The Discerning Life: An Invitation to Notice God in Everything

Spiritual discernment is a key theme in the Scriptures. From the Garden when Adam and Eve turned away from the simplest terms of a relationship with God, to the Garden when John the Apostle wrote the book of Revelation to a distracted people anticipating eternity, discerning God has been the heart of the matter. In modern times, however, we have forgotten the basic premise of practicing a preference for God, out of which we then are invited to live for God. Instead, we have implanted strategic planning, head-to-head battling, and will-of-God knowing in its place. In The Discerning Life, Stephen A. Macchia seeks to upend the one-eyed and limited Christian understandings of spiritual discernment and invite readers and leaders to reconsider how they prioritize the care of their souls, the grace of their communities, and the mission of their lives, churches, and organizations. When we have a fuller understanding of how spiritual discernment matters to the whole of our lives, we will in turn encourage others to follow likewise and then lean fully into the mission, mandate, and message of the whole counsel of God.

Stephen A. Macchia (DMin, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) is founder and president of Leadership Transformations, Inc., a ministry which focuses on the spiritual formation needs of leaders and the spiritual discernment processes of leadership teams in local church and parachurch ministry settings nationwide. He is also the director of the Pierce Center for Disciple-Building at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and previously served for fourteen years as president of Vision New England. Macchia is the author of several books, including Broken and Whole, Becoming a Healthy Church, and Crafting a Rule of Life.