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
Confirmation 2016
The Confirmation class of 2016 took the next big step in their faith journeys on Sunday afternoon. We got to welcome 32 new adult members into our congregation. I have traveled with these wonderful young adults for the past four years as I have had the privilege to...
Can I Get a Witness at the Minneapolis Area Synod Assembly #MASassembly
The theme for our Synod Assembly this year was Can I Get a Witness. Bishop Ann Svennungsen invited two amazing storytellers to demonstrate for us and encourage us that sharing the Gospel is simply sharing the story of what God has done and is doing in our own lives....
The Journey’s End | A Grand Spiritual Adventure through Suburban Time and Space
The Journey Pilot Group officially ended yesterday. 30 people gathered back in September to launch on an 8-month experience of spiritual formation. We traveled in five separate cohorts, comprised of 15 pairs of traveling companions. We watched twenty-four videos, read...
Love, Tears, Bono, and Eugene Peterson
I'm not sure why I wept as I watched this video. Perhaps it is because I preached the funeral of a 19-year old young man yesterday and my heart is torn open and I'm raw. Perhaps it is because I just said goodbye to my 21-year old daughter who visited for the funeral...
Putting the PhD into Practice | Another Video about the Social Trinity
It is a good feeling to know that all those years of work in the PhD program actually have practical value. I was able to make this video today as part of the The Journey. We are discussing the first article of the Creed, so this lesson introduces the importance of...
Reflections on the Experimental Beginnings Class
We ran a little experiment in Adult Faith Formation at Grace this fall and I would like to reflect on its effectiveness. This was the experiment. I offered a seven-week course on the Books of Moses titled: Beginnings. We offered it on Sunday night and on Wednesday...
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
