“The spiritual life is not something that is gotten for the wishing or
assumed by affectation.
The spiritual
life takes discipline.”
Joan Chittister
Bill Hybels has
introduced in one of his books the idea of Holy
Discontent. The question Hybels raises
is, “What is your Holy Discontent? What
is that one thing that you can’t stand anymore and desperately want to do
something about?” Usually, a Holy
Discontent is something so great that it cannot be accomplished by one’s own
strength. It will require prayer and
reliance upon the Holy Spirit. But if
pursued vigorously, mixed with a healthy dose of prayer and trust in God, one’s
Holy Discontent can result in activity that significantly advances God’s
Kingdom.
It should be no
secret that my Holy Discontent is people who have said they will follow Jesus
but show little personal discipline in growing into the character of Jesus. As Joan Chittister says, the spiritual life is
not something that is gotten for the wishing. It takes discipline. As your pastor it is my
desire, my Holy Discontent, to see every member of this congregation become a
vibrant, growing follower of Jesus. That
will not happen just because it is something I want for this church. It will happen, person by person, as each
member recognizes personally and deeply what God has done for them in Jesus
Christ. That ability to see what great
love God has lavished on us results in the natural response to know God more,
to love Jesus more profoundly. That is
what “Spiritual Formation” is all about. And spiritual formation requires discipline.
Part of my vision
for this congregation is to assist people in their Christian journey with a Center for Life-Long Learning. The idea is to provide, throughout the year,
opportunities to learn from seasoned Christians how to go deeper and further in
our shared walk with Jesus. The first
opportunity will be this November, when we welcome to our church Dr. Greg
Ogden, author of numerous books including Discipleship
Essentials. During Dr. Ogden’s
weekend with us, he will provide two classes, one for our elected spiritual
leaders, the Elders and Deacons and another class for the membership of the
church. In both opportunities, Dr. Ogden
will address the great need in our churches today for greater depth in faith
development and provide a pathway forward. I hope you will be intentional in blocking-out
Saturday, November 9th and share in this marvelous opportunity.
Joy,
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