Richard Foster on spiritual formation today

This is a very challenging article especially to those of us who support the idea of helping people to find their true calling and natural prayer-styles. It can so easily be subverted to the easy consumerist spirituality without discipleship that he mentions. It reminds me that there is a proper place for challenge and [in life coahc parlance] making requests of someone that would stretch them. Of course if our focus as soul-friends/SDers is the welfare and growth of the befriended /seeker, then we should be willing to do this. This is where the image of coach can help: a sports coach actually can be quite strict and put the trainee through quite difficult and painful exercises in the pursuit of excellence. While it is true that a life coach is far less directive than many a sports' coach, nevertheless the issuing of a challenge is an important part of the process and the idea that the coach keeps faith with the agenda of the client even when the client wants to blob is an important lesson to learn -or be reminded of- from life coaching. Of course the further dimension in soul-befriending is that of God's will [even though there may be considerable confluence between that and the unfolding of the person's own god-given gifts and potential]. Are we prepared to hold someone accountable for their own intent of pursuing God's will even when they want to blob on it? I think we have to be though the way we do it is crucial. Again the life-coaching model has much to offer: questioning, noticing the diparity and calling it into explicit attention and asking for comment and sticking with the awkwardness and even pain of wrestling with the disparity.



I certainly don't want to be in the position of proclaiming peace when there is no peace ...