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
Book | To Know As We Are Known by Parker Palmer
Palmer, Parker J. To Know as We Are Known: Education as a Spiritual Journey. 1st HarperCollins pbk ed. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1993. The Author Parker J. Palmer (born 1939 in Chicago, Illinois) is an author, educator, and activist who focuses on issues in...
Article | Dimensions of Spirituality: A Framework for Adult Educators
Dimensions of Spirituality - my annotated copy This paper argues that although spirituality is increasingly featured in adult education literature, much is either descriptive or enthusiastically prescriptive. A rather wild eclecticism currently prevails. As educators...
Article | Dialogue of the Soul – by Dent Davis
Dialogue of the Soul - My annotated copy Findings from this study suggest spiritual encounter is a form of adult learning that leads to changes in perspective and actions in ways that are more inclusive and less combative. The spiritual encounter was experienced as a...
Article | Mapping a Field: Why and How to Study Spirituality
MAPPING A FIELD WHY AND HOW TO STUDY SPIRITUALITY - this is my annotated copy of the article. Rather than being flatly individualistic or purely “internal” in nature, spirituality appears today to designate an ensemble of (often disparate) technologies—linguistic,...
A Landscape of Adult Learning and Christian Spirituality – on Prezi
Reading List for Adult Learning and Christian Spirituality
Bold face indicates that I have read it. This is a reading project in progress... Anderson, Herbert, and Edward Foley. Mighty Stories, Dangerous Rituals: Weaving Together the Human and the Divine. 1st ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1998. Ashley, J. Matthew....
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
