This is an updated version of a Bible study I did in 2006 on the role of the mind (thoughts) in spiritual formation in Christ. It is inspired by Dallas Willard’s book, Renovation of the Heart. This article on the mind (thoughts) is part of a series from my class for counselors on “How People Change.”…
This is an updated version of a Bible study I did in 2006 on the role of the heart/spirit/will in spiritual formation in Christ. It is inspired by Dallas Willard’s book, Renovation of the Heart. This article on the heart is part of a series from my class for counselors on “How People Change.” (See my…
This is an updated version of a Bible study I did in 2006 on the role of the body in spiritual formation in Christ. It is inspired by Dallas Willard’s book, Renovation of the Heart. This article on the body is part of a series from my class for counselors on “How People Change.” (See my…
This is an updated version of a Bible study I did in 2006 on the role of the social part of the human being in spiritual formation in Christ. It is inspired by Dallas Willard’s book, Renovation of the Heart. This article on our social connections is part of a series from my class for counselors on…
We learn in the Bible that “Without a vision people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). This is true for you and I today. In 1952 Florence Chadwick wanted to be the first woman to swim the 26 miles from Catalina island to San Pedro on mainland California. She’d already been the first woman to swim the English…
Dallas Willard is famous for his definitions of the way things are in reality, especially pertaining to our life in Christ. Listening to Dallas talk it seems he has a definition for everything! Quotes from Dallas Willard abound in sermons, books, and on the Internet. For my own study I decided to gather what I felt were the…
TLC1: VIM Plan Years ago God gave me a corrective word about my teaching and preaching ministry: “Less is more.” I was inspired to begin learning to be more like Jesus in the way that I taught in seminars and groups. First I learned to speak slower, using more stories and pauses. I also practiced…
Planning to Be More Like Jesus Jesus lived in the Easy Yoke he offers us. He didn’t push, press, or strain. He didn’t try to make things happen, but lived in submission to the Father. He was never in a hurry. He didn’t worry. He was relaxed and so he had time for people and was hospitable toward…
Two years ago I was riding 25 miles on my bike as fast as I could in my first Olympic Triathlon and I was soon to get one of the most important lessons of my life. I was still dripping wet from my one mile swim in Lake Mission Viejo. It took me about 40…
In Jesus’ easy yoke we can become the kind of person who genuinely and consistently loves God, neighbors, and even enemies. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus explains what a truly good (and happy!) person is like and how to become one. But most of us who seek to follow Jesus don’t understand his teaching in the Sermon on the Mount and in the inward transformation of the heart he brings.