During our 40 day fast last fall, I asked the Lord what His church is supposed to look like. Of course, the most obvious and the simple answer I got was “it’s suppose to look like Me.”
I began to seek the Lord for 2011 and to ask if there was a special word or message He has for Impact Church. I heard “tell them to pursue Me like never before….not for the goose bumps, but for what lies ahead”. So, the journey began and as I was again seeking God, He placed in my heart a desire to establish a small group for Spiritual Formation. I am very familiar with Dallas Willard, Stephen Foster, and the classics, but I ran across a book by a man I had never heard of before entitled “Invitation to a Journey” by Dr. Robert Mulholland. I immediately felt drawn to this book and downloaded it on my Kindle and could hardly put it down.
The book begins by addressing the definition of Spiritual Formation which is “the process of being conformed to the image of Christ for the sake of others”. The 2nd part of the book deals with the vehicle of personality and, using the MBTI as a standard, explains how different personalities may pursue God in different ways. This has been freeing for some of the staff since they now understand the way they are wired and that it is really ok to pursue God in their own way and not the way the pastor or teacher or even their peers pursue God.
Part 3 deals with the Spiritual Disciplines, what they are and how they are to be a part of our lives. The final part addresses Corporate and Social Spirituality.
I have now ordered a second time for our church bookstore due to demand. Words I am hearing from staff and others are “this book has undone me”; “I question my previous walk with Jesus after reading this book”; “I read the Scriptures in a differnt light now”; “it has created a fresh hunger to be like Him”, etc.
You can purcahse the book at Amazon and I would certainly recommend doing so. It’s a great small group book and I only wish it had a workbook to accompany it. I may just write one myself.
