Comments on: Who and What Are Forming You?

By: Faith

Faith — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 21:47:01 +0000

I would suggest the Ignatian Spiritual exercises, Thomas A’Kempis’ Imitation of Christ, St. Francis de Sales Introduction to the Devout Life, and a more modern (Catholic) philosopher, Dietrich vonHildebrand’s Transformation in Christ. And of course Br. Lawrence is a must-read.
I have benefited greatly from Catholic spirituality and have no problem with an at-odds Protestant- Catholic dynamic– in fact I believe the two are complementary, for the most part.

Great post.

By: MAJ Tony

MAJ Tony — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:57:04 +0000

The Benedictine and other orders have what are called Oblates who do not live in the community, but are attached to it and try to apply Regula monachorum to their daily lives insofar as is practical. Some things apply directly, others, not so much, but may have some indirect application.

By: RonP

RonP — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 06:52:51 +0000

I think it’s interesting that Christian monasticism arose largely in response to a mainstream church that had become consumed by relentless argumentation and entangled in the political intrigue and power positioning that marked the imperial era of the church in the fourth and fifth centuries. And I suspect that the similarities between that era and current Western Christianity have a lot to do with why we are seeing the rise of new forms of monasticism, experiments in Christian community, and alternative expressions of church. Maybe it’s partly just an escapist reaction to the complexities and stresses of modern life — but, like those early monasticists, I think a lot of us are genuinely seeking real spiritual growth and a deeper walk with Christ. And while some people have the drive and self-discipline to pursue these things individually, most people (like myself) need an encouraging environment and social context. Of course, that’s what the church was originally designed to do — to provide followers of Christ with a social framework for not only collective worship, but also for mutual support, encouragement toward growth, and the hands-on, personal kind of discipleship that involves people investing themselves deeply in the lives of others. Like you point out, Mike, discipleship in current Western churchianity has become too much about equipping Christians with the theological and Biblical weapons needed to defend the positions and practices of each particular church or denomination — and too little about people collectively pursuing the fullness of Christ in their lives and relationships.

By: Linkathon 3/17 « Phoenix Preacher

Linkathon 3/17 « Phoenix Preacher — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:16:08 +0000

[...] Michael Buckley is holding an art auction to help support Spencer and his wife Denise, and pay his medical bills (For a sample of iMonk, check out this thread on spiritual formation) [...]

By: Deborah

Deborah — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:00:11 +0000

A breath of fresh air! Thank you for this post.
Peace

By: Tom Meacham

Tom Meacham — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 02:03:40 +0000

Love Brother Lawrence!

By: Tom Meacham

Tom Meacham — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 02:02:06 +0000

Luther said something like “Man is like a drunk getting up on a horse. He falls off on one side of the horse, gets back up, and falls on the other side.”

By: Damaris

Damaris — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:01:19 +0000

“This is what the LORD says:
Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.”

Jeremiah 6:16

One of my all-time favorites. It gets truer and deeper to me every year.

By: JohnO

JohnO — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:53:51 +0000

St. Augustine’s Confessions. When read slowly and purposefully they are fantastic. I read them for a Church history course and went quickly and did not get very much out of it. Then we had to read it again for our Theology 1 course. Blew my mind when I started to pay attention.

By: Anna A

Anna A — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:53:33 +0000

Denise, While some rules aren’t adaptable for us non-monastics, others are. I have some books that talk about adapting the Rule of St. Benedict to ordinary life.

I think that it provides a pattern to base our lives, just like the regular fabric that a counted cross stitcher uses provides the base, but the stitcher provides the pattern, the colors the workmanship that makes an attractive piece.