Spiritual Formation Workbook, A

by James Bryan Smith, Richard J. Foster

A beginning workbook for new spiritual formation groups featuring guidelines for starting up, study plans for the first eight sessions, and a questionnaire that helps map the way ahead.

Genres: Christianity, Faith, Prayer, Theology, Christian, Nonfiction, Christian Living

96 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1993

About the author

James Bryan Smith (M.Div., Yale University Divinity School, D.Min., Fuller Seminary) is a theology professor at Friends University in Wichita, KS and a writer and speaker in the area of Christian spiritual formation. He also serves as the director of the Aprentis Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation at Friends University.

A founding member of Richard J. Foster's spiritual renewal ministry, Renovaré Smith is an ordained United Methodist Church minister and has served in various capacities in local churches. Smith is also the author of A Spiritual Formation Workbook, Devotional Classics (with Richard Foster), Embracing the Love of God, Rich Mullins: An Arrow Pointing to Heaven and Room of Marvels.

Reviews

[Robin Gough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Resource

I enjoyed the small group aspect of this book. Looking forward to using it as a guide in a spiritual formation small group this fall with college students.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Notes:

+ The 6 discipline areas
1. Prayer-filled life (Contemplative Movement): praying - spending time with God in prayer and meditation
2. Virtuous life (Holiness Movement): striving against sin - having pure thoughts, words, and actions, and overcoming temptation
3. Spirit-empowered life (Charismatic Movement): ministering and healing in the power of the spirit - welcoming the Holy Spirit while nurturing and exercising my spiritual gifts
4. Compassionate life (Social Justice Movement): showing compassion - helping others less fortunate than I
5. Word-centered life (Evangelical Movement): proclaiming the good news and reading the scriptures - sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and reading the scriptures
6. Sacramental life (Incarnational Movement): united the physical and spiritual - unifying the sacred and secular areas of my life while showing forth God’s presence

+ Following Jesus leads to a prayer-filled, virtuous, spirit-empowered, compassionate, Word-centered, sacramental life

+ Note to self: See offline notes for list of practices from index that didn't fit here


Quotes:

Give encouragement as often as possible; advice, once in a great while; reproof, only when absolutely necessary; and judgment, never.

There is nothing magical about Spiritual Formation Groups. They contain no secret formula and they offer no easy shortcuts. What they do offer is a plan that helps you put yourself in a place where God can transform your life from the inside out.

We all agree that it is very difficult to make space for God in our day and in our culture, and yet we need times of solitude and silence, times of contemplation and reflection, times of prayer and meditation. We need these times—just as much as Jesus needed them—to gain strength and wisdom and compassion. All three qualities flow from the space we make for God in our lives.

The commandments of God are not meant to make our lives a dull drudgery, but to make them whole and full. God’s plan completes and integrates our lives; sin disrupts and fragments our lives. While sin seems appealing on the surface—the fulfillment of all of our desires—beneath the surface lurks poison that will ultimately destroy us.

If we could see the world through the eyes of God, we would look through a filter of compassion. God cares about our needs, our hurts, our brokenness. He understands our sinfulness—it does not shock or surprise him. And instead of judging us, God is ready to forgive, to heal, to restore us. We are all precious in God’s sight, and the Lord longs for us to see others as he does—priceless, unique people who need love and compassion.

God does not want us to isolate ourselves from each other as saints and to grow further and further apart; rather, he desires that we embrace each other as sinners and grow closer and closer together. The possibilities of sin will remain with us, no matter how far we travel in the Christian life, but traveling with kindred spirits will make those possibilities less appealing. Traveling together on the path of transformation will also help us avoid the pitfall of turning the disciplines into deadly, self-righteous practices. We are fellow travelers, fellow sinners united in Christ’s body.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

good

[Tasha Braggs Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Counting to work through this book daily. Amazing :)

[Marla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great chapters in this book on the variety of spiritual practices and connecting them to one other.

[Jane Winner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent Resource for group study on Spiritual Practices

[Ron Emberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good resource for growing one's own spirituality.

[Ron Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this small group guide. But I've found it uninspiring. We've been doing it as a study for the last 8 weeks and I don't feel I've done much of anything with it.

I really like Foster's work, but this is just derivative and didactic. Just read Streams of Living Water instead.

The structure of the meetings is very easy from a leaders point of view, but not very interactive at all, which I think a small group should be.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for class. It's kinda vanilla. I might use it in a group someday, but more as a starting point than as the entirety of what we do together. It's good for people who want to try several different spiritual practices to see what works.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm planning to use this in the development of a small group ministry. It is a carefully thought-out and clearly presented plan to encourage the practice of spiritual disciplines as a means of offering God opportunities for personal transformation. I'm looking forward to using it.

[Deidre Franklin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do this with a small group!

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

READ SEP 2012

Excellent companion piece to James Bryan Smith's "Good and Beautiful" series. This can be a pre- or post-study resource.

[Sharon Hedegard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent study guide for small groups where people are at different places in their faith. Allows safe discussion without judgment or using 'over-theologized' language.

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent resource for a small group of women. We have decided to keep meeting, twice a month for the next three months, following the meeting format in the book. Then we will re-evaluate.

[Todd Richmond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend this.