Spiritual Formation as Rhythm

September 15, 2008 | Filed Under spiritual formation | No Comments

The advent of the emerging culture is causing a reformation — perhaps even a revolution — in the church’s understanding of spiritual formation. Instead of a compartmentalized spirituality that focuses on personal choices, we are seeing the growth of a new approach to spiritual formation that emphasizes a rule of life and rhythms of spiritual practices drawing from a vast array of Christian traditions.

Thankfully, there is a widening pool of resources to aid churches, Christians, and spiritual sojourners in the exploration of spiritual practices that support this transformation of orientation. It’s truly exciting to see churches making use of a wide range of historic and experiential spiritual practices, such as labyrinths, body prayers, praying the hours, meditation using the repetition of historical prayers and liturgies like the Jesus Prayer, lectio divina, the integration of art and physical practices into prayer, fasting, the use of contemporary and historical symbols and icons, and the restoration and veneration of the Eucharist and baptism in traditions that once minimized these rites.

The Church in Transition: The Journey of Existing Churches into the Emerging Cultureby Tim Conder

Missional Order

September 10, 2008 | Filed Under missional, spiritual formation | 3 Comments

For the past year and a half two good friends of mine (Georges Boujakly and Paul Hill) and I have been working on a “Missional Order.”

In the beginning our hope was to create a network to challenge and encourage the church planters that we work with to focus significant and meaningful energy on spiritual formation in their lives and the lives of their core groups.

Over time the network idea evolved into more of an “order” that we believe speaks into the lives of many others beyond our initial focus. We have recognized the desire on the part of many within the existing church, as well as those that have for some reason “checked out” of the church, to rediscover an alternative story to the Christian life.

All of the conversations over the past year have lead us to create a missional order blog that is organized around three common commitments: sacred rhythm, continuous formation, and participation in the Missio Dei. We believe these commitments will assist us toward daily rhythms that push us toward God, aid our sanctification, and empower us participate in God’s kingdom.

While we are just getting the site off the ground this week I hope you will check out the site and give us critical feedback. I also hope you will decide to participate and join the conversation.

Here is a piece from the “Why A Missional Order” page to get you started:

This site exists for two big-picture reasons. On the one hand, we want to counteract some negative trends that are prevalent in society today. Call that our combative side. More important, we think that the missional approach will help us capture the positive dynamics that Jesus wants to be part of every life.

First, the things that we want to fight against:

The consumer lifestyle. We can’t consume our way into godliness, because the gospel is about a focused, stripped-down life, not an accessorized, materialistic life.

Programmatic spirituality. Jesus didn’t give the disciples 12-step or 40-day approaches to God. Instead, he told them to let their entire lives be molded by the Father, daily, for as long as they lived.

Business as usual. When church becomes corporate, and reflects the politics and bottom-line practices of the business world, the heart of the gospel has already been lost, no matter how good the church slogan sounds.

On the positive side, we think that Missional Order can help us:

Take active steps toward renewal. Christianity is always a do-or-die proposition, and that’s especially true today, when so many people are disenchanted with the church. But rather than grow cynical, we can work to recapture the impulses that animate a healthy, Jesus-shaped spirituality.

Live like Jesus together. We’re called to live out our faith in community, reflecting the heart of Jesus, acting as his sent disciples. Mutual encouragement and a sense of direction help us do this, whatever our location or station in life.

Adopt habits and disciplines that will help us create order—a focused spiritual equilibrium—that is imitative of Christ. What if we adjusted the very shape of our days around fellowship with God?

Wondering if this idea of Missional Order can be of any benefit to you?

Silence Communicates - Part II

July 2, 2008 | Filed Under georges boujakly, spiritual formation | No Comments

Another culprit (to experiencing silence) is our tendency to talk too much. Our worship is voluminous with words. We fill our worship with talk (The Lord is in his temple, let the earth keep silent). Not only when we worship, but in every way.

Gagarin said too much when he returned from space. The Russian cosmonaut pompously declared for the world to hear that he visited the heavens and God was nowhere to be found. A priest in Moscow responded: “If you have not seen him on earth, you will never see him in heaven.” Touché! A charge of too much talk will stick against this Russian cosmonaut. Will it stick on you?

