Our collection of EWP Talks on Spiritual Formation helps people understand how we are formed by, and have the chance to form, the spiritual environments of our daily experience and work. We are made by God to be formed in our character every day by the structures within which we live. Faithfulness requires disciplined formation in a new life that is radically different from, but seeks the good of, our communities and cultures.
Here’s a closer look at some of the talks in our Spiritual Formation collection:
Tom Nelson | If We Would Be Faithful: Fruitfulness Matters
Made to Flourish President Tom Nelson speaks on the integral relationship between faithfulness and fruitfulness, reviewing passages including the Genesis creation account, Proverbs 31 and the teachings of Jesus.
Consider assigning in: Spiritual Formation, Pastoral leadership, Theology, Old Testament, New Testament, Ethics
Celeste Cranston | Two Sons: The Gospel and Work
Celeste Cranston of Seattle Pacific University demonstrates how the story of the prodigal son invites us into a life of kingdom work marked by abundance and gratitude, not scarcity and fear.
Consider assigning in: Spiritual Formation, New Testament
Lisa Slayton, Terry Timm & Deborah Gill | Staying Rooted: Discipling People in the New Economy
In a rapidly changing, globalized economy, how can we help people keep their daily lives rooted in the stability of God’s reality? In this insightful discussion, Deborah Gill of Assemblies of God Theological Seminary interviews two leaders who are on the forefront of developing responses to that question: Lisa Slayton of Tamim Partners and Terry Timm of Christ Community Church of the South Hills. Together they explore how discipleship in the church can effectively cultivate the capacities necessary for faithful work in today’s economy that is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous.
Consider assigning in: Spiritual Formation, Pastoral Leadership, Ethics, Culture
Chris Armstrong | God’s People, Christ’s Body, Spirit’s Temple: Being a Sacred Church
What if we’re getting the whole sacred/secular problem backward? Chris Armstrong invites us to rethink what the church really is – a visible sign of invisible grace – before we roll up our sleeves to change the world.
Consider assigning in: Pastoral Leadership, Theology, Spiritual Formation, Ethics, History, New Testament
Andy Crouch | A Pruned Life: Isaiah’s Posterity Gospel
Drawing on Isaiah 5, Andy Crouch speaks about the challenge of separating real flourishing from mere material prosperity in the midst of economic growth and technological innovation. In a world of instant gratification, what is of lasting importance?
Consider assigning in: Culture, Ethics, Spiritual Formation, Old Testament
Chris Armstrong | “Vocation? Whatever!” From Work/Life Balance to a Seamless Life
Chris Armstrong of Wheaton College evokes key moments from church history, and from his personal history of struggle with attitudes about rest, home and work, to offer a compelling vision for why a theology of vocation must be central to the life of faith.
Consider assigning in: Ethics, Spiritual Formation, History
And More:
Vincent Bacote | Sending Disciples to a Pluralistic World: Imagination, Hospitality and Hope
Deborah Gill | Discipleize! The Great Commission in All of Life