10 Sep Reading for Themes COLLAPSE Top of Form Reading for Themes The dictionary defines Ecology as a set of relationships existing between organisms and their environment and an Ecosystem as a community of interacting organisms and their physical environment. In Ecologies of Faith in a Digital Age: Spiritual Growth Through Online Education, authors, Steven D. Lowe and Mary E. Lowe describes The Ecological Motif in Scripture. I found that the concept of Ecological Images of Growth gave insight to me personally and as a leader. As a leader, I understand that biblical ecology starts with the book of Genesis. However, Lowe shows us in Psalms104 that there is a divinely orchestrated Ecosystem where “everything is connected to everything else” (Lowe, 2018, p.27). When we look at 1 Corinthians 3:6, Paul states, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.” This scripture broadens my intellect to the Ecological Images of Growth through the illustration of trees. Lowe shows us, according to Psalm 1:1-3, there is a comparison between the ecology of trees and the righteous person. We find in this scripture that the tree can’t grow on its own. In order for the tree to produce fruit in its season, it needs to be planted by the streams of water and be rooted and grounded in the soil that has been prepared for it to prosper. Therefore, the tree has to have interaction with other sources that will provide the tree to produce fruit in its season. Just as the tree needs interrelationships with creation, I as a person and as a leader need and interwoven connection with the Holy Spirit in order to produce fruit and flourish in righteousness. When I have full dependence on God, then my spiritual roots will be deeply planted in His grace, which will produce fruit in my life. In Foundations of Spiritual Formation, author Paul Petitt has contributor Richard Averbeck share on Worship and Spiritual Formation. Averbeck says, “When we have God at the center of our vision, then our life looks different” (Petitt, 2018, p.25). This particular theme was helpful to me because I believe when you have a close relationship with Jesus Christ, then a transformation begins to take place in your whole life. That transformation brings forth a spiritual formation that includes maturity within yourself, with others and with God. When the spiritual formation is in operation, then there is a mighty presence of God that is released upon you that causes you to bow down on your knees and call upon your Righteous King. John 4:23-24 says, “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” When I allow the Holy Spirit to work and transform my humanistic side, then I can experience a direct interactive connection to God that will reveal the deep things of God. Reading both Ecological Images of Growth and Foundations of Spiritual Formation gave me an in-depth transformative understanding of how John 15:4-5 says, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” References Bibles, H. (2007). Holy bible: Kjv complete bible. Hendrickson Pub. Lowe, Stephen D. , 1949- (author.) & Lowe, Stephen D. , 1949- (author.). (2018). Ecologies of faith in a digital age: Spiritual growth through online education. Intervarsity Press,. Petitt, P., & Richard Averbeck. (2018). Foundations of Spiritual Formation. Kregel Publications . Bottom of Form Toney cox Themes From The Text COLLAPSE Top of Form Reading both assignments in our text provided a great window into the idea of formation through ecologies. First, in the Pettit text I found the concept of connectedness of human life to be helpful to me as a leader (Pettit, 2008, p. 73). During my time as a pastor, I have continuously been concerned with the difficulty, generally speaking, of leading people to understand the importance of the corporate church gathering. This has only been escalated by the Coivd-19 pandemic. Overall, it has been my experience even while seeing church growth that there is a strong individualized mentality in terms of Christian formation. Further, many seem to have the mentality of personal devotion which excludes the need for corporate interaction. While doing a community outreach at my previous church, for example, this was underscored by one lady saying to me, “Honey, I do my praying at home by myself. I don’t go to church.” This is a common strong opinion of individualism that we hear so often. However, the text points to the likely source of this disconnect that we see stemming from the rise of individualism in culture, brought on by the urbanization of communities (Petitt, 2008, p. 73). As the author states, we have seen in culture an, “unbridled individualism” (Petitt, 2008, p. 73). Recognizing that this is perhaps a cultural aspect ingrained into the thinking of people due to urbanization, helps me grasp as a leader where this non-biblical church mentality stems from. Second, I learned a similarly related concept of formation in the vein of ecologies. I must admit this is a new thought in my mind, however, now that it has been explained I can easily see the interconnectedness of the human experience to all things in the world. More specifically, the author made an impactful point showing how Jesus taught in parables concerning the ecology of formation. Within this vein of thought, he revealed how Jesus shows that formation cannot be forced, but rather leadership can only set the conditions for it to transpire, “The parable teaches us that we cannot make anything grow on our own. We can only set the ecological conditions for growth. The farmer fulfills his or her role and God fulfills his. The farmer ‘casts seed upon the ground,’ and he ‘puts in the sickle’ when the harvest is ready. The soil does its work silently while the farmer goes about his daily activities (Lowe and Lowe, 2018, p. 42). This is helpful to me as a leader, because I tend to absorb complete self-blame for the failure of some church member’s discipleship. While there are obvious responsibilities on our end to make the conditions apt for growth, this has showed me in a fresh form that the actual growth is out of my hands. References Lowe, S., Lowe, M. (2018). Ecologies of Faith in a Digital Age: Spiritual Growth Through Online Education. Intervarsity Press. Pettit, P. 2008. Foundations of Spiritual Formation. Kregel Publications. Bottom of Form

Reading for Themes

COLLAPSE

Top of Form

Reading for Themes

The dictionary defines Ecology as a set of relationships existing between organisms and their environment and an Ecosystem as a community of interacting organisms and their physical environment. In Ecologies of Faith in a Digital Age: Spiritual Growth Through Online Education, authors, Steven D. Lowe and Mary E. Lowe describes The Ecological Motif in Scripture. I found that the concept of Ecological Images of Growth gave insight to me personally and as a leader.

