care.

The Being Formed Podcast is a soul care ministry of LifePoint Resources.

Adam Ormord (Podcast Host, Co-founder of LifePoint Resources) invites Cyd and Geoff Holsclaw to the Being Formed Podcast to discuss their latest book, Landscapes of the Soul: How the Science and Spirituality of Attachment Can Move You into Confident Faith, Courage, and Connection.

Cyd Holsclaw & Geoff Holsclaw, PhD, are coauthors of Does God Really Like Me? and codirectors of the doctor of ministry in spiritual formation and relational neuroscience at Western Theological Seminary. They are the cofounders of the Center for Embodied Faith and cohosts of the Attaching to God podcast. Cyd is a coach, pastor, and spiritual director, integrating embodied neuroscience and spiritual practices. Dr. Geoff Holsclaw is a pastor and a visiting professor of theology at Western Theological Seminary.

• The intersection of attachment theory, neuroscience, and spiritual formation — how our relational wiring (to God, self, others) shows up in our faith life.

• Their new book Landscapes of the Soul: How the Science and Spirituality of Attachment Can Move You into Confident Faith, Courage, and Connection (2025) — key themes: the four “landscapes” (jungle, desert, war zone, pasture) as metaphors for how we live spiritually and relationally

• How to discern where we are (habits, patterns, unconscious strategies) and how to move toward secure attachment with God.

• Pause and ask: Where do I feel emotionally/spiritually – in a pasture, jungle, desert or war zone?

• Reflect: What survival strategy (anxious, avoidant, fearful) is at work in me?

• Consider: How might God be inviting a new “terrain” of secure attachment — what embodied practice (breathing, contemplative silence, relational prayer) might help shift me?

• Read the Holsclaws’ book and explore their podcast for deeper integration.

• Book: Landscapes of the Soul - Amazon

• Website / Center: The Center for Embodied Faith (Geoff & Cyd Holsclaw) — Center for Embodied Faith

• Podcast: Attaching to God: Neuroscience‑informed Spiritual Formation — https://www.embodiedfaith.life/podcast

The Being Formed Podcast is a soul care ministry of LifePoint Resources.

Educator, pastor, spiritual director, and author Afrika Afeni Mills joins me to talk about her upcoming book Sowing the Seeds of Shalom.

Afrika is the author of Open Windows, Open Minds: Developing Antiracist, Pro-Human Students, and her TED-Ed talk Four Ways to Have Healthy Conversations About Race has reached hundreds of thousands of viewers. Her widely shared essay, A Letter to White Teachers of My Black Children, continues to inspire and challenge educators around the world.

Afrika’s ministry and writing invite us into healing and flourishing through the way of Jesus and the practice of shalom. We explore how racial healing and spiritual formation belong together, and what it looks like to live into wholeness, reconciliation, and flourishing in our everyday lives.

Connect with Afrika:

• Website: afrikaafenimills.com
• Missio Alliance: An Invitation to Racial Healing as Spiritual Formation
• TED-Ed Talk: Four Ways to Have Healthy Conversations About Race
• Book: Open Windows, Open Minds
• Substack: Shalom Seeds

If this episode encouraged you, share it with a friend and subscribe to The Being Formed Podcast for more conversations about spiritual formation and flourishing.

Chapter Markers — Ep38: Sowing the Seeds of Shalom (with Afrika Afeni Mills) Total length: ~1:02:07

• 00:00:00 — Welcome & Introduction
• 00:04:35 — Afrika’s Story and Early Inspirations
• 00:12:42 — Defining Shalom: More Than Just Peace
• 00:21:18 — Education, Justice, and Planting Seeds of Change
• 00:34:05 — The Power of Community and Collective Work
• 00:46:11 — Challenges Along the Way: Resistance and Hope
• 00:55:27 — Practical Ways to Sow Seeds of Shalom Today
• 01:00:15 — Closing Reflections & Blessing

The Being Formed Podcast is a soul care ministry of LifePoint Resources.

"We live in an empathy-starved world. And with increased social fractures, we are always being formed to normalize disconnection from others. How do we receive empathy? How do we give it? What does this all have to do with God? I'm immensely grateful that Bill and Kristi Gaultiere have taken the time to respond to these critically important questions. We were created to live deeply loved in this world. But this journey has to start somewhere. What Bill and Kristi offer here is just the place to begin. I highly recommend this book." - Rich Villodas (lead pastor of New Life Fellowship; author of The Narrow Path and The Deeply Formed Life)

Our host, Adam Ormord (LifePoint Resources), sits down with Bill & Kristi Gaultiere (Soul Shepherding) to discuss their brand new book, "Deeply Loved: Receiving and Reflecting God's Great Empathy for You."

Bill and Kristi Gaultiere have been counseling and ministering to people for 30 years and are the authors of Journey of the Soul and Healthy Feelings, Thriving Faith. Bill is a psychologist and Kristi is a marriage and family therapist. They are AACC leaders and have served in private practice and church ministries.

They are the founders of Soul Shepherding, a nonprofit ministry to help believers discover their next steps for growing in intimacy with Jesus, emotional health, and loving relationships.

In their new book, Deeply Loved (Revell, Sept. 2025), Bill and Kristi weave together engaging true stories with compelling insights from Scripture and modern psychology to help readers:

• Grow in self-empathy and calm emotional triggers
• Learn how to release worries, comfort hurts, and overcome distress
• Practice the "four A's of empathy" for yourself and others
• Engage Bible-based empathy practices to know you are deeply loved by Jesus

Visit soul shepherding.org to learn more.

The Being Formed Podcast is a soul care ministry of LifePoint Resources.

"It's less about what we do, but it is about who we are becoming...The process of making that decision is actually the point." (Emily P. Freeman)

Join Adam Ormord as he sits down with New York Times bestselling author and spiritual director, Emily P. Freeman.

In this episode, Adam and Emily explore the art of decision-making and discernment as well as the profound impact of change in our lives. Emily shares insights from her book and discusses the importance of trusting oneself and God in the journey of life.

Emily P. Freeman is the New York Times bestselling author of six books, including How to Walk into a Room: The Art of Knowing When to Stay and When to Walk Away.

Emily received her masters in Christian Spiritual Formation and Leadership from Friends University where she also serves as a residency lecturer. As a spiritual director, her most important work is to help create soul space and offer spiritual companionship and discernment for anyone struggling with decision fatigue. Her nationally ranked podcast, The Next Right Thing, has more than 28 million downloads and she regularly offers perspective and clarity through her weekly newsletter, The Soul Minimalist.

#SpiritualFormation #DecisionMaking #EmilyPFreeman #Podcast

The Being Formed Podcast is a soul care ministry of LifePoint Resources.