“Too much talk restricts our capacity to listen, (to ourselves and to God) it banishes mindfulness and opens the door to distraction and escapism,” said Michael Casey. We become convinced we are correct in our own conclusions when we talk too much. We begin to think we are wise. When we talk too much the insidious and arrogant attitudes of superiority, manipulation, and dominance become permanent residents when they should only be strangers in the night. When we speak, let us speak rarely, briefly, directly, and simply in imitation of Christ. Let Peter’s tendency of too much talk signal our need and the value of silence as prayer.

Columba Stewart explains that “the issue becomes more clearly one of stewardship. Language is a gift that can be used thoughtfully or thoughtlessly, humbly or proudly. Someone constantly aware of the presence of God will know when and how to speak.” Or if speech is even necessary!

In prayer, silence (within and without) is about learning to listen. I suggest the following course of action for noise reduction.

1. One day a week, reduce or eliminate the external noise in your home after 6:00 p.m.

No gadgets blaring, no talking until the following morning.

Follow Anthony Bloom’s advice: “Settle down in your room at a moment when you have nothing else to do. Say ‘I am now with myself,’ and just sit with yourself. After an amazingly short time you will most likely feel bored.” I hope not. But if we feel bored with ourselves just think how bored others must feel in our presence.

Let the silence teach us. We will learn that often we live by reflection, or reaction. We will learn that often we live not from the inside out but from the outside in; that our life is only a response to incitement, to excitement. We are empty inside. “We are used to things happening which compel us to do other things. How seldom can we live simply by means of the depth and the richness we assume that there is within ourselves” (Anthony Bloom).

Find out who is at home in you. Access the One who inhabits your soul. Then, when you wake up in the morning let these words ring true: “Open my mouth, O Lord, that I may sing your praises!” Graduate to two times a week.

2. Eliminate sarcasm and put downs.

If you do, you will be doing everyone a favor and contributing in a major way to noise reduction, to too much talk. Observe any television program designed to entertain. You will hardly find talk which isn’t put downs and sarcasm.

“When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise” (Proverbs 10:19). Even stronger are these words: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 18:21).

“Silence is golden” we were told back when. It still is, and the value of gold at true of the market increases daily for those who cultivate a life of prayer and Walk with the Master.

For a related post check out You Talk Too Much

Silence Communicates

July 1, 2008 | Filed Under georges boujakly, spiritual formation | No Comments

In response to last week’s synchronized blog dealing with the word “missional” I wrote a post in which I tried to deal with both the theological distinctions that I believe should be included when defining the word, as well as five practical issues that are necessary to consider when attempting to foster a missional mindset. The first of these practical issues was the need to start with an emphasis on spiritual formation.

With that topic in mind, here is a very good aritcle on the discipline of silence written by my friend Georges Boujakly. I am going to share the first part of his article today and the rest of it tomorrow. Here is part one:

Silence Communicates

Silence communicates. Silence has to be explained. Silence is capable of a variety of emotions, thoughts, conditions (states of mind), and attitudes. When the principal enters the classroom, a hush prevails. When the child refuses to answer for his actions, rebellion is not hard to see. When a witness to a crime refuses to testify to save the innocent, silence destroys. Sometimes silence is hard to explain.

How would you interpret Aaron’s silence (Lev. 10:3)? Is it grief, rebellion, or submission? How about God’s silence in Psalm 44:23 and 83:1? Consider Jesus’ silence at his trial (compare Mark 14:61 with Isaiah. 53:7)? There is no escaping it, silence speaks; sometimes more than words can say.

Confession: Often I am uncomfortable with silence and its partner listening. I would rather speak than listen. Especially in prayer. My sympathy is more with the one who says “listen, Lord, for your servant is speaking” than with young Samuel when Eli coached him to “speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” In my prayer silence is the underdog. How about you? I’m pulling for the underdog.

Several barriers are to blame. I will only name two. The first culprit is noise. We are always filling our world with noise. 90 decibels or more is nothing for restaurants. Church sometimes fares worse, depending on the music and the excitement of the preacher. Especially so when silence has taken a prolonged vacation from our worship! In life, the electronic gadgets we enjoy contribute a lion’s share to the noises of our lives.

Silence is hard to do. The screams of consumerism, materialism, diversion, and entertainment are hard to ignore. But we must.

Prayer depends on silence. Silence and its friend listening are the life spring of prayer. We must strive to live in conscious awareness of the presence and activity of the God we say we love with heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Silence as prayer is a good habit that will rescue us from the noises of life. Silence is a great help in living and praying in the present moment, the only moment we truly have.

A Mile In My Shoes - Chapter 4

December 3, 2007 | Filed Under books, spiritual formation | 1 Comment

Today I want to conclude the review of Trevor Hudson’s wonderful little book “A Mile in My Shoes.” Thus far I have shared briefly from chapter 1, chapter 2 and chapter 3.

In chapter 4 Hudson emphasizes the necessity of reflecting on life’s experiences. While this is the shortest chapter in the book, I found Hudson’s call to serious reflection in this chapter to be the most important. He writes:

I [am] firmly convinced that, unless we value and practice reflection, little personal transformation occurs. Unreflected-upon experience seldom yields its life-giving secrets. Too many of us work and live without reflection, without gaining any objective perspective on our behavior or any understanding of why we do what we do.

Think of how often we make the same mistakes, repeat the same destructive behavioral patterns without ever pausing to look at what may be taking place in our lives. Only when we stop to reflect upon these experiences and extract their hidden insights do we open ourselves to the possibilities of real change.

I think Hudson’s assessment here is correct. We typically live such hurried, chaotic lives that we seldom have time to reflect on life’s experiences. How can we hear God speaking and uncover life changing insights if all our time is filled with noise and activity?

Hudson suggests three particular activities to facilitate a reflective lifestyle, both on a “pilgrimage of pain and hope” (as discussed in earlier posts) and in our daily lives: keeping a pilgrim journal, structuring a daily time of solitude, and sharing our experiences with one another.

I am curious to know what place solitude/reflection has in your present way of life?

What do you do to allow significant time to reflect on your daily experiences? What might you suggest to others?

What commitments are you willing to make to create time to reflect individually and with others?

A Mile In My Shoes - Chapter 3

October 30, 2007 | Filed Under books, spiritual formation | No Comments

After introducing the pilgrimage experience (chapter 1), and preparing for the pilgrimage (chapter 2), Hudson takes the third chapter to flesh out the first of three essential ingredients of the pilgrimage experience.

When discussing the importance of truly encountering our suffering neighbor, Hudson writes:

For over twenty-five years I have pursued the call of being a pastor. This daily work includes the daunting responsibility of enabling others to grow as disciples of Jesus. In responding to this vocational challenge I lead Bible studies, host silent retreats, offer spiritual counsel, conduct teaching seminars, participate in small groups, and engage in countless pastoral conversations.

While all these ministry endeavors are definitely worthwhile, without the specific ingredients that the pilgrimage experience offers, these efforts at spiritual formation lack a vital ingredient. Arising from careful observation of the changed lives of those pilgrims who have opened themselves to their suffering neighbors, this conviction shapes significantly the way in which I now encourage others along the Christ-following path.

I encourage the pilgrimage experience as a method for personal transformation and change not only because of what I see in others’ lives. In my personal experience, my suffering neighbor is where I meet the crucified and risen Christ. Each day I am given privileged access into the lives of persons who suffer greatly.

These daily encounters with the terminally ill, the depressed, the economically poor, the retrenched, the divorced, the childless, the addicted, the elderly, the bereaved, and other suffering men and women affect profoundly my understanding and experience of the Christ-following life. The Spirit has used these relationships to foster my ongoing conversion.

Hudson believes that when we really open ourselves up to those who suffer, the Spirit of God will do three things. He will open blind eyes, uncover our own inner poverty, and reveal our hidden riches. More>>

Has Willow Got It Wrong?

October 22, 2007 | Filed Under church, spiritual formation | 2 Comments

One of the things I have always admired about Willow Creek Community Church is their willingness to question what they are doing and admit when something isn’t “working.” If you haven’t already heard about the Reveal Study I would recommend (when you have an extra 13 minutes) watching this short video by Greg Hawkins, Executive Pastor at Willow as he talks about what they have been learning recently.

I think their findings speak to a variety of issues, including: what is at the core of spiritual transformation, the topic of “revolutionaries” as describe by Barna, and the implications for living a “church-centered life” rather than a “Christ-centered life.” I also think it has a few things to say about the need for a “missional order,” a topic that has gain a lot of traction of late.

A Mile In My Shoes - Chapter 2

October 19, 2007 | Filed Under books, spiritual formation | No Comments

In chapter two of A Mile In My Shoes, Trevor Hudson talks about preparing for a pilgrimage by cultivating a pilgrim attitude. Developing such an attitude is not only crucial for a week long type of excursion illustrated by the Pilgrimage of Pain and Hope but it is equally important in our daily lives. Hudson writes:

How, then, do we go about cultivating a pilgrim attitude? Applicable to every apprentice pilgrim, whether embarking upon a planned pilgrimage experience or not, the question deserves careful attention. Otherwise our lives run the risk of becoming characterized by aimless drifting, smug self-concern, and bland superficiality. Based upon the biblical witness, insights from mentors, and my personal experience with the Pilgrimage of Pain and Hope, I will outline three interwoven ingredients of a pilgrim posture.

So what are these three ingredients?
More>>

A Mile In My Shoes - Chapter 1

October 16, 2007 | Filed Under books, spiritual formation | 3 Comments

In chapter one of “A Mile In My Shoes: Cultivating Compassion” Trevor Hudson describes the birth of a Pilgrimage of Pain and Hope, an eight day pilgrimage experience for his largely middle-class suburban congregation. Hudson describes it as an “immersion into the struggles and joys of our suffering neighbors.”

Illustrating that Christian groups have not always approached such attempts with the proper posture, I appreciated that Hudson shared the concerns of friends and colleagues who ministered in possible pilgrimage sites with comments like “come as pilgrims, not tourists; as learners, not teachers; as listeners, not as talkers.”

After the first Pilgrimage of Pain and Hope Hudson committed to three things: (1) He would plan for his congregation an annual, week long pilgrimage; (2) he would try to shape the pilgrimage experience into an effective means of spiritual formation; and (3) on a personal level he would seek to become a “pilgrim” in daily life. Throughout the remainder of the book Hudson provides very practical and insightful encouragement on each of these points.

After reflecting on almost a decade worth of leading his congregation on Pilgrimages of Pain and Hope, Hudson concluded that the concept rested upon three essential ingredients: Encounter, Reflection, and Transformation. While Hudson explores each ingredient more fully in later chapters, he introduces each in chapter one with a brief explanation.
More>>

A Mile In My Shoes

October 15, 2007 | Filed Under books, spiritual formation | No Comments

Over the weekend I finished reading A Mile In My Shoes by Trevor Hudson. The book is published by Upper Room Books. I really like this little book and plan to post on each of the six chapters over the next several days. Hudson serves on the pastoral team at Northfield Methodist Church in Benoni, South Africa. The book is primarily about cultivating compassion but I believe it has much to say about spiritual formation and living a missional life as well.

Spiritual Friendship - Part II

October 8, 2007 | Filed Under georges boujakly, spiritual formation, spiritual friendship | 2 Comments

Friends naturally enjoy intimate sharing. Friends make time to develop trusting relationships. Friends enjoy being in the company of each other. But then superimpose a Christian model of friendship over these qualities and you’ll get at least one more non-negotiable characteristic of Christian spiritual friendship:

Spiritual friends help each other pay close attention to God.

Is there a higher calling of relationships in the body of Christ? Not to me! Christians involved in spiritual friendship help each other delight in God and in his word. As a discipline of the Christian life, spiritual friendship is no different than other disciplines in its purpose: To connect friends to God or to be transformed into the image of Christ.

Name 3-4 friends that help you connect with God? Can you name 2? How about 1? Then thank God, you are in the lower 25% of those who minister to God’s people.

I have read that 75% of ministers do not have any intimate friends. Can you imagine going through the hardships and delights of ministry to God’s people without someone to listen to us and help us see God in our ministry? O, to be listened to! What a gift awaits us. More>>

Discipline and the Spiritual Life

October 3, 2007 | Filed Under henri nouwen, spiritual formation | 2 Comments

Here are two quotes from Henri Nouwen that are taken from The Sacred Way by Tony Jones. The first is a quote about spiritual disciplines and the second deals specifically with the discipline of silence and solitude.

“In the spiritual like, the word ‘discipline’ means ‘the effort to create some space in which God can act.’ Discipline means to prevent everything in your life from being filled up. Discipline means that somewhere you’re not occupied, and certainly not preoccupied. In the spiritual life, discipline means to create that space in which something can happen that you hadn’t planned or counted on.”