As a leader, I understand that biblical ecology starts with the book of Genesis. However, Lowe shows us in Psalms104 that there is a divinely orchestrated Ecosystem where “everything is connected to everything else” (Lowe, 2018, p.27).  When we look at 1 Corinthians 3:6, Paul states, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.” This scripture broadens my intellect to the Ecological Images of Growth through the illustration of trees.  Lowe shows us, according to Psalm 1:1-3, there is a comparison between the ecology of trees and the righteous person. We find in this scripture that the tree can’t grow on its own. In order for the tree to produce fruit in its season, it needs to be planted by the streams of water and be rooted and grounded in the soil that has been prepared for it to prosper. Therefore, the tree has to have interaction with other sources that will provide the tree to produce fruit in its season. Just as the tree needs interrelationships with creation, I as a person and as a leader need and interwoven connection with the Holy Spirit in order to produce fruit and flourish in righteousness.  When I have full dependence on God, then my spiritual roots will be deeply planted in His grace, which will produce fruit in my life.

In Foundations of Spiritual Formation, author Paul Petitt has contributor Richard Averbeck share on Worship and Spiritual Formation. Averbeck says, “When we have God at the center of our vision, then our life looks different” (Petitt, 2018, p.25). This particular theme was helpful to me because I believe when you have a close relationship with Jesus Christ, then a transformation begins to take place in your whole life. That transformation brings forth a spiritual formation that includes maturity within yourself, with others and with God. When the spiritual formation is in operation, then there is a mighty presence of God that is released upon you that causes you to bow down on your knees and call upon your Righteous King.

John 4:23-24 says, “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” When I allow the Holy Spirit to work and transform my humanistic side, then I can experience a direct interactive connection to God that will reveal the deep things of God. Reading both Ecological Images of Growth and Foundations of Spiritual Formation gave me an in-depth transformative understanding of how John 15:4-5 says, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

 

 

References

Bibles, H. (2007). Holy bible: Kjv complete bible. Hendrickson Pub.

Lowe, Stephen D. , 1949- (author.) & Lowe, Stephen D. , 1949- (author.). (2018). Ecologies of faith in a digital age: Spiritual growth through online education. Intervarsity Press,.

Petitt, P., & Richard Averbeck. (2018). Foundations of Spiritual Formation. Kregel Publications .

 

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Toney cox

Themes From The Text

COLLAPSE

Top of Form

           Reading both assignments in our text provided a great window into the idea of formation through ecologies. First, in the Pettit text I found the concept of connectedness of human life to be helpful to me as a leader (Pettit, 2008, p. 73). During my time as a pastor, I have continuously been concerned with the difficulty, generally speaking, of leading people to understand the importance of the corporate church gathering. This has only been escalated by the Coivd-19 pandemic.

            Overall, it has been my experience even while seeing church growth that there is a strong individualized mentality in terms of Christian formation. Further, many seem to have the mentality of personal devotion which excludes the need for corporate interaction.

            While doing a community outreach at my previous church, for example, this was underscored by one lady saying to me, “Honey, I do my praying at home by myself. I don’t go to church.” This is a common strong opinion of individualism that we hear so often.  

            However, the text points to the likely source of this disconnect that we see stemming from the rise of individualism in culture, brought on by the urbanization of communities (Petitt, 2008, p. 73). As the author states, we have seen in culture an, “unbridled individualism” (Petitt, 2008, p. 73). Recognizing that this is perhaps a cultural aspect ingrained into the thinking of people due to urbanization, helps me grasp as a leader where this non-biblical church mentality stems from.

            Second, I learned a similarly related concept of formation in the vein of ecologies. I must admit this is a new thought in my mind, however, now that it has been explained I can easily see the interconnectedness of the human experience to all things in the world.

More specifically, the author made an impactful point showing how Jesus taught in parables concerning the ecology of formation. Within this vein of thought, he revealed how Jesus shows that formation cannot be forced, but rather leadership can only set the conditions for it to transpire, “The parable teaches us that we cannot make anything grow on our own. We can only set the ecological conditions for growth. The farmer fulfills his or her role and God fulfills his. The farmer ‘casts seed upon the ground,’ and he ‘puts in the sickle’ when the harvest is ready. The soil does its work silently while the farmer goes about his daily activities (Lowe and Lowe, 2018, p. 42).

This is helpful to me as a leader, because I tend to absorb complete self-blame for the failure of some church member’s discipleship. While there are obvious responsibilities on our end to make the conditions apt for growth, this has showed me in a fresh form that the actual growth is out of my hands.

 

 

References

Lowe, S., Lowe, M. (2018). Ecologies of Faith in a Digital Age: Spiritual Growth

Through Online Education. Intervarsity Press.

Pettit, P. 2008. Foundations of Spiritual Formation. Kregel Publications.

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