Christian Formation from the Inside-out

The Lord said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power

is made perfect in weakness." Therefore

I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may

rest on me. – 2 Corinthians 12:9

Christian Formation from the Inside-Out

“Who you are matters more than what you teach.” - Brené Brown

“You have forgotten your first love.” – Revelation 2:4

Do you love ME? – John 21

Henry Nouwen

In our world of loneliness and despair, there is an enormous need for men and women who know the heart of God, a heart that forgives, that cares, that reaches out and wants to heal. In that heart there is no

suspicion, no vindication, no resentment, and not a tinge of hatred. It is a heart that wants only to give love and receive love in

response. (In the Name of Jesus, 24)

What are we called to do as disciples of Jesus Christ?

Who are we called to be as disciples of Jesus Christ?

Who are we called to BE?

As formation leaders, we are called to be lights in the midst of a dark world, not

through the means of our own cleverness, holiness, effort, strength or strategy, but rather as the grace, mercy, and love of

Jesus Christ flow into our lives in the midst of our weakness and brokenness, so much

so that we cannot help but be vessels through which the grace, mercy, and love of Jesus flows out of us and into other people.

The Biblical Basis

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one already approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed. – 2 Tim 2:15

“It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives inside of me and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” – Gal 2:20

“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” – Luke 12:32

The World’s Anti-grace Message

“I have an iron will, and all of my will has always been to conquer some horrible feeling of

inadequacy.  I push past one spell of it and discover myself as a special human being, and

then I get to another stage and think I'm mediocre and uninteresting, again and again. 

My drive in life is from this horrible fear of being mediocre. And that's always pushing me,

pushing me. Because even though I've become somebody, I still have to prove I'm somebody. My struggle has never ended and it probably

never will.” 

Men and Shame

The rules: don’t fail, be wrong, or ever make a mistake.

Where are the male Sunday school teachers?

“If you are not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with anything original.” – Sire Ken Robinson

Webster’s (worldly) definition of a saint1. Any person of exceptional holiness of life2. A person of great holiness, virtue, or

benevolence

A saint is someone without flaws, deficiencies, and

weakness.

A saint is someone that knows the grace, mercy, and love of

Jesus in the midst of their weakness.

Thomas Merton

If we know how great is the love of Jesus for us we will never be afraid to go to him in all our

poverty, all our weakness, all our spiritual wretchedness and infirmity. Indeed, when we understand the true nature of his love for us,

we will prefer to come to him poor and helpless. We will never be ashamed of our

distress. Distress is to our advantage when we have nothing to seek but mercy. We can be

glad of our helplessness when we really believe that His power is make perfect in our infirmity.

TWO VOICES

Voice one: hide, deny, and minimize your brokenness and darkness. Point it out in others so you never have to face it in yourself.

Voice two: embrace your brokenness and experience Jesus’ grace, mercy, and love in the midst of it.

Who am I?

Who am I?

Watch opening scene of the movie Ray

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkmvuV6PK20

Questions for Reflection

When someone we love “falls,” what is typically our default, instinctual response?

What does this movie clip imply about the nature of love?

In what sense are we like young Ray? In what sense is God like Ray’s mom?

Is growth possible without increasing our threshold for other people’s pain? Without

increasing our threshold for our own pain?

Who are we called to be?

ThankYou