“As ministers our greatest temptation is toward too many words. They weaken our faith and make us lukewarm. But silence is a sacred discipline, a guard of the Holy Spirit.”

- Henri Nouwen

Spiritual Friendship

October 1, 2007 | Filed Under georges boujakly, spiritual formation, spiritual friendship | 2 Comments

Guest blogger Georges Boujakly is going to be posting a series on Spiritual Friendship over the next few days. I know you will be encouraged and challenged by Georges’ insight. Here is the first post.

A couple of years ago I attended a week-long retreat called a 5-Day Spiritual Academy. This particular retreat was a ministry of Upper Room Ministries and was held in Wichita at the Catholic Life Center. After the retreat I completed a writing project and received credit for a course in doctoral work I was doing at the time. (They have a two year Spiritual Academy in case you are interested in training in spiritual friendship.)

From that experience I became more aware than ever before for my need of a spiritual director. I asked one of the leaders of the retreat and he recommended a spiritual director where I live. I see this person monthly and am thankful for the help I receive. I now return the favor to several people. More>>

Spiritual Transformation - Key #8

September 19, 2007 | Filed Under georges boujakly, missional, spiritual formation | No Comments

Today Georges Boujakly completes his series on “keys” to spiritual transformation. Earlier posts in the series can be found here: key #1a, key #1b, key #1c, key #2, key #3, key #4, key #5, key #6, key #7.

Spiritual formation is plural.

The Bible is plural. It was born among a people, a community. Its truths and message were hammered out on the anvil of faithful community living. It is addressed to a people not to individuals. When it is addressed to individuals, (say Philemon, Timothy, or Titus) it is still for the spiritual formation of the community.

It is not often that Jesus is found one on one in the gospels. Even when he is, the community is close by and the work he does is in the context of community.

In his most recent work A Community Called Atonement Scot McKnight states:

Once again, we return to Mary, to Zechariah, to the inaugural sermon, and to the Beatitudes: Jesus’ mission, his vision of the kingdom, is about restoring the blind, giving limber legs to the lame, wiping the skin of the lepers clean, filling the ears of the deaf with music, and sounds, bringing back dead people from the grave, and making sure the poor are taken care of by restoring them to their proper social location.

The mission of Jesus is healing justice, the ending of disease, dislocation, and oppression. Beyond those conditions, Jesus announces the creation a covenanted community where the covenant, God’s will, is lived out for each and every person.

We cannot back down on this: if this is Jesus’ vision, and atonement is one way of speaking of what God’s redemptive work in this world is designed to accomplish, then the creation of a community where God’s will is done is inherent to the meaning of atonement.

The Gospel is inherently communal. Spiritual formation in the kingdom of God is inherently communal. It is necessarily individual but only in the sense of beginning there but never ending there. Everything about Christianity is communal in nature: The Trinity, the Gospel, Salvation, Sanctification, the Eschaton.

We go to great length in hiring the best preachers money can afford, develop the most fun programs we can muster, have the greatest music in the cosmos, house them in the best facilities money can buy, and not much of it has had a successful record in changing the character of the church or of society! While sitting in the chair next to us, in front and behind, is a community waiting to flourish and lead us to be conformed to the image of Christ.

How is plural spiritual formation happening in your community?

Where would you start in making spiritual formation a communal endeavor if this becomes a passion for your and your church?

Spiritual Transformation - Key #7

September 16, 2007 | Filed Under georges boujakly, missional, spiritual formation | 5 Comments

Spiritual formation is not a luxury for the most spiritual among us.

It would not come as a surprise to know that Jesus did not have an elite club. Would it? Those we might consider elite as we read the gospels, were not so elite in Jesus’ book. Sure they had their special place as his chosen ones to lead the new people of God, but like their counterparts in the first testament they were just as messed up as the next guy.

In the past, I labored under the illusion that those who studied a particular 13 week course of study in discipleship were more spiritual than those who didn’t. Until a member had taken the course, obtained the certificate, he or she was not a serious disciple. Although this was well-meaning, it was misdirected. My greatest teachers were the older people who had had a long life of learning to love God and others in the crucible of life. While I am not knocking the intellectual development in discipleship, I am saying at the same time that gathering biblical information is not the key to character development or spiritual formation.

