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So my wife and I are attending a new church, and we’ve just started up w/ our first small group. Looks like we’ll be using Willow Creek’s workbook Growth: Training vs. Trying, part of the Pursuing Spiritual Transformation Series. It looks really excellent, and is about the practice of the spiritual disciplines. As part of the intro, they have a list of the Ten Core Values for Spiritual formation which are very cool.
Ten Core Values for Spiritual Formation
Spiritual transformation:
- is essential, not optional, for Christ-followers
- is a process, not an event
- is God’s work, but requires my participation
- involves those practices, experiences, and relationships that help me live intimately with Christ and walk as if he were in my place
- is not a compartmentalized pursuit. God is not interested in my spiritual life; he’s interested in my life – all of it.
- can happen in every moment. It is not restricted to certain times or practices
- is not individualistic, but takes place in community and finds expression in serving others
- is not impeded by a person’s background, temperament, life situation, or season of life. It is available right now to all who desire it.
- and the means of pursuing it, will vary from one individual to another. Fully devoted followers are handcrafted, not mass-produced.
- is ultimately gauged by an increased capacity to love God and people. Superficial or external checklists cannot measure it.
