I am passionate about practical spiritual formation.
But what is formation?
In psychological and personal growth language formation is described with phrases like:
Moving from the false self to the true self
Experiencing higher consciousness, enlightenment or non-dual thinking
Healing from trauma, inaccurate narratives and unhelpful coping strategies
Living from a fully activated whole-brain/mind within a cohesive narrative
Being fully alive and experiencing unity with God, self, others and the natural world.
The New Testament presents Jesus as the path, example and guide to being formed in our deepest purpose and potential. It describes this journey using language and phrases like:
Becoming like Christ and having the mind of Christ
Gaining wisdom and character
Being fruitful and productive
Living by Spirit instead of first instincts or impulses
Growing in grace and love
Experiencing the fullness of life under God's eternal reign
A summary description of formation that we find helpful:
Spiritual Formation is an intentional process of becoming like Christ by learning to live from a more accurate understanding of who God is, who we are and how life works.
We participate in our formation-- by learning to use our bodies and minds in new ways. (Romans 12:1-2).
There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about spiritual formation. Here are a few we hear most often:
1. It’s all up to God and requires no effort on my part
2. It’s all up to me. I have to grit it out alone
3. It’s just about getting the right ideas
4. It only involves explicitly religious or devotional rituals and practices
5. My life circumstances prevent me from going on the journey
6. I can do it alone without the companionship or support of others.
There are a variety of ways we can be companions on the journey of formation together.