Tedder’s Top Ten: Spiritual Formation

Talk of spiritual formation is all the rage. I just read an article by Dallas Willard in which he said that, in some circles, it seems as though spiritual formation is quickly approaching “fad” status. But, of course, pursuing God, renewing our minds, and transforming our lives into the likeness of Christ should be anything but a fad. It should be the very purpose of our existence.

Below are some websites that I have found very helpful in my own spiritual formation. As always, let me know any that I have missed and I’ll see about adding them as a postscript.

The Lord bless you as you seek to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Joy and Truth,
Dale

1.) Reflections Ministries - Ken Boa’s ministry. What else can I say about Ken Boa that I haven’t already said several dozen times? Ken’s website keeps getting better and better. There are articles, audio, video, blog posts, etc. And, he has a great store to purchase his products. Well worth your time.

2.) The Center for Biblical Spirituality - Donald Whitney’s ministry. Donald Whitney is a gem. I’ve read most of his books and have used his fantastic book on the spiritual disciplines as my curriculum for a class I have taught. Whitney’s website also continues to improve and become more and more user-friendly.

3.) The Fellowship of Ailbe - T.M. Moore’s ministry. I don’t know if Moore would consider himself as one who writes primarily on spiritual formation, but it certainly seeps through all his writing (which is prolific). I don’t think I’ve ever read anything by Moore which didn’t bless me tremendously. I feel like a broken record, but Moore’s website also continues to improve. It’s a real treat to check out.

4.) Transforming Center - Ruth Haley Barton’s ministry. Barton is very insightful and has been a big help to me. Her book, Sacred Rhythms, is well worth purchasing. Lots of good resources at her website.

5.) Dallas Willard - Not the world’s greatest website… but it’s loaded with Willard’s writing (and some audio) which makes it priceless. Folks will be reading Willard’s books 100 years from now, if Jesus doesn’t return before then.

6.) Renovare - The good folks at Renovare are veterans in the world if spiritual formation. Great website. Lots of resources. Their tagline, “becoming like Jesus,” says it all. You can’t be a serious student of spiritual formation without checking them out.

7.) NewWay Ministries - Larry Crabb’s ministry. Helpful website. But the real value here is their training in spiritual direction. I think I’m going to look into this myself. Good stuff.

8.) David Benner - I’m really including him because his books are so good, especially Sacred Companions and Care of Souls. Very deep. I think he has to be read several times before understanding kicks in.

9.) Gary Thomas - Great website. Very helpful and easily accessible resources. I’ve only recently been introduced to Gary Thomas, but from all that I can tell, he’s a real blessing. I look forward to learning more about him and from him.

10.) A Tie: Conversations Journal and Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care

I hate limiting such a rich topic to only ten (or, in this case, eleven) websites. So here are some other names of people and ministries you will want to check out: John Ortberg, Monvee, b-ing.org, Formatio at IVP, Institute for Spiritual Formation at Biola, Jan Johnson, Metamorpha, The Upper Room, The Academy of Spiritual Formation, Pierre Eade

Read Full Post »

Every Man, God’s Man

Every Man, God’s Man
By Stephen Arterburn, Kenny Luck, and Mike Yorkey

I just started this book, which is subtitled, Every Man’s Guide to Couragious and Daily Integrity. That’s such a key phrase, I think. I have often said that the hardest part about parenting is that it’s so daily. Well, that’s also true about being a godly man. Consistency seems so elusive. We have good days and not-so-good days. But seeking to be Christlike is always our goal. This book has been out since 2003, but the ideas are as fresh and relevant as anything written today. In fact, it has recently been republished. This link will take you to the good folks at ChristianBook.com’s listing of it so that you can order it.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, this is not a “book review.” Instead, I’m seeking to glean key ideas from the books I share (usually just focusing on a chapter at a time) so that I can share what I’m learning with you and the men I’m blessed to serve at Southside UMC. Enjoy, Dale

Introduction and Chapter One

From the Introduction

Men spend a lot of time playing to the wrong audience. “God Almighty is the only audience we need. …When we play for God, we become God’s man.”

The Three Rs of God’s Man

1.)    “Read – God’s man reads. A careful reader soaks up truth and lives it out in his life.”

2.)    “Recommit – Recommitment means relinquishing some of our rights and leading by serving. Recommitment means removing the sins that burden us down.”

3.)    “Relate – God’s man relates to God, his immediate family, and to other men.”

From Chapter One: Bogged Down in the Red Zone

The authors reference Dallas Willard, saying that before we seek to renovate our lives, we must first renovate our hearts. I couldn’t agree more with that. In fact, I’ve written on that very idea many, many times as well. The whole Bible, I believe, is predicated on the need for heart-work before life-transformation can truly take place.

