Spiritual Formation Articles

Wait

How do we wait for someone who has already come? Trevor Hudson joins us today to confront this puzzle of Advent: what does it mean to wait for the Christ who is with us right now?

Trevor Hudson

December 14, 2018

Justice and Liturgical Worship

Richard Foster joins us to offer caution from Scripture on the perils of divorcing our practices of worship from the compassionate heart of our God. Using Amos as his text, Richard connects the acts of worship and service into one joyful expression of praise.

Richard J. Foster

December 13, 2018

Purpose over Preference

Carolyn Arends shares a reflection on how focusing in on the purpose of worship will keep us from spiritualizing our own preferences in music, ambience, and liturgy.

Carolyn Arends

December 12, 2018

God is not a Cosmic Egotist

Brian Morykon invites us to pause for a moment to consider the goodness of God’s work in creation that leads to no more fitting response in us than complete adoration and worship. Join us for a rich reflection on how worthy our God is to be praised.

Brian Morykon

December 10, 2018

Awakening to Advent

We invite you to take a moment and pause for Advent. Trevor Hudson joins us as our guide with a simple yet profound message. How much we can miss about what God has done and is doing in our lives if we spend our days sleepwalking. Trevor shares how to be awake to the gifts of the season.

Trevor Hudson

December 7, 2018

Walking with Hope

In this reading for the first week of Advent, Chris Hall explores the message of hope that the Messiah brings. With Mary’s tenacious faith as his model, he encourages us to “to live in hope [as our lives unfold] in the strange, wondrous, demanding in-between time all Christians indwell.”

Chris Hall

December 6, 2018

Worship: A Practical Guide

In this practical guide to the discipline of worship, Adele Calhoun notes that worship is how we reveal what we most value. True Christian worship, she reminds us, means a right ordering of our hearts by putting “God first in our lives.” Adele shares some ways to do this in this post.

Adele Calhoun

December 5, 2018

Understanding Worship

Turning to Isaiah and John’s responses to the glory of the living God as models, Richard Foster gives us a brief introduction to the practice of worship, reminding us that, whether our encounter with God is one of divine fireworks or a still, small voice, we must answer with awe, wonder, and praise.

Richard J. Foster

December 4, 2018

Breaking Through to Community

In this excerpt from Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer highlights the necessity of confession in the Christian community for removing the power of sin over a believer’s life and restoring fellowship.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

November 30, 2018

Confessing and Countering Lust

Rebecca DeYoung joins us with some wise counsel on combating the sin of lust. While abnegation of temptations is certainly a useful tool, she contends that cultivating a community that embodies chastity is even more powerful.

Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung

November 28, 2018

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