Whether you’ve been following Jesus for a long time or a short time, you probably know that we are somehow and in some way being transformed into the likeness of Jesus, but I’ve found that this process oft en feels like a mystery. What am I supposed to be doing here? What is God’s part in this process? Does anyone know?
Earlier this year, as I brought these questions to a new Practicing the Way group, I was encouraged to learn that none of us feel like we know how this transformation process works! We all feel like we are failing—or at the very least, we’re scoring average—at following Jesus. As we learned together, there was a sense of “Me, too! I can’t do this alone. Let’s keep going together!” It was good for my own heart.
This fall, multiple Practicing the Way groups will launch at Schweitzer. The curriculum teaches how we are formed into either the world’s likeness or Christ’s likeness. Together, each group will learn how to apprentice under Jesus. Th is means learning to be disciples and discovering what it looks like to say yes to his way day aft er day, year aft er year. Each group will have its own personality and will feature time for communal refl ection, video teaching, and discussion.
As I prepare to lead a group, my prayer for all who are participating is this, “Jesus, give us a fire in our bellies to apprentice under you with our whole selves. Give us gravity in our souls to sink deeper into a transforming relationship with you. Help us be malleable in your hands as you mold us into your image.”