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
My Courses Available on Faith + Lead Academy
Spiritual Formation Posts
Make a D.A.T.E. with God | How to Have a Quiet Time
Cultivating a Romance The key to developing a strong relationship with God is to simply commit to the relationship, not the ritual. We are called to love God, not perform for God and hope God loves us. God does love us and invites us to cultivate this divine romance....
Book | After Heaven by Robert Wuthnow
Wuthnow, Robert. After Heaven: Spirituality in America since the 1950s. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998. The Author Robert Wuthnow Professor of Sociology at Princeton University Selected Quote “It is thus practice, rather than a spirituality of...
Book | Stages of Faith by James Fowler
Fowler, James W. Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1981. The Author James Fowler Charles Howard Candler Professor of Theology and Human Development at Emory University. Stages of Faith...
Why This Research is Important | Quote from Philip Sheldrake
This paragraph from the conclusion of Philip Sheldrake's book Spirituality and Theology summarizes exactly why I am pursuing my particular research question. Trinity matters because it is the basis of spiritual formation, engagement with the environment, and societal...
I Share Therefore I Am | A Video by Shimi Cohen on Sherry Turkle
This video, by Shimi Cohen, does an excellent job of visualizing what Sherry Turkle says in Alone Together. It explores how social media has substituted the false sense of connection for the true art of conversation. Well done, and thought provoking.
Our Identity in Christ
This week I am preparing for our upcoming Own Your Faith retreat for our high school freshmen. A key topic we will discuss is our identity in Christ. Identity and a sense of self-worth is, for all of us, an important topic, but is especially crucial for high school...
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
