My Philosophy of Spiritual Formation

Definition
I define spiritual formation as the process of being formed by God into the very image of Christ as we are immersed in the streams of a wide orthodoxy, diving into intimacy with others and the Trinity. Or as Robert Mulholland succinctly expresses it, Spiritual formation is the “process of being conformed to the image of Christ for the sake of others." To put it in terms more familiar to the church, spiritual formation describes how discipleship happens.

Jesus said he came to bring life and life to its full (John 10:10). Living in the kingdom of heaven means living that eternal kind of life now. There is within us the desire for the depths of relationship with Christ that make this full, abundant life possible.

Deep calls to deep
at the thunder of your cataracts;
all your waves and your billows
have gone over me. Psalm 42:7 (NRSV)

Change of mind and direction

All flows from the fullness of the heart. A heart that is right with God is like a pair of parallel tracks that the train of God’s power can run across. Except as a conduit I am helpless, and useless. Humbling. Therefore the single most important task of a believer is to “seek first the kingdom of God.” It is by the grace of God that the believer is changed and the world around him is changed.

In order to minister to the needs of the humble flock in my care, I must make their needs my own and allow the response of Christ to fill my heart. Then not in excellency of words, or programs, but by the Spirit working heart by heart, he will minister through me. This informal ministry is a flow from the heart, an integrated lifestyle of ministry flowing from an integrated lifestyle of devotion.

God has been leading me to a greater, less formal, fully integrated life with him. No area of my life can remain untouched by the Spiritual Disciplines, or by his presence. Devotions cannot be relegated to an hour of this or that; rather they are delighted in at every step of the day. The time I do set aside is as a consistent informal “hanging out” with God.