Finally, there should be a standard that serves as a measuring stick for success. The best standard that I can measure myself with is God’s Word. Colossians 1:9-10 declares, “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (2001, p. 1715). An evidence of spiritual formation happening involves being “filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Col. 1:9a, 2001, p. 1715). We are called to be learners. James Houston asserts, “The Christian life …show more content…
Dr. Wilson (2016) cites Dallas Willard, “Spiritual formation is the process of forming the inner world of human self in such a way that it becomes like the inner being of Christ himself.” In other words, spiritual formation is the movement of a person away from themselves and towards Christ. Robert Mulholland asserts, “Spiritual formation is the process of being conformed to the image of Christ by the gracious working of God’s Spirit, for the transformation of the world” (as cited by Wilson, 2016b). Mulholland adds to his definition a key purpose for spiritual formation, namely, for conversion of the world. According to Mulholland, the reason why a person should seek spiritual formation is for the completion of the Great Commission. Dr. Wilson (2016), quoting Alex Tang, argues, “Christian spiritual formation is the continual process of allowing the Holy Spirit to install updates and synchronizing with Christ’s character in the operating system (OS) of our spiritual life.” Tang uses the imagery of computer software to illustrate how the Holy Spirit updates a believer’s spiritual hard drive. The common thread is that spiritual formation is a process of becoming like Christ. In addition, the key to understanding spiritual formation is that, “Christian spirituality is a life lived in intimate relationship with Christ” (Brown, 2011, p. 47). The foundational truth to spiritual formation is found in communion …show more content…
Chris Clem (2016) argues, “The process of growing more mature as a Christian through the spiritual principles of prayer, fasting, studying God’s Word, solitude, serving, and worship.” The basis for Clem’s agreement is that spiritual formation is the act of maturing by integrating spiritual disciplines into one’s life. By applying the disciplines of prayer, fasting, studying God’s Word, solitude, serving, and worship a person grows in their knowledge of
“Of Our Spiritual Strivings” from W.E.B. DuBois’s narrative of immersion The Souls of Black Folk, A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid, and Citizen by Claudia Rankine are all pieces of literature expressing the societal struggles of the African-American and Afro-Caribbean communities due to their ethnic identity. In “Of Our Spiritual Strivings,” DuBois explores the idea of the “twoness” African-Americans struggle with as being a part of the society. In A Small Place, Kincaid reflects upon the theme of being a burden in a world built by you but does not allow you to be a part of it. In Citizen, Rankine discusses the idea of being both within and outside of a society which rejects you but admires your culture. The internal and external fracases explored
...terpretations and understandings about what Salvation is and its significance to to Christianity, an adaptive nature that allows for modern Christianity to develop and grow, the very definition of a living and dynamic religion.
Equally important, the author describes the Christian life as a “dynamic faith journey” (p.224) which remind us that is not just a linear process but a never-ending lifestyle that is constantly changing. It is like the worldview, described in Why College Matters to God, “continuously subject to growth and revision as we encounter new people, ideas, and experiences” (Ostrander, 2012, p. 28). That is why she claims that even during the adulthood people can keep building their knowledge in a different but excellent way. Adults have built their personal perspectives of situations in life, so she emphasizes that during this process, there are going to exist changes and that is how people acquire new information. That is why Marmon reaffirms: “Adult learning is tricky; grown men and women often must unlearn
The Souls of Black Folk are a collection of essays composed by W.E.B Du Bois’ highlighting the problems that the African-American race faced in American society. Du Bois describes the feeling of being “shut out from the[ir] world by a vast veil” (4). The veil is a metaphor that Du Bois presents representing a symbolic wall that separates the “whites” and “blacks”. To Du Bois, the veil emphasises the racial boundaries that the African-Americans faced, as well as their invisibility within society in U.S history. Throughout the text, Du Bois makes it evident that the most important issues are education, economic opportunities, as well as the emotional journey being shared. Du Bois states, “He simply wishes to make it possible for a man to be both
Mark McMinn purposely writes this twofold book to first, address the pragmatic assimilation of psychology, theology, and spirituality. Secondly, he explores the spirituality of a Christian counselor, and how this aspect of character affects the methods he or she may use to represent Jesus Christ when dealing with clients. Altogether, this book discusses the dual need for Biblical Counselors to multitask with clients while pursuing personal development in spirituality to advance a Christian worldview. The objective is to “help Christian counselors and researchers unite around certain key questions and perspectives so that our interventions become increasingly relevant and effective" (p. 6).
