Faithwalking English

In this episode Ken Shuman continues his series on polarization. He shares a quote from Ronald Richardson (Polarization and the Healthier Church) that "a differentiated person is one who can maintain his or her emotional objectivity while others are polarizing." Feelings don't run these people's lives; they don't let emotions dictate their judgment or actions. Ken shares a story about Jesus and his family from scripture that contrasts their polarization with Jesus' self-differentiation. Ken then describes a few of the ways we act when we are polarized, followed by four ways Richardson suggests we can change ourselves into people who are less and less susceptible to polarization.This episode was recorded on June 19th, 2026.

In this episode Ken continues the conversation on polarization. Intense polarization is the result of low levels of emotional maturity, he says, and according to Ronald Richardson, progress in society depends on people achieving a higher level of self-differentiation [another way of saying "emotional maturity"]." "If we want to change the world," he states, "we have to grow in our self-differentiation." Also, to be clear as to the objective, "we differentiate to change ourselves, not others."We all function as part of emotional systems. Self-differentiation, Ken explains, "is having beliefs and values we have thought through deeply on our own." It's "the ability to function as a separate, autonomous self and to be less impacted by other people in the emotional system."This episode was recorded on June 5th, 2026.

In this episode Ken talks about Henry Cloud's book "Necessary Endings" and specifically Dr. Cloud's assertion that there are three kinds of people - wise, foolish, and evil. Ken shares the characteristics of each type of person according to Dr. Cloud, then transitions to discussing where Dr. Cloud's three kinds of people would be on the scale of emotional maturity. He leaves the group with an invitation to evaluate where they find themselves and to ask themselves, on an ongoing basis, "How can I become increasingly more wise?"This episode was recorded on May 29th, 2026.

In this episode of Faithwalking Stories, Ken speaks with Marcos Leon, Faithwalking's Spanish Program Team Leader, about his Faithwalking journey both personally and as a member of our staff. A native of Ecuador, Marcos has been living in the US for more than 20 years and has been a part of Faithwalking in a variety of roles since the very beginning. In addition to his Faithwalking work, Marcos is a therapist and a spiritual director. He is also a husband and father of five.Marcos and Ken spend time reflecting on the origin and evolution of Faithwalking over the years before turning to the growing impact of Faithwalking in Spanish-speaking countries, particularly throughout Central America. They discuss both the unique challenges and meaningful opportunities involved in working with participants from the broader community there, as well as with ministry teams serving in the region. Their conversation highlights the powerful and often moving ways Faithwalking impacts people across cultures, "translating" so effectively because it addresses our shared human experience.When asked at the end whether he had anything else to share with those listening, Marcos invited them to trust and enjoy the process: "The process is transformative...because it is a process that involves and sees the human being as a whole...and it works!" "Being a therapist I can tell you it is one of the most comprehensive and not expensive ways in which you can find a lot of healing and wholeness."This episode was recorded in September 2026.

In this episode, Lou Huesmann unpacks a Substack post by Richard Beck about the impact of mattering in mental well-being. He talks about two types of mattering - relational and existential, or cosmic. Lou shares from the post that existential mattering is "the more robust predictor of mental health....We need our value to be grounded in something more durable and consistent than the current status of my social, familial, and romantic life. Our worthiness cannot be wholly in the hands of others."Lou shares that Beck goes on to explain that there is an intimate connection between relational and existential mattering: "For many of us, we can only come to believe in our existential significance by experiencing being significant to others. We mediate mattering to others." By extension, we can live in such a way - love others in such a way - as to make the love of God believable! All this lines up with the purpose and endgame of Faithwalking - we grow in our emotional maturity so we can promote wholeness and flourishing (shalom) in the relationships and world around us. We show people they matter by loving them well, and through this they discover they matter to God and that God is for them and truly loves them. This is an incredible calling, and Faithwalking helps equip us to live it out! This episode was recorded on May 22nd, 2026.

In the latest episode in our series on polarization, Ken returns to the topic of triangling. "So when people get anxious," he says, "they move towards someone else...in hopes that the other person will be their advocate and will join their team and will think what they think, believe what they believe, and be against whatever they're against." This is how triangulationunfolds. But ultimately triangles destroy relational health, he explains. They lead to polarization — where somebody's left out or ostracized or they become the enemy. Ken takes the group to several scripture passages in which Jesus responds to relational triangles with clear boundaries, and he finishes by offering practical ideas for managingtriangulation in our lives. The challenge and goal as we grow in emotional maturity is this, he states: “Can I manage my anxiety in healthy ways within myself rather than going outside myself to manage my anxiety?"This episode was recorded on May 15th, 2026.

In this episode, Ken talked about the role of triangling in the polarization process. He explained the concept of triangles in the context of relationships and how we can get sucked into them, becoming part of the polarization problem. Ken shared examples of triangling in scripture and showed how Jesus refused to be sucked into triangles. Ken then explained how to respond when others attempt to pull us into a triangle, out of their own anxiety. He concluded by asking the group, "How will we be different?" and emphasizing, "It takes work."This episode was recorded on May 8th, 2026.

In this episode, Ken begins by recapping some of what heshared last week and the assignment he gave the group. He said that success is not determined by how others respond to us, but by whether we show up as the person we want to be, based on our best thinking. Emotional maturity is the growing capacity to consistently live in alignment with who we want to be. Rather than reacting out of anxiety to the people in our lives, we live out our guiding principles. For followers of Jesus, this means aligning our lives with the way of Jesus and continuing to show up this way even when others disapprove.Ken explained that in order to do this we must identify the places where we get triggered. We have to grow in awareness of our triggers and learn to be curious about what the threat is for us. From there, we can develop guiding principles—written declarations that define who we want to be and how we want to show up in the world. True success in anxious situations is found not in how others respond, but in living according to these principles. And while putting our guiding principles into words is an important beginning, we have to practice our way into deeper emotional maturity.Ken’s assignment last week was to write a guiding principlefor how we want to show up in anxious situations and to come prepared this week with our reflections and stories about attempting to put them into practice (whether successfully or not). Following the recap, Ken opened the floor, and group members shared their experiences, which was instructive for us all.This episode was recorded on May 1st, 2026.

In this episode, Ken continues the conversation aboutpolarization, beginning by stating that we don't have a knowledge problem; we have a reactivity problem. He explains that anxiety is contagious within groups, and that even one person who can regulate their anxiety can positivelyinfluence the entire system. By becoming less reactive, we help bring greater calm to anxious situations in which we find ourselves.Ken then explores practical ways to reduce our own anxious reactivity in tense environments. He concludes by inviting the group to reflect on and articulate a personal guiding principle—one that shapes how they choose to show up in the midst of anxious situations.This episode was recorded on April 24th, 2026.