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
Animation, Renovare, Joe Davis and the Mid-Faith Crisis
I listened to a podcast this morning that really inspired me. First of all, if you haven't checked out the ministry of Renovare, I invite you to do so. It is a deep well of refreshment for your soul. I was deeply connected with renovare during my days at Central...
Connecting to Creation in Suburbia
Our youth director, Kristi Larson, is gone on the youth mission trip this week, so she asked me to fill in for her at Summer Stretch tomorrow. The topic is Caring for God's Creation. We will meditate on Psalm 8 and reflect on how we can care for God's creation in...
Beyond Words | A Reflection on Dallas Willard
The Spiritual Formation Team met last night. This is a group of people that I have invited to help me discern what God is doing in and through Grace in the area of Spiritual Formation. The conversation centered primarily around the definition of Spiritual Formation...
How Do You Manage Multiple Passions?
Do you ever feel like you have so many things that you would like to do that you don’t know where to start? You have so many passions vying for your attention that you can feel overwhelmed and wonder which ones should take priority. How can you manage them all? If you...
What is Conversion?
What is conversion? Is it a one-time experience, or is it a continual process that lasts, hopefully, a lifetime? Richard Rohr is a writer that has challenged my thinking and relationship with God for over a decade. His recent newsletter raised the issue of conversion....
Spirituality and Spiritual Formation: Defining Terms
The following post is from my dissertation, Deep in the Burbs... The DITB project is an exercise both about and of spiritual formation. It is necessary, therefore, to clearly define this term. What is spiritual formation, and more precisely, how do I use this term in...
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
