Spiritual Formation is good for the church

I attribute the current interest in spiritual direction to a hunger for God that isn't being satisfied in our parishes. Actually, I would widen the scope of interest beyond spiritual direction to include other spiritual formation activities and even things like praying the liturgy.

I shudder to think where I would be in my relationship with the Lord if I would have left my spiritual nurture up to my church. There are no corporate disciplines, no meaningful expectations or boundaries, Sunday School functions as a support group, and I get to listen to downloaded prep for a sermon every week. Perhaps if there were more growth opportunities available in my local congregation, God wouldn't have fostered in me an interest in spiritual formation. Who can say?

I've written much about my leanings towards isolation and how I initially carried that preference into my practice of spiritual formation. The good news is that the practice of the disciplines has steered me back into the corporate life with a greater love, devotion, and understanding. I bring back those experiences and way of doing things into the life of the body.