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QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT

There’s much more to food than palate and preference. How does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind the web bio?

A friend once accused my husband and me of being foodies. I say “accused” because we thought that meant we were into super-fancy or exotic dishes — you know, the kind that were made with a special blowtorch or a botanical from the other side of the world.

Then my husband and I realized a foodie is just someone who loves and appreciates food, and I’m definitely guilty as charged. I’ve been known to arrange my travel around famous or recommended spots. And most of these are down-home, local places, like Schultz’s char-grilled hamburgers in my hometown of Sheboygan, Wisconsin; Al’s Beef in Chicago; Sara J’s on the Waterway in Garden City, South Carolina; pretty much anything at the Minnesota State Fair; and BeauJo’s mountain pies in Colorado.

Clearly, I don’t always choose the healthiest or “best” food, but they’re usually combined with memories of the people I’ve enjoyed them with. I recall dinner with mentors on Balboa Island, a late-night bite with coworkers at the end of a long day at a conference, or a simple home-cooked Midwestern meal with my youth pastor and his wife, reminiscing about more than 35 years of memories.

QUESTION #2: REVEAL

We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests. So what are yours? What so-called “nonspiritual” activities do you love and help you find spiritual renewal?

I love words — reading them, writing them, working with them and being surrounded by them. I once took a personality inventory that said that I need words on a daily basis just like some people need oxygen!

A year ago, I felt led to add a weeklong personal retreat into my annual rhythms. For my first one, I went to Cambridge, England. I stayed on the campus of one of the colleges there and spent my days reading, writing, studying and researching in their library. Talk about a word-lover’s dream!

Many days here in Denver, I reward myself with several hours in a library or bookstore, and most evenings, I read for an hour before bed.

Anytime I’m immersed in words, I am transported back to when I was growing up and would spend afternoons after school curled up in one of the swivel chairs in our living room, devouring Trixie Belden mysteries, historical biographies or one of my dad’s news magazines.

QUESTION #3: CONFESS

Every superhero has a weakness. Every human, too. We’re just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re broken and in this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite and how do you hide it?

To say that I’m competitive is a massive understatement. I hate to lose at absolutely anything, whether it’s board games, sports or even beating the car next to me off the line at a stoplight.

My driven and competitive nature has helped me in many areas of my professional life, but it hasn’t always been great for relationships or my sanctification. I’m getting better at recognizing when the relationship needs to win and I don’t, but it’s still a hard impulse to control sometimes.

QUESTION #4: FIRE UP

Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your obsession? And why should it be ours?

I am called to identify, encourage and equip ministry leaders. After more than 30 years in ministry myself, I “get” that world. I know what leaders are going through. I know what they do and how it affects their soul and vice-versa. I deeply love ministry leaders and the church and spend my days teaching, writing, coaching and pastoring men and women who have been called to steward other people and organizations.

During the day, I serve as director of the Doctor of Ministry program at Denver Seminary, my alma mater. At night, I read and write, and my pastor-husband and I host leaders in our home. Currently, I’m working on a book of ministry leadership case studies, a book about the church and parachurch, and a book about re-envisioning the church from the ground up through a formational and developmental lens.

QUESTION #5: BOOST

Cashiers, CEOs, contractors, or customer service reps, we all need grace flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it’s God when it happens?

I feel God’s presence and pleasure when I get to use my gifts of leadership, teaching, administration and wisdom. The classroom comes alive. The words flow through my fingers and onto the screen.

I’m delighted by “aha” moments with students and colleagues. There’s fulfillment and flow. All of these confirm that I’m doing what I was created and called to do. On my best days, I go to bed knowing I’ve stewarded the people and gifts I’ve been entrusted with.

QUESTION #6: inspire

Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied actions that open our hearts to the presence of God. So spill it, which spiritual practice is workin’ best for you right now?

I have what I call my six S’s that are critical for my emotional, physical and spiritual health. They are like the slides on an audio equalizer. If any of them are out of place, I’ll just feel off. My S’s are:

1. Sleep. I need at least eight hours a night on a regular basis or my body starts to break down.

2. Solitude. I need time by myself. I love people, but as an introvert, I recharge by myself.

3. Silence. My time alone is best spent in silence. No radio, TV or podcasts. I’m sensitive to noise clutter and can drive for hours without turning on any music.

4. Space. My exterior world impacts my interior world, so I need uncluttered space. Other people’s clutter doesn’t bother me — as long as I don’t have to live in it.

5. Sweat. I exercise regularly, usually jogging but sometimes a bike ride or just a long walk with my dog. I can almost feel it flushing gunk out of my system.

6. Sabbath. I take 24 hours every week to cease from work and enjoy the things I love, including food, friends, a good nap and maybe a game on TV.

QUESTION #7: FOCUS

Our email subscribers get free ebooks featuring our favorite resources — lots of things that have truly impacted our faith lives. But you know about some really great stuff, too. What are three resources that have impacted you?

I’ve read so many books over the years that it’s hard to decide on just three that have had a significant influence on me. But if I have to choose, I’d say my top three are:

1. “Spiritual Rhythm: Being With Jesus Every Season of Your Soul” by Mark Buchanan

2. “The Inner Voice of Love” by Henri Nouwen

3. “Necessary Endings” by Henry Cloud

Notice that none of these are “skill” or “doing” books. Instead, they’re all about “being” or not doing. All these books have helped me grow in spiritual awareness, rootedness and clarity about my life.

We all have things we cling to to survive (or thrive) in tough times. Name one resource you’ve found indispensable in this current season — and tell us what it’s done for you.

My husband and I just finished reading “The Intentional Year” by Glenn and Holly Packiam. We both enjoyed the entire book, but we had particularly helpful discussions around the chapter about which relationships we wanted to invest in during the year ahead.

We realized that out of our heart for hospitality, we could constantly get together with people yet never develop deeper relationships that were life-giving to us. That has helped us diagram our so-called circles of relationship and choose where to invest our time and energy.

QUESTION #8: dream

God is continually stirring new things in each of us. So give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?

I’m about to step into a new role at work, replacing my predecessor, friend and boss who recently retired. I’m excited to bring new energy and vision to the program I’ll be leading and to serve our students well.

It combines all the things I love — teaching, leading, writing and shepherding leaders — and I get to do it with incredible co-workers and the most amazing students. What’s more, I get to do this at a place that had a significant impact on me back when I was a student.

What do your circles of relationship look like in this season of your life? And when was the last time you analyzed them?

Maybe you can identify with Angie when she and her husband looked at their relationships. For some of us, we love to open our hearts and homes to as many people as possible. But the danger is that we might be investing in so many different relationships that none of them have a chance to blossom into the deep, life-giving friendships God designed us to have.

The Bible says: “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24, ESV).

Of course, each one of us is different in the number or type of friendships we need. But we could all benefit from simply getting quiet, taking an honest look at who we spend time with and asking the Holy Spirit, “What do you want my friendships to look like? Who do you want me to be closest to? How can I nurture those relationships and center them around you?”

Angie Ward is a ministry and leadership writer and teacher with over 30 years of leadership experience. She is the author of I Am a Leader: When Women Discover the Joy of Their Calling and editor of The Kingdom Conversations series of books (NavPress). Angie serves as director of the Doctor of Ministry program at Denver Seminary. She loves running, basketball, humor and movies. She and her pastor-husband live in Denver and have two young-adult sons and one very spoiled beagle.

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