Resources for DGroups and Spiritual Formation

This is in no way an exhaustive list, just tools we find helpful. See below for:

Series of Teachings:

Resources by Topic:

DESIRE FOR GOD

COMMUNITY

PRAYER

READ & MEDITATE on SCRIPTURE

SILENCE & SOLITUDE

FASTING

SABBATH

CONFESSION & FORGIVENESS

GENEROSITY

SERVING

RULE of LIFE

Curriculum for DGroups

PV DGroup Leaders: Request a leader guide, pledge forms and/or spiritual biography worksheets by emailing Lynn Cook or Courtney Hirscheider.

STUDY 1: Foundations of Christian Faith

The goal of this portion is to communicate the basics of what we are asking Christians to believe as disciples of Jesus Christ, giving us all a consistent theological foundation from which to begin. Groups will begin with the eight-lesson book, Trust and Follow Jesus by Dr. Bobby Harrington. It can be purchased for $10 in the church office or from Lynn Cook. As the leaders, how you divide up and discuss the topics will be to your discretion. 

STUDY 2+: The Practice of Following Jesus 

Choose a study from each category below to help your group disciple each other into Christ-likeness and equip each other to share the Gospel with the world. As with Trust and Follow book, we invite you to move at your own pace depending on the makeup of your group, organizing your time and activities around the goals listed on page one of this guide.

Following Jesus in Daily Life Activities  

Foundational Discipleship: Sermon on the Mount 

Weekly discussion guide by PV Shepherd Steve Burton, Available for free in the PV office.

This guide takes groups through the words of Jesus in His most famous sermon. Real-life-based discussion questions will inspire and encourage participants to put the words of Jesus to practice. Leaders can choose the number of weeks to study the included topics and the pace to move through them. Topics include Not Just Knowledge, Difference Makers, A Higher Standard, Anger, Sexual Relationships, Your Word, Confronting Opposition, Loving Like God, Giving, Prayer, Fasting, Heavenly Nest Egg, Worry, Judging, What’s This About?, Ask For It, The Disciplined Life, Recognizing Character, and Home Depot-More Doing 

Working in the Presence of God

224-page Book by Denise Daniels and Shannon Vandewarker 

This book discusses the incorporation of spiritual disciplines into the ordinary rhythms of everyday experience. God is already present and active, so by becoming aware of workday rhythms and focusing on where various spiritual practices might be implemented in our jobs, we can be transformed into Christ’s likeness through our work. Practices outlined include: Liturgy of Commute, Workplace as Holy Ground, Surrendering the Calendar, Reading Scripture in Your Workspace, Affirmation of Calling, Gratitude for God’s Blessing/Celebrating Success, Confession, Lamenting, Solitude, Prayer of Examen for Work, and Sabbath: Ceasing from Work.

Habits of the Household

240-page book by Justin Whitmel Earley

Habits of the Household gives you the tools you need to create structure–from mealtimes to bedtimes–that free you to parent toddlers, kids, and teens with purpose. Each chapter ends with practical patterns, prayers, or liturgies that your family can put into practice right away. As you create liberating rhythms around your everyday routines, you will find your family has a greater sense of peace and purpose as your home becomes a place where, above all, you learn how to love.

Liturgy of the Ordinary

184-page book by By Tish Harrison Warren

Framed around one typical day, this book invites readers to discover the holiness of everyday life through small practices and habits that form us. In each chapter, Tish Harrison Warren considers a common daily experience―making the bed, brushing her teeth, and losing her keys. Drawing from the diversity of her life as a campus minister, Anglican priest, friend, wife, and mother, Warren opens up a practical theology of the everyday. Each activity is related to a spiritual practice as well as an aspect of our Sunday worship.

The Jesus Story 

This small book is a summary of all four gospels chronologically arranged by pastor Bill Perkins to reflect the life and ministry of Jesus. If you choose to read through the book (5 pages/day) it will take two months to complete. Group discussion from the book will focus on three simple questions: 1) What did Jesus do? 2) What did Jesus Say?  3) What does it mean to me?  Each group member will reflect on these three questions and bring their observations, challenges, and commitments to the group discussion. Books are available from Lynn Cook and cost $10 each. 

Following Jesus in Building a Relationship with God  

Follow Him: Small Group Guide to Following Jesus and Making Disciples in Community

Overview of 10 spiritual practices from the life of Jesus by PV Vision Strategies & Communications Minister Courtney Hirscheider, Available for free in the PV office.

The goal of this study is to provide Christ-centered teachings and practices, coupled with a clear direction for group life and resources to learn more and go deeper in relationship with God and becoming more like Jesus. The 10 chapters are meant to each span two weeks with minimal reading as you focus on practicing the way of Jesus and sharing your experiences with the group. Topics include: Community, Pray, Read and Meditate, Listen, Fast, Rest, Confess and Forgive, Live Generously, Serve and Establish your Rhythm

Practicing the Way 

Series of recorded lessons, guided conversations and spiritual exercises created by John Mark Comer

(free download or purchase: practicingtheway.org)

This unique series is designed to integrate the practices of Jesus into your ongoing life. Groups can choose between nine different practices of Jesus that each have a four-week lesson series that goes with them. Practices available now are: Sabbath, Prayer, and Fasting. Soon to be released are: Solitude, Scripture, Community, Simplicity, Hospitality, and Generosity)

Sacred Rhythms

192-page book by Ruth Haley Barton, also available in a 6-week DVD study with a discussion guide.

The goal of this book is to help you see deep, fundamental changes in your life with God, knowing Him more intimately and truly living your life as God created you to live it. Picking up on the monastic tradition of creating a “rule of life” that allows for regular space for the practice of spiritual disciplines, Ruth Haley Barton takes you more deeply into understanding seven key disciplines along with practical ideas for weaving them into everyday life. Each chapter includes exercises to help you begin the practices individually and in a group context. The final chapter puts it all together in a way that will help you arrange your life for spiritual transformation.

Celebration of Discipline

288-page book by Richard Foster

Hailed by many as the best modern book on Christian spirituality, Celebration of Discipline explores the “classic Disciplines,” or central spiritual practices, of the Christian faith. Along the way, Foster shows that it is only by and through these practices that the true path to spiritual growth can be found. Dividing the Disciplines into three movements of the Spirit, Foster shows how each of these areas contribute to a balanced spiritual life. The inward Disciplines of meditation, prayer, fasting, and study offer avenues of personal examination and change. The outward Disciplines of simplicity, solitude, submission, and service help prepare us to make the world a better place. The corporate Disciplines of confession, worship, guidance, and celebration bring us nearer to one another and to God.