Trials as Means to Formation

Wisdom

The WISDOM acronym reminds us that formation must involve:

- Wise planning, where the leaders prayerfully seek to implement what is needed in a specific situation;

- Intentionality, calling people to commit to walk differently from the ways of the world;

- Scripture, salvation, and Spirit, where the Salvation message and the Spirit-led mission of the whole of Scripture provides the framework and aim of CSF;

- Discipleship, where the end of CSF is the imitation of Jesus Christ, a process whereby we become his pupils seeking after the good life - this is real, lived, etc.;

- Optimism, where we pursue our formation in an atmosphere of hope and expectation of change; and

- Means, where we employ practices and spiritual disciplines, in the context of our unique trials and the Christian community, as necessary components of the formation process.

Means of Grace

Proactive Spiritual Disciplines - things you do on your own accord

Reactive Spiritual Disciplines - things you do in response to events/people (i.e. unscheduled)

Cf. how culture and setting will form our sense of trials

We need to see the interaction between Scripture, Spirit, Salvation (Body, Spirit etc.)

Offer the permission to lament and be confused

Tanya Luhrmann, TED Talk on her anthropological study of Vineyard churches and how people hear God: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DloTO-SwFZA

Providence and Prayer: How God works in the world