Spiritual Formation
Minister's Blog
Looking for something deeper, richer in your spiritual life? Tired of worn clichés? Want to move past the surface level? Ready to wrestle with some real meat for a change?

In the sixth century, Gregory the Great wrote, “The Bible is a stream wherein the elephant may swim and the lamb may wade.” So it is with many parts of our spiritual life.

Two people can read the same verses of scripture. One scans it, “How sweet—some wonderful thoughts there.” Another rolls up his or her sleeves and goes to work on the same passage, bringing many tools from a variety of disciplines, and emerges hours/days/weeks/years later with a genuine depth of understanding.
Two people can walk into the same room for an hour of worship. One sings the songs, listens to the readings, and participates with sincerity in the various elements of the hour. The other sings the same songs, listens to the same words, takes the same Lord’s Supper, but because of his attitude and years of training in worshipful response to God, in that hour he reaches up and touches the face of God.
The links below are offered as starting places for those who wish to go deeper into the mind of Christ. The ministers and shepherds of the Elmwood church might not agree with every word on any of these websites. As with everything in life, “chew on the meat, spit out the bones.”

http://www.renovare.org Richard Foster, the originator of Renovare, writes, “God is inviting us to go on a journey into his heart and into the good life made available through Jesus: ‘I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly’ (John 10:10). But entering into this abundant life takes more than wishful thinking; it takes a well-thought-out, feasible plan.” This website contains the elements of Foster’s plan for spiritual growth.

http://www.family.org The site is endless.  Anything Dr. James Dobson is interested in is covered somewhere on this site, and his interests are wide-ranging.  Check out the book and movie reviews, FAQ on topics ranging from marriage resources to the Biblical view of homosexuality, education, child abuse, aging, links to articles and magazines on national and international issues, helps for first-time parents, resources for singles, and much, much more.

http://www.heartlight.org is an expansive website offered by the Westover Hills Church of Christ in Austin, TX “providing positive resources for daily Christian living.” Resources on this site include daily devotionals, sermons, Bible readings, book reviews, prayer suggestions, free e-cards with spiritual messages, inspirational articles, shopping pages, and much, much more.

http://www.biblegateway.com  This site is filled with Bible study aids.  Type in a word ("father," "compassion," "Andrew") and every verse that includes that word pops up.  Contains a topical index, a Bible dictionary, commentaries, a keyword search, and more.  Translations include many languages, 20 in English alone.

www.christiananswers.net This resource describes itself as a "mega-site providing biblical answers to contemporary questions for all ages and nationalities with over 30-thousand files."  If you want it, chances are it's here: studies of books, chapters, and topics of the Bible, articles on Biblical archaeology, apologetics, astronomy, creation/evolution, world religions, abortion, depression, family, finances, jobs, marriages, government, race, sex, Christian living, movie and book reviews, sales of Christian DVD's, and more.