by Rhett Smith | Sep 19, 2018 | Intentional Living, Podcast
“Love consists in this, that two solitudes, protect and border and salute each other.” — Rainer Maria Rilke A couple of weeks ago my wife and I returned from a “marriage adventure” on the Inca Trail in Peru. This adventure (through...
by Rhett Smith | Jun 5, 2017 | Marriage, Podcast
Several weeks ago I had the opportunity to share with the ReEngage Ministry at Hope Fellowship the topic of forgiveness. It’s such an important topic not only in all of our lives, but especially in the context of marriage where one’s ability to forgive...
by Rhett Smith | Apr 17, 2017 | Faith, Podcast
I have shared in previous episodes that the journey through Lent has been one of the most helpful things I have done for my faith. And as we finished Lent this last week, culminating in Easter yesterday, I wanted to take a few moments to reflect on the next steps. As...
by Rhett Smith | Feb 15, 2017 | Intentional Living, Podcast
I have been wanting to talk on the topic of grief and loss for quite a while. I was going to wait to do an episode with my father since that has been a big part of his professional life as a pastor and hospice chaplain. But in light of some recent events in our local...
by Rhett Smith | Dec 1, 2015 | Marriage, Podcast, Restoration Therapy
In the previous podcast episode I talked about just how life transforming the Pain and Peace Cycle work have been to my life both personally and relationally. Ever since I learned these tools when I went on staff at The Hideaway Experience in 2010 I have continued to...
by Rhett Smith | Oct 28, 2015 | Podcast
There are two stories in the Bible that have gripped my imagination for the last 5-6 years. One is the story of Jesus at his baptism, specifically in the gospel of Mark 1:9-11, which records the voice of God the Father in Heaven declaring to his son Jesus (while the...
by Rhett Smith | Apr 22, 2015 | Podcast
One of the issues that almost always comes up in my work with clients is the issue of forgiveness. It is the issue that often is not addressed, but the one that is most needed. So a few months ago when a pastor friend of mine asked me to come speak at his...
by Rhett Smith | Apr 2, 2013 | Faith
I love this video clip of Henri Nouwen preaching (this is a short clip — 8 minutes and 55 seconds — well worth your time). His many books have been influential in my personal life and in my work as a pastor and therapist. Here we get a good sense of what...
by Rhett Smith | Jul 17, 2012 | Men
I have to admit to you all that I knew little about male depression until the last ten years when I started reading more and more writers who were openly talking about it. People like Henri Nouwen, Parker Palmer and Archibald Hart to name but just a few. The more and...
by Rhett Smith | Jul 11, 2012 | Intentional Living
“When the door of the steambath is continually left open, the heat inside rapidly escapes through it; likewise the soul, in its desire to say many things, dissipates its rememberance of God through the door of speech, even though everything it says may be good....
by Rhett Smith | Jan 27, 2012 | Men
In my continuation on the topic of depression, especially male depression (here and here), I wanted to share something with you by Parker Palmer. In his wonderful book Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation (a must read), Parker has one of the most...
by Rhett Smith | Mar 21, 2011 | Intentional Living
“When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend...
by Rhett Smith | Oct 1, 2010 | Leadership
This is the fourth post in a five-part series on Youth Ministry, Boundaries, and Burnout. Be sure to check out the previous posts, Youth Ministry as a Stepping Stone (Fail), Looking at the Population You Serve, and Have a Schedule. The reality is that our identity is...
by Rhett Smith | Mar 31, 2010 | Intentional Living
[image by epSos.de] God is Not Safe, So Why Do We Play So Safely There are lots of books, stories and examples displaying how we tend to play life too safely at times, and the need for us to overcome this complacency. One of the examples that is always in my mind is...
by Rhett Smith | Feb 15, 2010 | Faith
[image by Anne Jackson of tent city of 5000 in Marassa] Displaced People About one month ago one of the most horrific disasters in human history struck the small island of Haiti. In the wake of that destruction thousands upon thousands of lives were lost, and...
by Rhett Smith | Oct 13, 2009 | Intentional Living
[image by Tamara Areshian] In my last post, When You Refuse To Take Care Of Yourself, You Are Refusing To Take Care Of Those Around You, I just briefly reflected on some comments by Rob Bell at the Catalyst Conference 2009 and how I felt they played into self-care....
by Rhett Smith | Sep 21, 2009 | Leadership
[image by mikebaird] One of the unique things about being a therapist is that it requires me to be able to be fully present to those who sit across from me in my office. No cell phone. No computer. No interruptions. No distractions. For45-50 minutes they get my full,...
by Rhett Smith | Jul 9, 2009 | Intentional Living
[image by Winstonavich] Earlier this week I wrote a post on our identity in our engagement in social media and technology. I believe that at the heart of our online engagement are large questions of identity. And unless these questions of identity are addressed, we...
by Rhett Smith | Jul 6, 2009 | Technology
[image by LollyKnit] Identity in Christ One of the most crucial passages of scripture in the Bible in regards to our identity is Mark 1:9-14: “9, And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. 10,...
by Rhett Smith | Jun 15, 2009 | Leadership
[image source] In the great book, The Way of the Heart: Connecting with God Through Prayer, Wisdom, and Silence by Henri Nouwen, he talks quite a bit about one’s “inner fire.” Last week I posted You Must Protect Your Inner Fire if You Live Online. I...
