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
Listen to the Trees | How to Draw a Tree Mandala
In this Livestream Session I do three things: 1. Explore biblical imagery of trees, 2. Show you my gallery of tree drawings and paintings, 3. Draw a Tree Mandala in Procreate on my iPad.
Artwork from My Camp House Experience
Enjoy this gallery of paintings and drawings I created during my week as the Artist-in-Residence at Camp House.
A Gallery of Plen Air Paintings and a Live Pencil Portrait
In this livestream session I do three things. 1. I walk through a gallery of the plen air paintings I made while at Camp House. 2. I show you a pochade box and how to use it. 3. I spend about 20 minutes drawing a portrait with pencil. Enjoy!
An Interview with Rev. Dr. Jules Erickson about Pottery and Spirituality in Ordinary Time
In this episode of Art Pastor Live we are on location at Camp House where I interview Rev. Dr. Jules Erickson. She is a pastor and a potter. We talk about ordinary time and how she sees pottery as a spiritual practice.
Paul’s Prayer for His People
Take a visual tour of the prayers that Paul prayed for his people in 1 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Romans, and Philippians. What can we learn about praying for each other from his example?
Praying for Your People
In this livestream I explore Paul’s prayers for his people along with Psalm 52 by creating an original piece of art in about 30 minutes. Enjoy!
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
