We are sometimes asked, “Once we have finished the Forming Course, how can we continue growing in these areas?”
Please consider the suggests below:
Continue the Spiritual Practices You Learned
First, keep in mind that Forming has been designed to show us how to connect with God for spiritual growth. Our job is about being intentional and making a space in our daily/weekly schedule to spend time with God. Be sure to continue the practices described in the workbook, making those ways of engaging with God a part of your life from this point forward.
Start a ‘POPS’ Group (Personal Orchestra Practice Sessions)
We love the metaphor of an Orchestra as a way of joining with others to tune our “instruments” to hear God better, and together creating something more beautiful than what we can do alone.
To help you with this, please see the short article, “How to Listen to the Word” at the end of Session 3. Select one of the passages suggested there (we highly recommend beginning with Ephesians) and read a few verses aloud together. Spend about 20 minutes in silence, reflecting on those verses, asking God to speak to you about them, and writing out your thoughts. Then take time to share with each other what you are discovering. The next time you meet, continue by reading the next few verses, and so on. Most people find this to be an amazingly rich approach to engaging with God and others.
Do a Book Study on Forming: A Work of Grace
For a more in-depth study of spiritual formation, participate in a study group using the 400 page companion book Forming: A Work of Grace that was the original source for the Forming Course.
Dig Deeper into Your Area of Choice
Look at the recommended reading lists at the end of each Forming Session. Choose one that you find most promising for your own journey with God.
Check Out Other Spiritual Formation Websites
Kingdom Formation Ministries: KingdomFormation.org
Healing Center International: GodHealsToday.org
Jan Johnson’s Website: JanJohnson.org
Experience Forming Again!
Do not overlook the possibility of going through Forming again. Many people have taken the course three and four times in order to more fully internalize this way of connecting with God. Learning to engage with God grows throughout our lifetime!
How Do We Sail Among Rowers?
After experiencing Forming, our Christian walk can feel so different that we may experience a kind of disparity between our journey and and that of our close friends who have not yet experienced this way of relating to God. For that we would like you offer some wisdom from a long-time facilitator and teacher of spiritual formation groups. You can read his article here.