We are all made with a deep desire to be in God’s presence and to become our true selves in light of God's grace. Books from IVP Formatio follow the rich tradition of the church in the journey of spiritual formation. For spiritual directors, retreat leaders, and contemplative Christians alike, IVP Formatio titles facilitate deep and formative spiritual growth through spiritual disciplines and tools like the Enneagram.
According to pastor and spiritual director Casey Tygrett, how we hold and carry our memories—good and bad—is a part of what forms us spiritually. In this way we have a common bond with the people of Scripture who also had a sensory life. In these pages Tygrett explores the power of memory and offers biblical texts and practices to guide us in bringing our memories to God for spiritual transformation.
The spiritual journey takes unexpected turns for the women of Sensible Shoes in this third book of the series. Having been challenged to persevere in hope, can they now embrace the joy of complete surrender? Join these four women in a poignant story that reveals the joy that comes from laying our lives at the feet of God and standing barefoot on holy ground.
In this study guide for Barefoot, the third book of the Sensible Shoes series, you'll find twelve weeks of daily Scripture readings, reflection questions, and invitations to prayer, with weekly discussion questions and practices for groups to do together. Each week also features a list of spiritual disciplines used by the characters that you can incorporate into your own life with God.
Number of Studies: 12
It's easy to let self-criticism become our default setting. But as we learn to pay attention to what bugs us and identify negative thinking, we can lean into the things that bring us joy. Filled with spiritual practices and creative exercises, this book from spiritual director Cindy Bunch calls us to self-care through greater compassion for ourselves.
Do you ever feel like you are walking in spiritual circles? While we might think it would be different for a Franciscan priest, Father Albert Haase shares the same struggles. Yet he also affirms that we are all called to be ordinary mystics. This book offers a daily path to help us learn to be a mystic—cultivating a life with God in which we draw close, listen, and respond moment to moment.
A little curiosity is essential to growth. In this engaging and interactive book, pastor and spiritual director Casey Tygrett explores the benefits of a healthy curiosity in our spiritual lives. When we make curiosity a spiritual practice, we open up to new ways of knowing God and knowing ourselves as well. Come and discover the power of asking questions.
Dallas Willard was a personal mentor and inspiration to hundreds of pastors, philosophers, and average churchgoers. In Gary W. Moon’s candid and inspiring biography, we read about the development of Willard's personal character, philosophical writing, and spiritual teaching, and how he has inspired some of the most influential books on spirituality of the last generation.
Ministry leader Steve Macchia has come to understand his own brokenness. Writing from his own experience, he offers the gifts of love found in 1 Corinthians 13 as the antidote to our brokenness, along with spiritual assessment tools for the leader's personal reflection. By embracing and befriending our own brokenness, we can find wholeness in God's strength.
The losses in our lives are both big and small. We leave home. We experience physical illness. We struggle with vocation. We may long for a spouse or child. We lose people we love to addiction or death. In this book spiritual director Beth Slevcove offers stories of loss from her own life along with distinctive spiritual practices that can guide us back to God.
Docent Juliet Benner began showing people how to meditate on Christian art treasures, which led to her much-beloved "O Taste and See" columns from the spiritual formation journal Conversations, now expanded into this book. In each chapter you'll encounter a passage of Scripture and a corresponding piece of art to lead you in a new experience of prayer in God's presence.