The Real Work of Spiritual Formation and the Challenges of Discipleship

The speaker's journey in spiritual formation led to the realization that practical disciplines like Sabbath and contemplative prayer created room for deeper psycho-spiritual work, addressing issues like fear of criticism, perfectionism, and the need for control. These deeper issues drive individuals to hurry and are rooted in attachments and idols according to psychologists and Calvinists. The speaker highlights contemplative prayer, deep community, and suffering as the primary pathways toward growth, with suffering being the one done to individuals rather than chosen. The challenges in discipleship and apprenticeship within the church are underscored by statistics showing the ineffectiveness of many churches in discipleship. This prompted the speaker to focus on changing the narrative of formation and discipleship within the church through the work of their nonprofit, Practicing the Way.