The Imitation of Christ

I’m slowly rereading Thomas a Kempis’ classic, The Imitation of Christ. It’s impossible to read this quickly; the depth of wisdom and insight on each page is phenomenal. I’m already overwhelmed and I’m only a few chapters in.
Here are a few gems so far…the opening paragraph begins, “He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, saith the Lord (John 8:12). These are the words of Christ; and they teach us how far we must imitate His life and character, if we seek true illumination, and deliverance from all blindness of heart. Let it be our most earnest study, therefore, to dwell upon the life of Jesus Christ.”
A few other priceless jewels: “It is vanity to desire a long life, and to have little care for a good life…Many words satisfy not the soul, but a good life refresheth the mind, and a pure conscience giveth great confidence towards God…The proud and the avaricious man are never at rest; while the poor and lowly of heart abide in the multitude of peace…Let thy company be the humble and the simple, the devout and the gentle, and let thy discourse be concerning things which edify.”
Are you truly desirous of imitating Christ in all aspects of your life? May the words, life, and sacrificial atonement of Christ refresh, renew, and replenish your soul today and everyday. Receive the embrace of his outstretched arms of love and you’ll never be the same again…a delightful reflection of his grace, mercy, joy and peace.
PS I’ll keep you posted on more pearls of wisdom from The Imitation of Christ in upcoming blog entries.

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Steve Macchia

Founder & President

The Rev. Dr. Stephen A. Macchia is founder and president of Leadership Transformations, Inc. (LTI), a ministry serving the spiritual formation, discernment, and renewal of leaders and learners since 2003. For more than 20 years he has been the Director of the Pierce Center for Disciple-Building at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Doctor of Ministry Program. From 1989-2003 he was the president of Vision New England, the largest regional church renewal association in the country. Earlier in his ministry life, Steve was a member of the pastoral staff of Grace Chapel in Lexington, Massachusetts for 11 years. He is the author or co-author of 17 books, including The Discerning Life (Zondervan Reflective), and Crafting a Rule of Life, Becoming A Healthy Church (LTI), and Broken and Whole (IVP).  He and his wife Ruth live in the Boston (MA) area and are the proud parents of two married children and grandparents to three adorable grandchildren. Steve’s personal website is www.SteveMacchia.com.

My soul comes alive singing the great hymns of the church and enjoying the beauty of God’s creation. I’m in awe of God for fulfilling the dream for LTI that he birthed in my heart, for the team he has assembled, and the transformational impact experienced in the leaders and teams we serve.

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Mitzi Mak

Selah-West Faculty & Emmaus Faculty

Mitzi started her professional life as a high school social studies teacher. She and her husband Jerry then served cross-culturally for ten+ years, living abroad first in India and then Kurdistan, N. Iraq. In addition to being a Spiritual Director, she now serves as a Formation and Care pastor in her local church in Houston, TX. She has graduated from LTI’s Selah Spiritual Direction training as well as LTI’s Emmaus Formational Leadership Program.

Mitzi enjoys engaging conversation, reading fiction, doing jigsaw/crossword puzzles, ocean gazing and exploring the world with Jerry through food and travel.

God has two main callings in Mitzi’s life: to care for those who care for others and to be a guide in helping others have a healthy relationship with the Trinity – recognizing God’s loving presence and activity in their lives and how to faithfully respond.

Selah was a transformative experience for me – allowing the contemplative within to emerge and to beautifully co-exist with my extraverted personality.