Recently, we loaded up this post on the Renew website titled “What we’re learning about spiritual formation.”
[Question] I’d love for blog readers to answer: What is the greatest barrier to your own personal spiritual formation? laziness? lack of time? a low priority? you don’t know where to start? others?
Would love to hear your thoughts.
dave said...
1tyranny of the urgent.
03/10/09 7:28 PM | Comment Link
Dan V said...
2A couple of things come to mind:
-Sometimes it feels like there is too much of a deficit to fill, which I suppose comes back to not knowing where to start.
-I feel like I know how other people seek spiritual formation, but I do not feel as though many people have spent time with me in helping me connect my personality with the spiritual disciplines that will best “form” me.
-Journaling use to be a huge way for me to connect with God in my quiet time, and still is, but in the midst of seminary where I am already writing multiple pages every week, often my hands are burnt out from writing. So I am in a transition point of what can I do that meets my passions as did with journaling and also matches where I am at in life. Sometimes spiritual disciplines fit into ones life better at different times then others. Maybe that is why they are called disciplines…
Just some thoughts.
03/10/09 10:10 PM | Comment Link
Chris in RVA said...
3JR-
Didn’t get a chance to say hello, but I was at the Ecclesia Gathering a few weeks back. I think we were even at Ozios at the same time but didn’t cross paths! Maybe next time.
Re: spiritual formation–I’ve been greatly helped by the folks at Soma Communities in Tacoma with their typology of Identities and Rhythms. It’s a very helpful grid for a full-bodied understanding of discipleship.
Also, Jonathan Dodson, a friend from seminary, has done great work with accountability triads called Fight Clubs. Similar to Neil Cole’s LTG’s and Soma’s DNA Groups, which are also good to check out, by the way.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, in my estimation–I have been helped by Jonathan Edwards and some others quite a bit on the subject of spiritual formation as a re-ordering of the affections. The reason we sin is because we hold something in higher esteem than God. Spiritual formation, then, is the process of repeatedly re-setting our affections on Jesus and the Gospel, instead of trusting in our own willpower, trying to put out the fires of individuals sins, which never works. Paul said it well, we are to keep our eyes on Jesus…
I suspect you’ve seen some or all of this before. Either way, keep up the good work, and I hope we cross paths sometime in the future.
03/16/09 9:43 AM | Comment Link