I often think about the students in my classes and office. In what ways are they molded by their interaction with me? [ More ... ]
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 I discovered an extremely interesting dynamic in Ephesians 4 as I prepared for Lenten services a couple of months ago. This may be the key to understanding how the New Testament writers reflect on the role of relationships in spiritual growth. Image by katja kodba Consider this paragraph (Ephesians 4:14-16 NIV): 14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that [ More ... ]  A friend e-mailed me a sophisticated electronic picture this week. As I moved the cursor from face to face in the painting, a sidebar opened explaining who that individual was and why he or she was in the scene. The theme was patriotic, and I won’t take time to describe the varied characters, not all of whom were “patriots.” The center of the picture was a regal Jesus holding in his hand a copy of the Constitution of the United States. What constitutes a Christian heritage is bitterly disputed today, but I believe that we are heirs of a thousand years of choices by mostly ordinary people [ More ... ]  The past president of Toyko Christian University explained to me the fundamental difference between the Japanese and Americans (and this applies to all eastern civilizations and all Westerners). The Japanese believe that individual identity lies in the group to which one belongs. Any individual will have as many identities as groups. He (or she—and so throughout) is a member of a family, an employee of a corporation, and a member of a bowling team (and likely others). He identifies with the values and practices of the group in which he is engaged at a given moment. He assumes for a time the values, conduct, and relationships that characterize that group. [ More ... ]  I ran across some fascinating research by George Barna in partnership with Living on the Edge the other day. Check it out. The answers given by believers and pastors across America clearly show that American Evangelicals do not know what spiritual maturity is, nor how to achieve it. 81% of respondents endorsed the idea that spiritual health means “trying hard to follow the rules described in the Bible.” Further down the page the study reported that “Half of churchgoers simply said they were not sure, unable to venture a guess regarding their church’s definition” of spiritual maturity. If answers were ventured, most identified, at best, maturity as a relationship with [ More ... ]  Image By: kevindooley I have spent years trying to help people understand the importance of face-to-face relationships in spiritual formation, and here I find myself starting a blog in the decidedly not face-to-face world of the Internet! Here is what FormativeFriendships.org is all about. I want to invite you to think about, and share, the roles that formative friends have played in your Christian growth. I have a couple of mentors, a college roommate, a British congregation, my best man, and several colleagues at work whom have modeled for me, and inspired me to imitate, Christ-like behavior. I’ll also post short articles that result from experiences and insights that have made me [ More ... ] |
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