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About Spiritual Formation Groups


Of NRCC’s three core values (community, spirituality, and influence), spirituality is by far the most important.  Spirituality, simply put, is finding our God and being shaped into His likeness.  This is important.  Very important.  It is even, as one of the earliest curricula of the church put it, “the chief end of man.”  For people of faith, finding God is our core reality, our deepest quest, and the only true fulfillment of our souls.  So, the pursuit of God, and the transformation of our souls into His likeness is foremost in our value system at NRCC.

However, history has shown that God’s people find Him best when we do it with others.

So, while community is not our most important value, it is our first.  We have discovered over time that when we enter into deep, long-term, spiritual friendships with one another, our quest for God and His redemption in our own lives is richly enhanced.  It is as though in community our souls find the habitat for which they were designed, and living in this habitat, we flourish at the pursuit of God. 

So, we invite you to one of many kinds of groups at NRCC, under the heading, “Spiritual Formation.”  Our invitation to you is to join others in our community as we pursue God, but to do so, not as a solitary individual, but with others on the same quest. 

j0401036.jpgClick on the group format links to the right to see if there are one or more you find attractive. 

God bless you on your quest.  We pray you find God with us.

   Reading Recommendations Minimize

Below is more recommended reading from Robin Camu.

Adventures in Missing the Point  -  by Brian D. McLaren - The author posits that the culture-controlled church has missed the point concerning salvation, theology, end times, the Bible, evangelism, social action, culture, women in ministry, leadership, seminary, environmentalism, homosexualtiy, sin, worship, doubt, truth and being postmodern. (anything else you want to know?)

The Journey of Desire  -  by John Eldredge  - The author explores the role desire plays in our lives and how we often run from desire or desire runs amok in us.  he says there is another way and that is allowing our truest desires and deepest passions to be our guide back to their and our Source.

The Sacred Romance  -  by John Eldredge and Brent Curtis -  the authors passionately exhort us to pursue an adventure of romance with our creator.  in spite of the fact that our christian culture gives us very few examples on how this is done, we must not let this lull us into living a mediocre life..

Wild at Heart  -  by John Eldredge -  A book about how aiming to be nice is more than a man can bear.  "deep in his heart, every man longs for a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue.  that is how he bears the image of God;  that is what God made him to be."

Restoring the Christian Soul  -  by Leanne Payne  -  For many years, Leanne Payne has led seminars that have resulted in the healing of the emotions, bodies and souls of many.   This book is about the ministry of prayer in the healing of the soul that has broken as a result of failing to accept self, failing to forgive and failing to receive forgiveness.

The Healing Presence  -  by Leanne Payne  -  She discusses the wholeness and healing the comes with the presence of God on and in our lives.  She discusses the place of imagination, symbols and metaphors in perceiving His presence.

Listening Prayer  -  by Leanne Payne - She writes 7 chapters on keeping a Listening Prayer Journal and 8 chapters on the concept that prayer is better spent listening than speaking.

Real Presence  - by Leanne Payne

The Broken Image  -  by Leanne Payne

Crisis in Masculinity  -  by Leanne Payne

A Whole New Life  -  by Reynolds Price  -  The author is a native of N.C. and is a professor at Duke University.  This book is about his survival of a cancer in his spine that left him in great pain and in a wheelchair.  He is an example of a man who has encountered God but is not a cultural Christian.  

Soul Making  -  by Alan Jones  -  The subtitle is, The Desert Way of Spirituality.    Those times in our lives characterized by silence, waiting, not knowing (or the desert) can become an invitation to "enter into the emptiness", which can then open us up to more authenticity and joy.

Searching for God Knows What  -  by Donald Miller  -  This guy is good at what we use to call in college, a stream-of-consciousness- type- of writing.  It's like listening to someone think out loud who just happens to be interesting to boot.  He's worth eavesdropping in on.

How the Irish Saved Civilization  -  by Thomas Cahill  -  The subtitle says it all, "The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe."  It's about an in-between time - a hinge of history.

Desire of the Everlasting Hills  - by Thomas Cahill  -  This author loves context.  He loves the in-between times.  He loves that which connects events more than the events themselves.  This is a book about context, the culture of the Greeks,  the political presence of the Romans and the social and religious environment of Judaism, all which provide a backdrop to Jesus' life.  This all affects how Jesus is perceived by different people - John, Luke, Paul etc. 

Forgotten Among the Lillies  -  by Ronald Rolheiser  -  The guide lines of this Canadian priest are worth printing.  1.  never look a gift universe in the mouth.  2.  God will settle for not less than everything.  3.when walking is impossible, try putting one foot in front of the next.  4.pray that God will hang onto you.  5.  if a life is large enough for love, it is large enough  6.accept what you are - you are inadequate.  7.let go so as not to be pushed.  8. call yourself a fool regularly.  9. stay with the folks, you are on a group outing. 10.don't be afraid to go soft, redemption lies in tears. 

With Burning Hearts  -  by Henri J.M. Nouwen  -  A short meditation on the journey Jesus took with His friends to Emmaus after He was resurrected.    The walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus included them mourning their losses, discerning Jesus' presence, inviting the stranger into their homes, entering into communion and finally going on a mission.

