Soul Training
Resource Page
Soul Training Exercises (also known as Spiritual Disciplines) are a means that God uses to extend his grace to us and grow us. Spiritual growth is not simply an individual pursuit, but individuals do need to cooperate. A player on a basketball team needs to practice his or her individual skills, but they do so for the sake of the team.
Spring 2017
Soul Training is our word for what most people know of as Spiritual Disciplines. They are specific practices that train our soul to be better able to have an ongoing relationship with God. This message outlines why we do Soul Training.
Scripture is more than just a source of information about God. It helps us know God and align our lives with how God created us. So, don't just read Scripture, we submit our lives and allow it shape our story.
Prayer is a central practice for Christians. There are many ways to do it, but this week walks us through Jesus' model for prayer.
Humility is not the same as low self-esteem. To have humility is to acknowledge your reality--both gifts and limitations and being willing to put others' needs ahead of your own. This doesn't come naturally for anyone, but the practices of service and submission help us develop Christ-like humility.
Fasting is a practice that has fallen out of favor in our over-indulgent society. Fasting helps us break the bondage of comfort and allows us to find peace in God alone.
In a day where more people are "spiritual but not religious," Christian community has taken a back seat in many people's minds. But Christian community isn't an option. Christians are by definition part of God's community. This message explores why and how we can live in Christian community.
A Rule of Life is a plan that helps put our Soul Training practices together. It encourages us to consider all the practices, our place in life and what we need at this moment. From these insights, we make space in our lives to cultivate the ongoing presence of God.
Fall 2020
In Soul Training 2.0, we turned out attention to the practices of community. As a church, the goal is to have God at the center of everything we do. The practice of corporate worship helps us reorient ourselves to God's gracious work and care for us.
Scripture is more than just a source of information about God. It helps us know God and align our lives with how God created us. So, don't just read Scripture, we submit our lives and allow it shape our story. This week, we revisit what it means to be shaped by Scripture.
Many say the beginning of the Church happened on Pentecost when the Holy Spirit entered the believers in the upper room in Jerusalem. Whether or not we say this is the beginning of the Church, one thing is clear; the Holy Spirit is the power behind the Church. This week looks at how our church can become a Spirit-empowered community.
The pattern of this world is to be distracted and busy, obsessed with productivity. But it is also stressed and burdened. Fortunately, God created an alternative to this pattern--its called Sabbath. Sabbath is not a burdensome command, but an act of grace from God. This week, we learn more about the purpose of Sabbath and how to practice it well.
When we think about hospitality, we think about nice place settings and home decor. But biblical hospitality is to "welcome the stranger." Learn more about this practice that is at the heart of how believers are called to live.
Spring 2023
Soul Training is about more than just training our minds. It's about training our body, desires and emotions so we might think like Jesus, act like Jesus and feel like Jesus. Join us for this introduction to Soul Training.
Slowing (Solitude)
In our world today, most people are prone to one of two destructive cousins--busyness and distraction. This week we explore why its critical for us to slow down and learn a simple way to do it.
Too many of us live unexamined lives. We coast through life taking the path of least resistance. The prayer of examen can help wake us up to the love of God and the life he desires for us.
More and more we are learning the our brains thrive on joy and falter in its absence. But we can't become joyful by trying to be joyful. Instead, the doorway to joy is through gratitude. This week, Pastor Kory shows us a practice that can help us find joy.
Attachment love is the most powerful force in the universe. For good or ill, most of us do what we do because of our attachments. This week, we explore God's attachment love toward us and how we can learn to attach to God and others.
Thriving in our faith requires a strong and healthy community. But communities are not automatically healthy. They take everyone doing our part. In this message, pastor Kory outlines five critical habits of healthy communities.