Spiritual Formation Blog

I’ve been amazed as I’ve shared with people about this site and the goals how much of a chord is being struck. It seems that I am not alone in believing that spiritual disciplines are a major part of our spiritual formation, yet I’ve had a distinct lack of actual practice.

Several of my friends are considering joining me in the commitment to practice the disciplines. I’m encouraged by the positive response so far, and the site hasn’t even officially had a “launch” yet.

So far, a group from England has let me know they’re going to participate, as well as one friend here in L.A. Several others are considering it, and I think that more than less will commit. I’m gauging that opinion from the initial response.

Over the next few days, I’m going to be adding a lot of content to help clarify what spiritual-formation.com is all about. One thing I want to be clear about is that the set of disciplines selected are not designed to be an end-all be-all of spiritual formation. I don’t think it’s the “one” way to transformation in Christ, but I really believe that for me and the others taking this journey it will be a significant part of our lives in Christ.

Also, there is a lot of room to practice the disciplines that are part of this thing in a variety of different ways. Fasting, for example, can be done water-only, juice and other beverages allowed, and for some with health needs perhaps a vegetable-only or other modified type of fast. Prayer with other believers can be a time with others practicing the disciplines, or be part of a meeting of your church. Confession can be to a priest or pastor, or just another follower of Christ.

I will be providing as much helpful information as I can about the disciplines and be sharing how I practice each. Fasting, by the way, for me is a water-only fast. I thought about modifying that, but the first one went off without too much physical discomfort (besides the hunger pangs!). The unpleasantness is a part of fasting, but when your body is not used to it you should be careful how you practice it.

Okay, this is a longer post than I planned. Oh, and I know this site is starting to get traffic even though there hasn’t been much promotion beyond a couple of blog posts, so if you’re reading this, please feel free to leave a comment and let us all know what you think of this endeavor!