I like to think of spiritual formation as roots that run deep. Roots don’t gain depth overnight. It takes years for a tree to establish a root system, which then helps the tree sustain the storms that come its way. Without the proper root system, a tree will topple over. In our walk with Jesus, we need more than shallow faith. We need the depth that comes from a day in and day out relationship and we can only gain that depth with intentionality.

Though our walk with Jesus is intentional, it is not legalistic. Jesus does not have a glorified to-do list in which he expects us to check off all the boxes, but rather he is inviting us into true rest where we learn what it means for his yoke to be easy and his burden to be light. Jesus delights in us. As we walk with him daily we are building muscle memory so that when we encounter hard days we can pull from what we know to be true.

The practice of spiritual formation is just that, a practice. The more we practice something the more mastery we gain. There are several ways for us to go deeper in our walk with Jesus. We will explore many of them together as we look at how practices like fasting, prayer, silence, Sabbath, Lectio Divina, and more can help us deepen our understanding of who God is, the love that Jesus has for us, and the various ways that the Holy Spirit is evident in our daily lives.