When these courses are run consecutively, they make up the School of Formation.
The Spectacular Ordinary Life
Session one: Encountering God
The most important person in the world is God. If we are going to live our ordinary lives in a spectacular way we need to encounter the love and design of the Father, the transforming life of Jesus and the energy and friendship of the Holy Spirt. We are made in God’s image and to live well we need to have our lives shaped by God.
Session two: Our Story
Many people live disorientated lives because they have lost their way in the world. In this session we go through the story of creation, fall, incarnation, redemption, ascension and hope. We see how each of these themes shape our lives, even if we are unaware of their existence. We also see how living this story to the full sets us in the right direction so that we can live spectacularly well in the middle of our ordinary lives.
Session three: Our Lives
How do we know if we are living a flourishing life? Is there a map that will help us know if we are on the right road? In this session we focus on three areas that are pivotal if we are going to flourish and have Jesus-shaped lives – intimacy with God, living in commmunity and moving out into the world. If we want Jesus-shaped lives each of these areas will need to be developing well. Great life is always Jesus-shaped.
Living Second Choice
Session one: Engaging our Second Choice World
Our everyday worlds are often places of second choice. How do we live life well when it’s not as we want? We will need to understand the world in which we live, seek to avoid isolation, merge our agenda and spirituality and seek to live a full life through the circumstances in which we are placed.
Session two: Responding to our Second Choice World
How do you respond to the people or circumstances that have caused your second choice world? In this session we will see that prayer, relationship with God, courage and understanding of how authority works all play vital roles in dealing with the causes of dislocation. Vital to this will be our ability to allow God to do what He wants to do when He wants to do it.
Session three: Flourishing through Second Choice
Together we will embark on the journey from second choice world through to a full flourishing life. We will have to recognise and work with trouble in all of its guises, knowing we are being shaped for a purpose and with a clear grasp of the future. We will also identify seven practical themes that will give us wisdom on the journey.
Courageous Living
Session one: The Way of Courage
In this session we will see that the way God moves is always from death to life. God is always taking us from the deepest grave to the fullest life. There is no family, organisation or country that cannot be transformed by courageous resurrection life. We will see that rather than just living cynically or naively we can live the ‘Resurrection’ that brings us courage, hope and the fullest possible life.
Session two: Moving into Courageous Life
How do you avoid spiritual decay and get into a courageous life? We will see that living a permanent ‘yes’ towards God; patience to wait; off-centred listening and the articulation of truth all play their part. God’s initiatives and our response shape the sort of life we will live, but there are choices to be made if we are to encounter the dynamic of resurrection life.
Session three: Fear and Courageous Life
A life lived outside of Resurrection life tends towards fear. Fear blurs our vision and restricts all we do, so how do we escape fear? When the resurrected Jesus comes he brings peace; reverses the direction established by fear; breathes life into the dead and cultivates the deepest friendship. All of these things strike at the heart of our fears as we ‘spear into the fear’.
These Formation courses are quite flexible in delivery and can be tailored to the needs of your people and organisation. Typically these courses run over one day but can also be divided into smaller segments or expanded to allow for deeper application.
If you are interested in running the School of Formation in your church or organisation, please Contact Us.