This is what the Gospel of Jesus Christ does. It first puts a man into a right relationship with God through Christ (by grace through faith and repentance) and simultaneously makes that man a brand new creature with a brand new heart.

That new man of God then spends the rest of his life seeking to become (through the power and direction of the Holy Spirit and the means of grace God has provided) what God has already declared him to be – holy (or what we might call “Christlike”). This is an inside-out procedure. It involves a renovation of our character and not simply behavior modification. Our minds must also be renewed before we can really start living lives that please God and conform to the Christlikeness that God desires. “Right actions” which are not done for God’s glory and out of love for Christ are not properly motivated and thus not pleasing to God. Too many ministries today focus too much on changing behavior first. They’ve got it backwards. I believe this book seeks to straighten that out.

Kenny Luck talks about the great privilege it is to serve men by pouring himself into their lives. I couldn’t agree more. I thank God daily for calling me to such a ministry. It’s a blessing that I enjoy each day.

I once heard Tony Evans say something along the lines that if you connect with a man, his family will be blessed, then his church will, then his work, then his community, and eventually the world. Luck quotes a pastor friend of his who made this similar statement: “If you reach a man, then you reach every relationship he has.” Amen to that!

Here are some of the things that the authors will be focusing on throughout the book (These topics look great. I can’t wait to really dig in and share what I learn with you.)

• the personal benefits of having an undivided heart toward God
• how to stop resolving to change and instead experience a revolution inside
• how to move against fear and replace it with faith
• how there is no such thing as a “double agent” believer because one agent is always compromised
• how to deal with the “mole” within that bids you to indulge the dark side
• how winning or losing a spiritual foothold changes the tide of war
• how and why “80/20” thinking fails; that is, doing things 80 percent God’s way and 20 percent your way
• the importance of “marinating” your mind
• why having other men watch your back is nonnegotiable for God’s man
• how confession releases God’s power and bloodies the Enemy’s nose
• how to partner effectively and practically with the Guide – God’s Spirit
• the source of real spiritual power and how to tap it
• why perseverance is the mark of God’s man
• the purpose of building and staying within well-marked boundaries
• the need to jettison the baggage in your life
• mastering your spiritual motivation once and for all

 If that list doesn’t motivate you to go out and buy the book, I don’t know what will. I look forward to reading this book and working my way through it with you.

Blessings,
Dale

Read Full Post »

Spiritual Life Checkup (Part 5: Trusting God and Living for Him)

Click here to read Part 1: Introduction 
Click here to read Part 2: Devotional Life
Click here to read Part 3: Intellectual Life
Click here to read Part 4: Attitudes and Motivations

The recommended article to go along with these questions is Why Bother with Discipleship, by Dallas Willard found at his website. 

Trusting God and Living for Him:

1.      Are you able to turn your finances over to God and tithe, trusting him to supply your needs?                                   Explain:

2.      Are you able to turn your vocation over to God to use you how and where he wants?________ Explain:

3.      How do you make important decisions in your life?

4.      Are you learning to let go of the desire for things?________ Explain:

5.      Are you regularly bearing the fruit of the Spirit? ________ Not sure what you mean ________ Explain:

6.      Are you regularly exercising spiritual disciplines?________ Not sure what you mean________ Explain:

7.      Are you able to exercise your spiritual gifts within the body of Christ?________ What do you see as your gifts? Would you be interested in taking a spiritual gifts inventory?

8.      Are you able to explain to others in the community why you are a Christian?________ Any problems here?

9.      Do you have a growing concern for the spiritual and temporal needs of others? ________ Explain:

10.  In what ways are you serving those who are less fortunate (examples: extending mercy to the poor, the sick, etc.)?

11.  How concerned are you with injustices and other social evils? In what ways are you responding to such things?

Read Full Post »

Brethren of the Deeper Life

This is a rerun of something I posted in September 2006, from a previous blog. I add it now because God still beckons me to “go deeper” with him.

I have been the blessed recipient of much fine teaching from some of the best theological and biblical minds – through books, tapes, conferences, classes, and relationships. There’s no way to measure the sort of impact on my life these great saints have had. I have learned vital biblical and doctrinal truths that have changed my life and which I now have the privilege of passing on to those whom I teach, disciple, direct, counsel, and mentor.

But there’s a smaller group I have been reading over the last decade or so (some are old friends – some are new) who have really challenged me to go deeper in my faith. To be sure, they hold to the same doctrinal truths that my other mentors held to and taught. But these brethren of the deeper life remind me that there’s a richness to our faith that can be ours if we would only pursue it.

I’m not talking about a “second level Christianity” that exists only for the elite. It’s available to all who desire it. It’s what God truly wants for his children. But the sad truth is, far too many of us are far too content to remain at the surface. If I may paraphrase C.S. Lewis, countless Christians are like children who are content making mud pies in the slums when a holiday at the shore is offered them. We are, indeed, too easily satisfied. I know, for I have been there (and sometimes still slip in and out of such an attitude when I am unguarded and unintentional).

