Resources for Spiritual Formation
Teaching Series :
- Practicing the Way: Tools, teachings, and resources to integrate spiritual formation into your church or group.
- Download companion guides for Sabbath, Prayer, Fasting, Solitude, Scripture, Community, Simplicity, Generosity and Hospitality
- For the Sake of Others: Bridgetown Audio Podcast 2024 teaching series
- GINOSKO: Practice the Perfect: A Wednesday night teaching series on following Jesus, Pleasant Valley Church of Christ
- Preaching What We Practice: Sunday morning sermon series, Pleasant Valley Church of Christ
Resources by Topic:
DESIRE FOR GOD
- Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton, Chapter 1, Longing for More
- The Good and Beautiful God: Falling in Love with the God Jesus Knows by James Bryan Smith
- The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality by Ronald Rolheiser
- Fighting Shadows by Jefferson Bethke and Jon Tyson
COMMUNITY
- The Gospel Comes with a House Key: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in Our Post-Christian World by Rosaria Butterfield
- Practicing the Way: Community: Includes sermon series, small group and personal practices, book recommendations
- Be the Bridge Podcast with Latasha Morrison, Episode 261: Black History Month: A Holistic and Historical Look into Community Building, Church Planting and Coffee with Author and Entrepreneur John Onwuchekwa
PRAYER
- Practicing the Way: Prayer: A four-week lesson series including the topics, Talking to God, Talking with God, Listening to God and Being with God. The site includes podcasts and a downloadable prayer companion.
- Power of Prayer: For the Sake of Others, September 29, 2024, Pete Greig, Bridgetown Church
- The Divine Hours Liturgy by Phyllis Tickle
- The Common Prayer app: a prayer, song and Scripture for each day.
- My Daily Office app: daily prayers and Bible readings.
- Hallow app: daily prayer of Examen
- Pray as You Go App: daily prayers and meditations
- Reimagining the Examen App: prayer prompts and reflections for evening prayer
- Pause App: a simple way to connect with God during the day
READ & MEDITATE on SCRIPTURE
- Savoring God’s Word, Jan Johnson
- Discovering Lectio Divina: Bring Scripture into Ordinary Life, James Wilhoit and Evan Howard
- Shape the Word: The Power of Scripture in Spiritual Formation, M. Robert Mulholland, Jr.
- Lectio 365: Smartphone app for morning & night prayer and scripture
- Versify: Smartphone app for scripture memorization
- Text Messages, sermon series by Jonathan Storment, Pleasant Valley Church of Christ, April-June 2024
- Seven Things I Wish Christians Knew about the Bible by Michael F. Bird
- The New Testament in Color: A Multiethnic Bible Commentary by Esau McCaulley (Editor)
- The New Testament in Its World: An Introduction to the History, Literature, and Theology of the First Christians, N.T. Wright and Michael Bird
- The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary A Translation with Commentary, Robert Alter
SILENCE & SOLITUDE
- John Mark Comer Teachings Podcast, January 2022 Silence and Solitude Episode 1 and Episode 2
- Sacred Rhythms, Ruth Haley Barton, Chapter 2
- Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast with Ruth Haley Barton, A Leader’s Journey into Silence and Solitude, Episode 2
- When the Soul Listens, Jan Johnson
- Hearing God, Dallas Willard
FASTING
- Practicing the Way: Fasting (teachings, resources, etc. – particularly Episodes 1 and 2 of the podcast)
- Revival Starts Here: A Short Conversation on Prayer, Fasting, and Revival for Beginners Like Me, Dave Clayton
- The Place of Fasting in the Christian Life, (online article) Thomas A Tarrants,
SABBATH
- John Mark Comer Rule of Life Podcast: Episodes 1-4: Sabbath (Stop (ep1), Rest (ep2), Delight (ep3), Worship(ep4))
- Sacred Rhythms, Ruth Haley Barton, Chapter 8
- PRACTICING THE WAY SABBATH GUIDE (pdf)
- PRACTICING THE WAY SABBATH MEDITATIONS (pdf)
- Subversive Sabbath: The Surprising Power of Rest in a Nonstop World, A.J. Swoboda
- Tech-Wise Family, Andy Crouch
- Our Unforming: De-Westernizing Spiritual Formation, Chapter 6: Work/Rest, Cindy S. Lee
CONFESSION & FORGIVENESS
- “Changing Direction” with Trevor Hudson, (22-min video)
- Seeking God, Trevor Hudson, Chapter 2
- Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast with Ruth Haley Barton, Season 15: Lent Week 4 | The Power of Confession
- Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster, Chapter 10: Confession
- Exploring My Strange Bible Podcast, Forgiveness – Gospel of Matthew Part 26
- 4-part Sermon Series on Forgiveness from Bridgetown Church in Portland, Oregon
- Robcast Podcast with Rob Bell, Episodes 38-42
- The Cure: What if God Isn’t Who You Think He is and Neither are You, John Lynch, Bruce McNicol, Bill Thrall
- Bridgetown Audio Podcast: For the Sake of Others: How Many Times Should I Forgive?, Nov 18, 2024
GENEROSITY
- A Generous Gospel: The New Testament Themes Part 4, Exploring My Strange Bible Podcast with Tim Mackie
- Testing God, sermon series by Jonathan Storment of the Pleasant Valley Church of Christ in Little Rock, Arkansas
- Bridgetown Audio Podcast: For the Sake of Others: For the Sake of the Poor, Oct 14, 2024
- Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership Podcast with Ruth Haley Barton, Season 9, Episode 4 | Spiritual Transformation and Money
- Becoming a People of Generosity, sermon by John Mark Comer of the Bridgetown Church in Portland, Oregon
- Generosity Practice, practicingtheway.org
SERVING
- The Christine Cain Podcast, Empower & Equip: Making a Difference Isn’t Complicated (S1, Ep 225),
- Visions of Vocation: Common Grace for the Common Good, Steven Garber
- Seeking God, Trevor Hudson, Chapter 6
- Service (ft. Bethany Allen) | Unforced Rhythms of Grace E7, John Mark Comer Podcast
MULTIPLICATION & RULE of LIFE
- What is a Rule of Life?
- Nine-lesson sermon series from Practicing the Way: Unhurried with a Rule of Life
- Rule of Life Workbook (pdf)
- Rule of Life Builder
- Sample Rules of Life
- 15 Second Testimony
- For the Sake of Others: Bridgetown Audio Podcast 2024 teaching series
- Discipleship Self-Assessment
- Spiritual Health Reflection