Spirituality & Discipleship
This page is my storehouse for both my research about spirituality and discipleship AND the resources I’ve created to help leaders and seekers to grow spiritually.
Missional Spiritual Formation leaders are called to cultivate growing disciples of Jesus who are equipped to discern God’s action in the world and empowered to participate in it.
CLICK HERE for a curated list of other spiritual formation sites that I recommend
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Spiritual Formation Posts
Growing Out of Hell
What is the purpose and process of spiritual formation? That is a question that fuels my life’s work. I am currently reading (listening to) Richard Rohr’s Book Hidden Things: Scripture as Spirituality and it has reaffirmed and contributed to my understanding of the...
The Mystery of Knowing and How To Get Over a Bad Day
Yesterday was not great. I felt off, weak, and really weepy. I hate it when that happens. Then God showed up. I never cease to be amazed at the way God speaks in clusters of events and experiences. This happened to me yesterday and this morning again. Yesterday, I had...
Teaching Luther’s Small Catechism at Camp Wapo
What do you get when you combine a over sixty middle school students, fifteen high school students, a bunch of energetic college students, a beautiful campground, an amazing staff of leaders and teachers, and Luther's small Catechism? You get my week. I get to...
The Good Life and Spirituality
The Good Life Worship Series brings us to the topic of Spirituality this week. I am not preaching since I'm at Family Camp this weekend. However, I have a lot to say about Spirituality. In fact, my dissertation was about spirituality in the suburban context. This...
Middle School and the Good Life
Is it possible to experience The Good Life while sleeping on a tile floor on a deflated air mattress in the basement of a church, leading a group of middle school students 24/7 for a whole week? I stand to confess that yes, it is possible--not easy--but possible. Let...
A Word to the White Preacher
Jan Edmiston's post is called "Preaching While White" and is worth the read. It is timely for me as I am currently reading through the Religious Education Journal issue dedicated to Race and Religious Education. One thing that I am gleaning from these readings and my...
Recommended Reading
Journeying in the Wilderness by Terri Elton
The Universal Christ by Richard Rohr
Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster
Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard
Belonging by Karoline Lewis
The Corner of Fourth and Nondual by Cynthia Bourgeault
The Critical Journey by Janet O. Hagberg
Renew Your Life by Kai Nilsen
Invitation to a Journey by M. Robert Mullholland Jr.
Acts of Faith: Meditations For People of Color by Iyanla Vanzant
Earth Crammed with Heaven: A Spirituality of Everyday Life by Elizabeth Dreyer
Thirsty for God by Bradley Holt
Finding Our Way Again: The Return of the Ancient Practices by Brian McLaren
We Make the Road by Walking by Brian McLaren
Cultivating Sent Communities edited by Dwight Zscheile
Power Surge by Michael Foss
I have two favorite metaphors to discuss spiritual formation.
The first is a journey. Jesus called to his first disciples, “Follow me!” and they traveled with him as he demonstrated what it looks like to live in fellowship with God.
The first disciples in John 1:38 asked Jesus, “Where do you dwell?”
Jesus replied, “Come and See,” so they followed him.
To be a disciple of Jesus is to move, to explore, to grow.
But what is the destination?
That leads me to my second favorite metaphor. The Vine and the Branches.
Jesus said in John 15:1-5, “I am the vine and you are the branches…remain/dwell in me and I will remain in you, and you will bear much fruit.”
The destination of this journey is not a physical time or place. The destination is the love of God.
God’s love is infinite, therefore we will never arrive. We simply keep growing.
We go and grow in two directions.
First, we grow deeper roots to be grounded in the love of God.
Second, we grow taller and wider branches to spread the fruit of God’s love wider.
Cultivating A Spiritual Formation Plan for the Local Congregation
The local church is the ideal place to grow spiritually. However, it is often difficult to do so. One of my ongoing projects is to experiment with how to cultivate spaces for people to grow spiritually. This article gives some basic outlines for how to think about this.
Check Out My Spiritual Formation Resources
Mindful Sketching
Learn how to connect your breath to your body and use the process of mark-making to become present with God.
Other Spiritual Formation Sites
Journeying in the Wilderness
