Tag Archives: spiritual formation

On Spiritual Formation Done Right: A Reader’s Story

I get emails — Jay, I read your son’s post and it prompted me to reflect on my own life ~ and that’s why I’m sharing it with you ~ although you already know most of it.  (He’s so bright! Thank him … Continue reading

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On Spiritual Formation Done Right, Part 2

This video was found by Bobby Valentine and posted at his blog. Again, don’t skip the link.

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On Spiritual Formation Done Right, Part 1

Three powerful posts on the same topic popped up in my Google Reader. The first one is from some kid named Chris Guin (strange last name) who’s in Boston and about to see his dad on vacation. Remarkably precocious that … Continue reading

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Seven Circles of Community

At church, the elders and ministers are working through a visioning process based on the book Church Unique — which I really like because it combines some of my favorite ideas from some of my favorite books. And we were talking through the … Continue reading

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Churches of Christ in Decline: What to Do About It

Okay. I’m all over the Churches of Christ in the United States thing. It’s in the past. It’s time to look forward. How do the Churches of Christ overcome their decline? I’ve written lots of posts on this in the … Continue reading

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The Good and Bad of Spiritual Formation, Part 2

I’m going to try to wrap this up by answering some questions. Aren’t you aware of the long tradition in Christianity of spiritual disciplines designed to bring our hearts into closer alignment with God’s will? How can you discount so … Continue reading

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The Good and Bad of Spiritual Formation (Being Formed within God’s Mission)

As I read the material quoted in the last post, I have two reactions. First, it’s indisputably true that in many churches a portion of the membership is not particularly Christ-like. There are often very few differences between the lost … Continue reading

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The Good and Bad of Spiritual Formation (Introduction)

I’ve been thinking about spiritual formation for quite a while. It’s all the rage in evangelical circles. Many churches have hired ministers of spiritual formation. We did for a while. Type “spiritual formation” into Google, and you get lots articles … Continue reading

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What’s Wrong With How We Do Church?: And So, In Conclusion …

After 9 posts on the same topic, it’s time to draw some conclusions. But this will all have to be taken as very preliminary. After all, Willow Creek hasn’t finished their study of 500 additional churches. Nonetheless, while I wouldn’t … Continue reading

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What’s Wrong With How We Do Church?: Escaping Our Denial

Let’s start with what the Bible says about what the church is all about. I’ve already quoted Jesus’ words in Matthew 25 saying we’ll be judged by how we treat the poor and needy. The lesson is found in lots … Continue reading

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