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
maintaining emotional health
There is a blessing and curse associated with every personality type. I'm an artist/thinker type of a person. The blessing of this personality is that I am usually bristling with ideas and my mind is running on overdrive most of the time. When I am "on" there is a...
Know Fear
This Sunday at our High School Youth Group we will start a series on Facing our Fears. The first fear we'll talk about is the fear of rejection. That's a nasty one that can paralyze us and steal the joy of real friendship and great opportunities. I searched the...
The Sabbatical is Over
This week marks the beginning of a new chapter in my life. As of Wednesday, September 1st, 2010, I am a full-time pastor once again, serving at Grace Lutheran Church in Andover, MN. My official title is Pastor of Spiritual Formation and Youth Ministries. The irony is...
Jesus Wants to Save Christians – Rob Bell
I just finished reading Jesus Wants to Save Christians by Rob Bell. I really resonated with this book. Here is a passage from the final pages that really sums it up. A converted church will cause the mountains to tremble. A group of people taking the bread and the...
Spiritual Gifts
Look up the following passages. Whenever you see a spiritual gift or a special position or function in the church mentioned, write it down. At the end you should have created a list. Romans 12:3-8 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 Ephesians 4:7-14 The list As you read the...
Lord, Save Us From Your Followers
I can't wait to see this movie.
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
