Form Weekly: The Holy Spirit, Diamond of Transformation + Skye Jethani
Four Things To Help Your Formation Every Week
June 3, 2024
A thought, quote, resource and question for your process of being formed into a person of love in Christ…
1. Thought:
All my cards are finally on the table. Not only do you get to see my lovely handwriting, but you get to see what I think is one of the best working theories of change which includes our final piece of the change puzzle.
Our final piece should be our first because of his centrality to our life and formation.
The Holy Spirit fuels and guides all of our narratives, practices, community and suffering. He is the center that makes everything else work towards forming us to people of love in Christ.
It’s easy for us to forget the Spirit in our daily life and pursuits. But without him everything we do in the spiritual life is empty and void. As we rework our narratives via Scripture he is the one changing and sparking our new way of thinking and viewing things like Jesus. When we practice the way of Jesus through prayer or celebration we are creating space for more of Holy Spirit in our life. Community would have a fraction of the impact without Holy Spirit’s work. He turns our suffering into meaning and peace.
We partner with the Holy Spirit so we grow in our God awareness and Christ-likeness.
When we forget our partnership we make the error of works based righteousness. This leads not to Christ-likeness but us-likeness.
In trying to describe change, Dallas Willard created the triangle of transformation. It had all of the elements of the diamond above besides suffering. James Bryan Smith added suffering (or what Dallas called the hard knocks of life since suffering can seem like too extreme of a word) and turned the triangle into a diamond.
Diamonds are multifaceted, just like our formation, and each side of the diamond allows us to interact with Jesus and see him in a different light. When you look at the whole of the diamond you see its beauty.
For us on our formation journey, we may focus on one the side of the diamond more so than others in different seasons. However, we need every side.
If you center your life on the Holy Spirit seeking to conform your narratives, practices, community and suffering to be like Christ, you are living the Christian life.
It’s that beautiful and simple and complicated all at the same time.
Just like a diamond.
2. Quote:
“Don’t worry if people like you. Be focused on liking people.” - Tom Ellsworth
I would add…learning to like people you don’t naturally like is essential to our formation…and difficult.
3. Resource:
I was back home this past week in Oxford, OH, the home of Miami University. Sky Jethani, alum of Miami, creates resources that are fresh and revitalizing for our relationship with Jesus and our way of thinking. To name a few: With God Daily, The Holy Post, and What If Jesus Was Serious? Series.
4. Question:
What side of the diamond are you focused on in this season of your life with God?
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Grace + Peace,
Jacob Vangen