The brethren of the deeper life call me to a holy dissatisfaction. They urge me to dig deeper into the things of God. They challenge me to not be content with knowing God second-hand. “Knowledge about” and “belief in” are only starting points. God wants intimacy and conformity. He desires relationship. He requires obedience. Real life in Christ can be found through the wardrobe. This isn’t gnosticism. It’s available to all. There’s nothing secret about having real and abiding life in Christ…though it is hidden in him.

There are many fine writers available at your local bookstore. And to be sure, you would profit greatly from many of them. But I would encourage you to read these brethren of the deeper life and drink from the fountain of their insights and convictions. I don’t believe you will regret your efforts.

Who Are They? (This is just a partial list)

A.W. Tozer
Ken Boa
C.S. Lewis
John Piper
Dallas Willard

PS – (2-8-08) - The short list above is certainly accurate and remains in tact. However, it also represents who I was reading a great deal of at the time. I would also add some of the folks whom I have filed under “spiritual transformation” and “prayer and revival” in the right-hand column of this blog… especially, but not limted to… T.M. Moore, Donald Whitney, Andrew Murray, E.M. Bounds, Thomas A’Kempis, Oswald Chambers, Oswald Sanders, Elton Trueblood, Brother Lawrence, Bernard, William Law, Leonard Ravenhill, and James Houston… just to name a few. And, of course, I would be lost without my puritan authors.

Some new folks whom I have just started to get better acquainted with are Robert Mulholland, David Benner, and Mel Lawrenz. I have known of Steve Harper (from Asbury Theological Seminary) for many years, but have begun to get to know him better over the last two years (we serve on the Board of Ordained Ministry together). He’s as genuine and warm in person as he is in his writing. It’s been a blessing to get to know him. I look forward to getting to know him better.

Some “sistren” of the deeper life that I have read over the years, as well as a few whom I have just become acquainted with are… Elizabeth Eliott, Dorothy Sayers, Edith Schaeffer, Betsy Barber, Jan Johnson, and Ruth Haley Barton.

For the Pilgrims’ Progress,
Dale

Read Full Post »

Pick Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

The following comes from notes on a devotional message I gave this morning.

Read Luke 14:25-33

There’s a strong connection in Scripture between picking up and carrying your cross and following Jesus. According to our Lord, there’s a direct link between that and being his disciple.

Luke 14:27 says, “And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” That’s a fairly absolute and unambiguous statement.

According to Luke 14:33, picking up your cross and following Jesus is the same as dying to self, dying to your own agenda, dying to your own lordship. Jesus says,

“In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”

In John 12:25-26, Jesus says something similar.

“The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant will also be.”

I could keep going because this is a very common theme in the teaching of Jesus. And yet, as clear as this theme is in Scripture, it doesn’t seem to be one of our Lord’s most embraced or most beloved teachings. Instead, the Church today (and perhaps throughout all generations) appears to run after…

• comfort
• convenience
• ease
• self-esteem
• cheap grace
• easy believism
• consumer/entertainment mentality
• etc., etc., etc.

Not a whole lot of dying to self and picking up crosses. This is no doubt why Bonhoeffer wrote the following…

“Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ living and incarnate.”

Instead, both Jesus and Bonhoeffer call us to pursue “costly grace.”

“Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price, to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him. Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must e asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ.”

Following Jesus in this way is a call to…

• Obedience
• Repentance
• Submission
• Commitment
• Perseverance

And yet this isn’t the call of a cruel and legalistic taskmaster. It’s the call of One who loves us dearly and who is full of grace and truth. It’s the call of One whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light. It’s the call of One who does not ask us to follow him in our own strength, but through his Spirit. In fact, he promises to live his life through us.

In our Scripture Jesus tells us that the wise person will count the cost before following him. Dallas Willard agrees that there is indeed a cost to discipleship. But he points out that there is also a cost to “non-discipleship.”

It will cost us to follow Christ. But it will cost us infinitely more not to.

SDG,
Dale

Source: Christ’s Call to Discipleship by James Boice

Read Full Post »

Wow! Talk About A Renovated Life…

Individual Christians still hear Jesus say, “Whoever hears these words of mine and does them is like those intelligent people who build their houses upon rock,” standing firm against every pressure of life (Matt. 7:24-25). How life-giving it would be if their understanding of the gospel allowed them simply to reply, “I will do them! I will find out how. I will devote my life to it! This is the best life strategy I ever heard of!” and then go off to their fellowship and its teachers, and into their daily life, to learn how to live in his kingdom as Jesus indicated was best. (Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy)

Read Full Post »