Saying No to Good Things · Faith of Origin · Bodies and Formation
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[1:26] In the stage of life me and my husband are in — we have three young children, jobs, and we are involved in our local church, there are lots of opportunities to do good things. When I sit down and look at our family calendar, I feel overwhelmed and unable to do all that I set out to do! How do I know what to say “no” to, and how do I say “no” without feeling guilty?
[16:20] When moving forward to understand some of the deep riches of other Christian traditions that have not been familiar to me I sometimes find myself looking back at my own stream of origin and being pretty grumpy. Does anyone else find this happens to them? Any tips on not falling, ironically, into judgementalism about our ‘family of origin’ in our faith?
[26:20] Does Christianity have a “body” problem? What is the body and what is its connection to our spirituality as it relates to formation?
Resources
- Richard Foster, Streams of Living Water
- Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart (chapter 9)
- Richella Parham, Mythical Me
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Nathan Foster
Nathan Foster is an author and host of Life With God, a Renovaré Podcast. Formerly, he was an Associate Professor of social work and served as the Andrews Chair in Spiritual Formation at Spring Arbor University. He was also a licensed clinical social worker and certified addictions counselor. Nathan has published two books, including The Making of an Ordinary Saint: My Journey from Frustration to Joy with the Spiritual Disciplines.
James Catford
During a career in commercial publishing, James worked with many of the authors most closely associated with Renovaré and he now chairs SPCK, the largest Christian publisher in the UK. After fourteen years leading the British Bible Society James also works with American Bible Society to support Christians in leadership around the world. He lives with his wife Sue in London.
Richella Parham
Richella is Chair of the Renovaré Board of Trustees. With a background in small business, education, and church leadership, Richella is a speaker and the author of Mythical Me (IVP) and A Spiritual Formation Primer. She is the mother of three young adult sons and lives with her husband Jack in Durham, North Carolina. Read her full bio and connect with Richella at richellajparham.com.