Spiritual Formation

Calm, content, even-tempered, and most of all, conflict avoidant, the Enneagram Nine description fit me. 

As I’ve learned more about Eights I’ve realized that they are generally self-confident, confrontational, strong, assertive, honest (sometimes brutally), and decisive people. When I read that description now I feel like it pretty accurately describes me.

What is the Enneagram? Join us at the blog over the next nine weeks to get a little taste of this helpful tool.

What exactly is Lent?

I understand why many who share evangelical theological commitments are reluctant to speak or have considered abandoning the term and the identity as meaningless. But I still have hope for evangelicalism.

In a contentious and divided culture, abounding in fruit and abiding in Jesus are as important as ever. Here are four practices that can help us do both in the coming year.

As a kid, I always played it safe. When my uncle wanted to take me around the block on his motorcycle, I said no. When I was doing a report on airplanes and had the chance to take a free plane ride, I said no. And when a family from church invited me on their trip to Disney World—you guessed it—I said no.

It’s easy to sing carols and praise God for sending Jesus on Christmas Eve and Christmas day, with candles glowing and people you love around you. It is harder (at least for me) to look ahead at a brand new untouched year and praise him for what he will do in that year. To do that, we have to ask if we really believe that he can only, ever, work for the good of those he loves.

How can we celebrate Christmas when we struggle with unresolved feelings of hurt and sadness for ourselves, our loved ones, and the world?

Advent is full of the trappings of the coming of God. But often, among the church services, the charitable donations, and the renditions of “O Holy Night,” we miss God. Like Zechariah, we can be so busy creating space for God to dwell that we forget to prepare our own hearts.