This vision of spiritual formation as what the church does for everybody (including children and seniors) is only dependent on the willingness of the disciple to be conformed to the image of Christ. It is not for a special category of Christian. It is for all believers.

Spiritual Transformation - Key #6

September 13, 2007 | Filed Under georges boujakly, missional, spiritual formation | 3 Comments

Georges Boujakly continues his series on the key principles to spiritual transformation. These eight “keys” include the following:

1. Spiritual transformation is an inside job.
2. Spiritual transformation requires deliberate effort.
3. Spiritual transformation has a specific goal.
4. The goal of spiritual transformation is conformity to Jesus Christ.
5. The progress of spiritual transformation is always slow.
6. Spiritual transformation is the “business” of the church.
7. Spiritual transformation is not a luxury for the spiritually elite.
8. Spiritual Transformation is plural.

Today Georges elaborates on #6:

Spiritual formation is the business of the church

Dallas Willard has challenged the church to come up with a comprehensive process and curriculum that would take seriously the mandate Christ gave when he said in Matthew 28: “train them to do everything I have told you to do.”

Whatever training Jesus did with his disciples, he was entrusting to them (and to us) to pass on the training to do everything; ad infinitum!

One way to see this command is to understand Jesus’ words this way:

“You have one main business in the church; duplicate all I did with you. You heard me teach and you saw me practice many things. Some you won’t remember, but the Holy Spirit will remind you.”

The church should have one occupation, one profession, one process: That of the formation of the Spirit of Christ in his disciples. If that is not the business of the church whatever could it be? Willard, however chides the church for not taking this “everything I have taught you” most seriously. I agree, don’t you? More>>

Thomas a Kempis

August 27, 2007 | Filed Under spiritual formation, way of Jesus | 2 Comments

Old habits are hard to break, and no one is easily weaned from his own opinions; but if you rely on your own reasoning and ability rather than on the virtue of submission to Jesus Christ, you will but seldom and slowly attain wisdom. For God wills that we become perfectly obedient to himself, and that we transcend mere reason on the wings of burning love for him.

- Thomas a Kempis

God’s Transforming Presence

August 20, 2007 | Filed Under books, spiritual formation | No Comments

As a young follower of Jesus, I was taught that Jesus had commanded his disciples to go into the world and make disciples. It is ture. He did. However, I began to notice that while many missionary-driven, transform-the-world types were passionate about making a difference in the world and effecting change in other people’s lives, they often failed to invest the same energy in transforming their own life. When they did make personal adjustments, it was often motivated by their desire to be more effective in their world changing.

It began to occur to me that if the God of the universe has truly taken up residence in us, radical changes in us should be inescapable. No gardener takes over a new plot and doesn’t remove the weeds, prune the trees, and introduce and nurture new, more appropriate, and beautiful plants. It also occured to me that as a world changer, Jesus was not very strategic. He arrived in a small, somewhat inconsequential country, spent three years with twelve uninfluential men and a broader gathering of unknown men and women, and oh, by the way, changed the world. I decided that either Jesus was doing something wrong or contemporary world changers were.

- Dick Staub in The Culturally Savvy Christian

Clinging to God in Solitude

August 19, 2007 | Filed Under henri nouwen, spiritual formation | 1 Comment

“When we enter into solitude to be with God alone, we quickly discover how dependent we are. Without the many distractions of our daily lives, we feel anxious and tense. When nobody speaks to us, calls on us, or needs our help, we start feeling like nobodies. Then we begin wondering whether we are useful, valuable, and significant. Our tendency is to leave this fearful solitude quickly and get busy again to reassure ourselves that we are ’somebodies.’ But that is a temptation, because what makes us somebodies is not other people’s responses to us but God’s eternal love for us.”

- Henri Nouwen (HT: dream awakener)

Spiritual Transformation - Key #5

July 31, 2007 | Filed Under georges boujakly, missional, spiritual formation | 8 Comments

Today Georges Boujakly continues his series on ”keys” to spiritual transformation with key number five:

There is only one speed on the highway of spiritual formation: slow.

