On the Holiness Tradition

From Dallas Willard in Renovation of the Heart: Spiritual Transformation into Christlikeness is the process of forming the inner world of the human self in such a way that it takes on the character of the inner being of Jesus himself. The result is that the "outer" life of trhe individual increasingly becomes a natural expression of the inner reality of Jesus and of his teachings. Doing what he said and did increasingly becomes a part of who we are.

But for this to happen our body must increasingly be poised (my emphasis) to do what is good and refrain from what is evil. The inclination to worngdoing that literally inhabit its parts must be eliminated. The body must come to serve us as a primary ally in Christlikeness.

For good or evil, the body lies right at the center of the of the spiritual life...

pg. 159 From Transforming the body

Concerning Bumpy Wheels

I'm still thinking about the first chapter in our Spiritual Formation workbook. Remember the diagram that looked like a wheel? We were supposed to rate ourselves from one to ten in each of the six traditions. Inevitably we'd feel more at home in some than in others. Below the wheel, the workbook asked us, "How many feel that your 'wheel' goes bump, bump? What does that bumping make you want to do?"

The workbook seems to imply that all of us should be trying to get more comfortable and accomplished in all six areas. Do you think that's true? Why or why not?

I'm going to get a little odd here and ask Phil NOT to comment on this one right away. Phil, you've been a believer for a long time and are our spiritual leader, and are newly ordained as of today! Being a teacher myself, I know that when the teacher gives an opinion, most students simply accept that opinion and hesitate to express their own thoughts.

So, everybody else--what do you think?