Destined for the Throne  -  by Paul E. Billheimer  -  He argues that mankind exists so that God can extract from her an eternal companion for His Son.  That eternal companion is known as the Church and her time on earth is to be spent  preparing and training for her future role as co-heir and bride.  He discusses the role of prayer in her preparation. 

Orthodoxy  - by G.K. Chesterton  -  This book was written 100 years ago.  It is full of pithy, original thoughts.  He writes, "I have attempted in a vague and personal way, in a set of mental pictures rather than in a series of deductions, to state the philosophy in which i have come to believe.  I will not call it my philosophy; for i did not make it.  God and humanity made it; and it made me."

The Seeking Heart  -  by Fenelon  -  This is a classic, which means it's very old and very good (written 300 years ago).  It is a compilation of 2-3 page letters written to his friends under the headings of the way of the cross, a life of simplicity, and the peace of God.

    

Group Formats 

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Click on the links below to read more about each type of group.

· Potluck Groups

· Book Clubs/Bible Studies

· Breathing Groups


· Contemplative Prayer Groups

 

 

   Reading Recommendations Minimize

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Below is some recommended reading from Pastor Doug.  Follow the links to more information on Amazon.com.

1.  Books by Brian McLaren

A New Kind of Christian

The Story We Find Ourselves In: Further Adventures of a New Kind of Christian

The Last Word and the Word after That : A Tale of Faith, Doubt, and a New Kind of Christianity

These three book are a trilogy.  All three explore how our society is changing in the fundamental way we see reality.  They then help us see how the gospel fits into this new view of reality.  They're all three very readable books; a novel of sorts (the story is really just an excuse for the characters to talk to each other and us listen in).  If you only read one, I'd read the 2nd, but it was more meaningful to me having read all three. 

A Generous Orthodoxy: Why I Am a Missional, Evangelical, Post/Protestant, Liberal/Conservative, Mystical/Poetic, Biblical, Charismatic/Contemplative, Fundamentalist/Calvinist, Anabaptist/Anglican, Methodist, Catholic, Green, Incarnational, Depressed-yet-Hopeful, Emergent, Unfinished CHRISTIAN

This book strips our faith down to the absolute fundamentals of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.  Allows us to jettison much that has encrusted our faith and gotten in the way of the love, grace, and forgiveness that are so central to us, yet so frequently missed.

2.  Books by Gary Thomas

Authentic Faith : The Power of a Fire-Tested Life

Seeking the Face of God

The Glorious Pursuit: Embracing the Virtues of Christ

Sacred Marriage

One of the reasons I like Gary Thomas' writing so much is that he accesses the ancient heritage of our faith.  We're not the first generation to pursue God, and he helps us draw from the ancient practices, the ancient yearnings of those who have gone before us in the faith.  He explores how the ancients found their faith strengthened and points us toward a classical faith.

3.  Books by Larry Crabb

The Pressure's Off : There's a New Way to Live

Connecting : Healing Ourselves and Our Relationships

SoulTalk

Shattered Dreams : God's Unexpected Path to Joy

A psychologist who has worked hard to heal minds, Larry Crabb has come to focus on healing souls.  His approach is spirituality-based, and comes at inner healing from the vantage point of Truth, Christian community, and finding God in whatever circumstances we find ourselves.  Great books!  Life-changers.

4.  Donald Miller

Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality

It's a funny book. It made me laugh quite a few times, and it has a perspective on our faith I found very helpful.

5.  Books by Gerald May

The Dark Night of the Soul : A Psychiatrist Explores the Connection Between Darkness and Spiritual Growth

Addiction & Grace

Gerald May's books help us understand what is going on inside us as God works to heal our souls.  He looks at the nature of God's goodness and appeals to that goodness as we see Him use life's circumstances to strip our souls of the false-self encrustations that hinder us finding Him, finding Truth, and living in Reality.  It's not a comfortable process, but it is good.

6.  Books by Ronald Rolheiser

The Shattered Lantern: Rediscovering a Felt Presence of God

The Holy Longing: The Search for A Christian Spirituality

Rolheiser's perspective on finding God has helped me immensely.  He comes from the contemplative tradition, so different from my own heritage.  Consequently, his understandings were fresh to me.  Many times my response was "yes, that's it.  I hadn't seen it that way, but yes!"

7.  Richard Swenson

Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives

The chief enemy of spirituality is busyness.  This medical doctor helps us look at our lives and see how to gain more space. 

8.  Anthony DeMello

The Way to Love (Image Pocket Classics)

A great devotional book to keep by the bedside.  Three page chapters that help us understand the contemplative approach to our faith. 

9.  Thomas Keating

Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel

A practical way to explore Christian meditation.  Fr. Keating introduces us to centering prayer, a modern manifestation of the ancient Christian practice of lectio divina.  Fr. Keating is a Catholic monk, so his writing may take Protestant readers by surprise, but it’s well worth pressing past denominational differences/prejudices.