Speed rules. Speed is everywhere. We expect all our services speedily. We expect our technology to respond faster all the time. Speed’s pervasive presence has affected our view of spiritual formation, and discipleship. (By the way, if you are looking for a simple way of telling discipleship from spiritual formation here it is: Spiritual formation is the work of the Holy Spirit to conform us to the image of Christ. Discipleship is learning to follow Christ as the Holy Spirit teaches us to do. God’s work is to form us. Our work is to learn his formation process and participate in it. This distinction is helpful to me.) Because God in Christ in the Holy Spirit uses life and disciplines to teach us himself so we may have a kingdom way of life, the process of spiritual formation is always slow. That we demand speed in this area of Christian living is an indication of our consumerist tendencies in the church today.

What does slow progress feel like? What does it look like? Chime right in. Here’s what I think. Frankness and personal experience must guide me here. More>>

Offering My Life To God

July 15, 2007 | Filed Under scripture, spiritual formation | 1 Comment

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”

- Romans 12:1-2 (The Message)

Spiritual Transformation - Key #4

July 6, 2007 | Filed Under georges boujakly, missional, spiritual formation | No Comments

The goal of spiritual transformation is conformity to Jesus Christ.

In light of the last post it is important to recognize that God’s telos is not nebulous. It is specific. It is love but it is love of a specific kind. It is particular. It is as particular as the life of the trinity: a life of perfect love.

Romans 8:29 refers to this particularity as conformity to the likeness of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ shows more than anyone else what the perfect life of love is like in the way he goes about loving as described in the Gospels. He loved God fully, and loved others fully. Nothing spared, not possessions, not even life itself. Paul tells Timothy to participate in his own spiritual transformation to attain a particular goal: godliness, i.e. to be and to behave like God (1Timothy 4:7-8). More>>

Spiritual Transformation - Key #3

July 1, 2007 | Filed Under georges boujakly, missional, spiritual formation | No Comments

Today we continue with Georges Boujakly’s keys to spiritual transformation.

Spiritual transformation has a specific goal.

You notice in the third and fourth key to spiritual transformation is the very important word goal. However, better than the word goal might be the word end. The Greek noun for end is telos. The adjective is the word telic. More>>

Spiritual Transformation - Key #2

June 27, 2007 | Filed Under georges boujakly, spiritual formation | No Comments

Earlier this month my friend Georges Boujakly shared eight “keys” to spiritual transformation. These keys include:

Today Georges elaborates a bit on the second key. More>>

Spiritual Transformation - Key #1c

June 19, 2007 | Filed Under books, georges boujakly, prayer, spiritual formation | 1 Comment

The Art of Telling God on Yourself.

In light of the previous post I want to share a helpful prayer of confession. It is inspired by John Baillie in his Diary of Private Prayer - day eleven:

Merciful heart of God, in true repentance, I now open my heart to you. Help me not to hide anything from you as I (”we” if prayed in community) pray. The truth of my sinfulness is humbling to me, but I take courage that I am confessing in your merciful presence. What I committed in shame I now confess in shame. In your wisdom use the pain of my confession to make me hate the sins I confess. The suspension mark (…) is where you can be specific. More>>

Spiritual Transformation - Key #1b

June 18, 2007 | Filed Under georges boujakly, missional, spiritual formation | No Comments

The Art of Telling God on Yourself.

Today Georges Boujakly offers one last entry (in two parts) on the reality that spiritual transformation is an inside job. Spiritual transformation, sin (the breaking of relationship of trust with God and others), confession, and forgiveness are terms that converge as the inside job the Trinity does in us.

Is confession a regular part of your relationship with God? Any specific ways you practice confession? If you are a follower of the Christian Way you have to address the question of sin.

Sin in us is easily verifiable (my sin is ever before me). We experience it with the five senses. We can deny sin but we can’t exterminate it from our lives. We can cry over it but we won’t eliminate it. We suffer from it but we can’t overcome it yet. We can fight its force within while we seek a holy and divinely ordained life. We can hope sin goes away, but it’s here to stay. We can wait for its disappearance, but sin is no Houdini. What we can do with sin is confess it and seek forgiveness. If we are serious about confession, we would seriously study David’s confessions in the following Psalms. More>>

Spiritual Transformation - Key #1a

June 11, 2007 | Filed Under georges boujakly, missional, spiritual formation | 3 Comments

My friend Georges Boujakly continues his series on spiritual transformation:

The first key to spiritual transformation is that it is an inside job. Last week I said that this inside job requires certain efforts. True, the job is initiated by the Holy Spirit as part of his constant ministry in our lives. But the Holy Spirit invites our participation. The form of participation I want to speak to this week is paying attention to God.

