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Shaped By the Spirit: Being formed into an outward-focused people
In recent years, the Church in the West has witnessed a growing hunger to engage in spiritual disciplines that help us become more like Jesus. And yet, if our practices cause us to look inwards without looking outwards, then it's likely we're being formed into somebody else entirely.
Jesus was inherently other-focussed and in this immensely practical book, Kate Pocklington invites us to explore why being formed by the Spirit is only half of the picture.
Together we will see how God - the grand recycler - wants to use every part of our past and personality, to shape us into an other-focussed people.
We are formed by the Spirit, formed through our experiences and formed for the sake of God's mission in the world.
Jesus was inherently other-focussed and in this immensely practical book, Kate Pocklington invites us to explore why being formed by the Spirit is only half of the picture.
Together we will see how God - the grand recycler - wants to use every part of our past and personality, to shape us into an other-focussed people.
We are formed by the Spirit, formed through our experiences and formed for the sake of God's mission in the world.
192 pages, Paperback
Published June 18, 2024
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9 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 28, 2024
This is a delightful book for a leisurely read when you can pause over the questions at the end of the chapters. It’s a gentle invitation to reflect on the many ways you have been shaped in your life and where you are leaning into or resisting the way the Spirit can use those things to shape you more like Christ.
The chapters on how we are formed *from* culture, age, gender, and those we serve were some of my favorites, along with the chapters on what we are formed *for.* This book both helped me reflect backwards on how different facets of my life experience have shaped me (I actually stopped reading once just to write a thank-you to someone who had been really influential in that process), and it also helped me think forwards to who I hope to be and how I can be responsive to the Spirit in this continual journey of growth and formation.
It’s rare for the last words of a book to be equally strong or even some of the best, but when I read it the first time and again when I re-read my highlights for this review, I was swallowing tears at the last pages, hearing the echoes of Revelation 22. The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!”Amen. Come, Lord Jesus, our loving Savior, revelation of God’s character on earth, and the fulfillment of our deepest longings. We want to be like you, and we also want to be WITH you. This book is a wonderful companion on that journey.
The chapters on how we are formed *from* culture, age, gender, and those we serve were some of my favorites, along with the chapters on what we are formed *for.* This book both helped me reflect backwards on how different facets of my life experience have shaped me (I actually stopped reading once just to write a thank-you to someone who had been really influential in that process), and it also helped me think forwards to who I hope to be and how I can be responsive to the Spirit in this continual journey of growth and formation.
It’s rare for the last words of a book to be equally strong or even some of the best, but when I read it the first time and again when I re-read my highlights for this review, I was swallowing tears at the last pages, hearing the echoes of Revelation 22. The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!”Amen. Come, Lord Jesus, our loving Savior, revelation of God’s character on earth, and the fulfillment of our deepest longings. We want to be like you, and we also want to be WITH you. This book is a wonderful companion on that journey.
December 18, 2024
Kate's wisdom and experience shines through these pages. I read through this as a morning devotional, one chapter at a time, and it was a good way to savor it and think about the points Kate presents. I came away refreshed, my faith deepened, and it will be a book I'll want to revisit.
Kate's experience in international ministry is key to the insight in this book, and it was also helpful to think about ministry from the perspective on someone who knows the States well, but is Australian.
Kate's experience in international ministry is key to the insight in this book, and it was also helpful to think about ministry from the perspective on someone who knows the States well, but is Australian.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews