Spiritual Formation Articles

The Gnawing Worm of the Soul

Cyprian of Carthage offers some words about the insidiousness of envy—how it is the sin without end, sapping from life every vestige of joy and cheer “without intermission day and night.” He urges those who are disciples of Christ to cast off every hint of this darkness and walk in the light.

Cyprian of Carthage

August 23, 2017

How do Our Hearts Grow in Holiness?

What are the hallmarks of holiness? Could they be radically different than the ideas of perfect piety and a conscience beyond reproach that immediately spring to mind? Might they rather be found in humility, service, and love? Chris Webb asks us to find our model for holiness in the life of Jesus.

Chris Webb

August 18, 2017

Practice Staying in God's Presence

François Fénelon reminds us here that most of the struggles we face in the with-God life are not giant sins, but rather the seemingly inconsequential peccadillos that gradually drive a wedge between the life we want and the life we lead. He counsels running to God in every temptation, big or small.

François Fénelon

August 17, 2017

Walking in His Commandments

Wise and ever-timely, Polycarp joins us to remind us of ways we can serve the Lord in fear and truth. When we walk in God’s commandments and love what he loves, we will keep ourselves in right relationship with God and others. We will become, like Polycarp, bearers of “many fruits.”

Polycarp

August 15, 2017

Reform our Deformed Lives

After a difficult weekend here in the United States (and no doubt in many places around the world), we begin this new week with a prayer, taken from the prayerbook Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth, by Walter Brueggemann.

Walter Brueggemann

August 14, 2017

What is the Virtue of a Horse?

What is the virtue of a horse— or of a grapevine? Is it the outward appearance of the animal or plant—the fineness of tack or the greenness of leaves? Or is it when these things fulfill their God-given purposes? And so, what then is mankind’s virtue? John Chrysostom considers it all in today’s post.

John Chrysostom

August 8, 2017

This Pervasive Self-Deception

“Self-deception,” Dallas Willard writes in the foreword to Gregg Ten Elshof’s I Told Me So: Self-Deception and the Christian Life, “is a major part of what defeats spiritual formation in Christ.” Dallas explains why we so often fail to live out what we say we believe and want in this piece.

Dallas Willard

August 7, 2017

Just Plain Hard to Get

Songwriter Rich Mullins was never afraid to wrestle with the mystery, beauty, heartache, and redemption that comes with the with-God life. Today, we share the lyrics to one of the last songs he wrote and recorded about the tension we hold in knowing a Jesus both fully human and fully God.

Rich Mullins

August 4, 2017

Gentle Jesus ... Meek and Mild?

As we continue to grapple with the ever-unfolding mystery of Jesus, G.K. Chesterton joins us to lend his own inimitable voice to the challenge. He contends that our common perception of “Gentle Jesus, meek and mild” is true, but incomplete, and encourages us to look into the Gospels with new eyes.

G.K. Chesterton

August 3, 2017

What it Looks Like When God's in Charge

When the kingdom comes it looks like … a party? So says author N.T. Wright in this excerpt from his book Simply Jesus. When the ultimate hope for renewed life is happening right under our noses, well, not everyone can see it. But, for those who can, heaven and earth join together in celebration.

N.T. Wright

August 2, 2017

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