The Spirit of the Disciplines

CNLP 816 | The Brutal Reality of Pastoring: John Ortberg on Leadership Pain, the Introvert's Ministry Dilemma, and Dealing With the Job You Didn't Sign Up For

The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast, 9 July 2026. The book comes up at 1 hr 15 min in.

John Ortberg names this Dallas Willard book as the one that impacted him most, read roughly 35 years earlier when he was frustrated by his own lack of spiritual growth despite holding a PhD in clinical psychology and an MDiv from Fuller Seminary. He quotes Willard's thesis — that authentic transformation requires arranging life around the practices and rhythms Jesus himself engaged in — and says it has shaped his thinking ever since.

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