Snodgrass, J., & Sorajjakool, S. (2011). Spirituality in older adulthood: Existential meaning,productivity, and life events. Pastoral Psychology, 60, 85-94. doi: 10.1007/s11089-010-0282-y
The first discipline Foster gives us is in the Inward Disciplines which helps improves our spiritual life. This discipline is also broken down into four parts which are meditation, prayer, fasting, and study. meditation helps us get closer to God by listening. Also, daily meditation is overcome the obstacles of life. The next discipline is prayer. Prayer is our communion with God, just as meditation is our way of listening. Fasting is the next inward discipline. Fasting is for “Spiritual purposes” (Foster
Horton, D.J. (2009). Discerning spiritual discernment: Assessing current approaches for understanding God’s will. The Journal of Youth Ministry, 7 (2), 7-31.
As I reflect on spiritual disciplines it is easy for me to look at them and weed out the ones that I do not think apply to me and the ones that I am drawn towards. But as I press into God and ask him what he sees fit and what I need more of, the picture begins to looks different than what I thought I saw before. Since I am so obviously human, I would rather see my life through a different more accurate lens than one that is tainted and imperfect like those of my human eyes. When I look at my life spiritually it is easy for me to see the spiritual disciplines that just come naturally to me such as worship and service. Since I know that those are areas of my faith that I thrive in, I tend to gravitate towards those to try and satisfy my spiritual life but I leave other parts to suffer. I want to gain better understanding of my faith and ultimately cultivate a deeper relationship with the Father.
“First, there is the call to be a Christian. Second, for each individual there is a specific call—a defining purpose or mission, a reason for being. Every individual is called of God to respond through service in the world. Third, there is the call that we face each day in response to the multiple demands on our lives—our immediate duties and responsibilities” (Smith, ...
The biggest thing that I’ve been dealing with and at this time still struggle with is in finding my self-worth. Some may also call it self-confidence. I feel that I have tended to confuse God’s love for me as primarily traveling through vessels, i.e. other people in the body of Christ. I all too often can look back on my past and see the points where I felt the most apart from God and tie them in with instances where I had torn relationships with past friends in the church. Throughout this struggle though, I have continued to feel the presence of God, through the Holy Spirit, comforting me and guiding me on this spi...
As abovementioned, spirituality involves a response which presupposes a calling. From a religious point of view, a call can also be referred to as a vocation. What then is a spirituality of vocation? This is in essence a universal call to the Christian gospel. In other words, it is an all-inclusive relationship that is concerned with the encounter...
When Christians first encounter the idea of creating a spiritual discipline, some almost instantly become overwhelmed with anxiety because they must perform well for God to please Him and get to heaven. I was once one of them and to a point, I still think that way. However, the more focus on the relationship with Jesus and nothing else brings about the desires to want more in terms of spiritual growth. Desires however, do not last if disciplines are not met with a genuine commitment to maintain a fervent relationship with Jesus. For my rule of life, I will pencil in daily life disciplines that fit in the season of life that I am in currently so that God can work in me and I can become Christ like. First, I will commit fifteen minutes to daily prayer with God. Second, I will commit fifteen minutes to daily scripture reading. Third, I will commit to lead, encourage and support my wife by living out the vows that we both agreed to with God. Fourth, I will commit myself to my family in raising my two
In ministry it is important to note that the different people involved in your ministry will be at different stages of their spiritual growth. Having an awareness of your own personal theology will be important for how you go about teaching the students who are involved in your youth ministry. One part of personal theology is spiritual formation. Duffy Robbins states that spiritual formation is, “the growing into the likeness of Jesus” (448). Another main part of personal theology is community. Understanding and having an idea of both spiritual formation and community helps with the formation of personal theology of ministry. This paper will share five areas of theology and how they relate to practical theology in youth ministry. The five areas of theology include view of God, view of people, view of sin, view of redemption, and view of scripture.
In the early 1970’s, Betty Neuman created a holistically based, open-system theory to aid nurses in organizing the voluminous information needed to deal with complex client situations (Meleis, 2007, p.307). One component of the Neuman Systems Model is spirituality, which is described as being related to beliefs and influences that are spiritual. It should be noted that this was absent in her initial conceptualization and was developed later (Meleis, 2007, p.307). While utilizing the Neuman framework for client assessment, religion is often applied as a spiritual factor. Using this theory as basis one might conclude that religion and spirituality are synonymous in concept. This begs the question: Are they, in fact, equal in meaning or at the very least required of each other for synergistic forward movement? I am not certain that the answer is clear-cut and I believe that personal observations will allow for objective thought for argument – pro or con.