Peterson’s beautiful rendition of Romans 12:2 captures the image of paying attention to God with these words:

“Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”

I like Peterson’s rendition of the NAS translation “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,” to “Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out.”

Spiritual transformation happens when we pay attention to God inwardly. Think of this as the posture that Mary adopted when Jesus came to visit her with Lazarus and Martha. More>>

Spiritual Transformation - Part 2

June 2, 2007 | Filed Under georges boujakly, missional, spiritual formation | 4 Comments

Last week my friend Georges Boujakly shared six introductory “keys” on spiritual transformation. This week he has added two additional principles (HT #7: Pastor Rod). Here are the eight principles that Georges is going to elaborate on over the next several weeks.

1. Spiritual transformation is an inside job.
2. Spiritual transformation requires deliberate effort.
3. Spiritual transformation has a specific goal.
4. The goal of spiritual transformation is conformity to Jesus Christ.
5. The progress of spiritual transformation is always slow.
6. Spiritual transformation is the “business” of the church.
7. Spiritual transformation (discipleship) is not a luxury for the spiritually elite.
8. Spiritual Transformation is plural.

Now a little more elaboration on inward transformation (#1). More>>

Gordon Cosby

June 2, 2007 | Filed Under church, spiritual formation | 1 Comment

“If men and women today began by the thousands experiencing the depths of Jesus Christ in a transforming way, there would simply be no place for their expression of experience to fit into the present-day straitjackets of Christianity. Protestant or Catholic, neither one is structured to contain a mass of devoted people who long for spiritual depth. We are structured towards infancy.”

Gordon Cosby, The Church of the Saviour

Spiritual Transformation

May 24, 2007 | Filed Under missional, spiritual formation | No Comments

My friend Georges Boujakly - church planter, church planter mentor, spiritual director, and all around spiritual guru - is going to be writing a weekly post on spirituality in the life of the missional church and those who lead missional communities. Here is the first of Georges’ posts as he shares a few of his convictions concerning spiritual transformation.

Anyway we cut it, missional leaders are in the business of participating in life transformation.

1. Spiritual transformation is an inside job.

Behavioral changes follow from inner transformation. Can a change in behavior lead to an inner transformation? I don’t know. Not in my experience. God sees the hidden areas (from ourselves and from others) of our lives and acts accordingly to transform us. More>>

The “System” is Flawed - Continued

April 18, 2007 | Filed Under leadership, missional, spiritual formation | 1 Comment

In an earlier post I shared with you that the pastor of the church where my family and I attend resigned this past Sunday after confessing an adulterous relationship with a fellow staff member. Dan Southerland, author of “Transitioning,” founder of “Church Transitions” and frequent guest teaching pastor at this church brought the message this past weekend. Southerland’s message focused on how to understand and deal with crisis in our lives. He then transitioned into discussing the period of crisis that this local congregation was about to enter, in light of the moral failure of the senior pastor. I thought he did a very fine job. He spoke frankly about the moral failure of the pastor, but he did so with grace and an eye towards redemption. He spoke to the variety of feelings that people would experience and the proper way each ought to respond.

One of the major themes of Southerland’s message was the importance of not confusing the message with the messenger. A statement that was emphasized along this thought was: “Do not let the mess of the messenger negate the message.” While I thought this was an appropriate response and was surely helpful to many who were struggling to make sense of the circumstances, I later found myself reflecting on the delimma this statement creates. More>>

February Missional Network Gatherings

February 19, 2007 | Filed Under networks, spiritual formation | 1 Comment

Here again are the times for the next Missional Network gatherings. Remember this month Georges Boujakly will be leading us in a discussion on the concept of spiritual growth with a specific emphasis on understanding how spiritual growth occurs in the life of a believer. Georges has provided a discussion guide for us to consider prior to our time together. If time allows for you, reflect on the two quotes, one from William James and the other from Hannah Withhall Smith.

KC Network
Thursday, February 22nd
5:00pm-8:00pm
Kansas City Association
8745 Ballentine
Overland Park

Newton Network
Friday, February 23rd
12:00 - 3:00pm
The Journey
7th and Plum
Newton, KS

Here is the link to the discussion guide: More>>