by Dallas Willard

Currently there is much interest in spiritual disciplines and the process of spiritual formation. This derives from a sense of our urgent need for mental and emotional health, as well as spiritual depth, and from the simultaneous realization that recent standard practice of American Christianity is not meeting that need. Many serious and thoughtful Christians are looking for ways into an intelligent and powerful Christlikeness that can inform their entire existence and not just produce special religious moments. Practices and concepts that have had a long life in the Christian past are being experienced and explored anew, and many involved in the field of psychology are taking a professional interest in them and in the soul.

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Have you ever had the experience where a smell fills your nostrils, so you begin to seek out where it is coming from … and it’s coming from nowhere? Or you begin to have this overpowering taste in your mouth for some type of food you haven’t eaten in months? Maybe you’ve had the experience of being asleep, then suddenly being awakened with this incredible realization, some amazing truth that could impact your life in some positive way. I call these and other such experiences “manifestations.”

Read the rest of the article at Relevant Magazine

1. Satisfy Your Soul by Bruce Demarest
2. The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard
3. Can You Hear Me by Brad Jersak
4. Living by the Book by Howard Hendricks

my spiritual formation list at amazon.com

“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears… He will bring glory to Me by taking what is Mine, and making it known to you.” – John 16:13-14

“What if we took like 2000 plastic easter eggs and filled them with candy and a message bringing students to EveryStudent.com?” I said to Bill, the leader of the Media Team. “That’s a great idea! Let’s do it. So when’s Easter this year?” Bill responded. “Uhh, it’s in less than a week.”

So with only a few days to plan, we purchased 167 dozen plastic easter eggs (that was the strangest purchase I ever made on the internet), $70 worth of candy, and designed, printed and cut 2000 slips of paper with a message on it. Last night 25 students came to a house off of Park Avenue to stuff the eggs. Then at 6:30 a.m., dozens of students went on a covert mission to “hide” the eggs all over campus in classrooms. We were going to do it outside, but then came this big snowstorm to foil our plans.

My hope is that students come in droves to EveryStudent.com, a university website that is available to just about every college student in the world. (If you’re not familiar with it, I’d recommend you go online and see for yourself.) Students are greeted with an encouraging message: “Welcome to EveryStudent.com—a safe place to explore issues about college, life, and what it might be like to know God. Glad you came.” Then, with video testimonies, articles, question and answer capability and more, students are drawn to explore life issues and God.

Here’s some examples of what students are saying about the site. For instance:

“I had seen EveryStudent.com advertised on campus. The first time I went to the website, I found myself reading article after article. Then I came across the prayer to invite Jesus into your heart. I had never heard of that. I was blown away that I could actually have a relationship with God. I remember sitting there… just praying and crying, I was so happy. It was something that I had never thought about, that God could be living within me.” — University of Virginia student

Wow! She never expected God to meet her there; she was just curious. And she is not unique. In just the first two weeks of March, there were 45,000 visitors to the site. Worldwide, nearly 500 students every month are indicating that they’ve received Christ while on EveryStudent.com.

Please pray that Penn State Students would visit the site and investigate what it means to have a relationship with Christ.

Hey Everybody. We wanted to let you know that our March newsletter is out now. You can download it right now, by clicking on the picture here. While you are here, let us know how you are doing by dropping a quick email to Ben or Kelly. Thanks for your prayers and support for our ministry. We wouldn’t be able to do things that we do with out you.

I picked up this book when I was a student at Penn State. Even though it is a thousand pages, by far it is my most favorite book. I’ve read it twice and encourage all my guys to pick up a copy to read it thoroughly. Systematic Theology answers the question, “what does the Bible teach about ____?” Wayne gathers the key passages that teach on each topic and present the issues in question on each topic with clear, balanced, and respectful responses. Each chapter can stand alone, so this makes an excellent reference, but I do encourage you to read it cover to cover. Personally, Wayne Grudem is a humble man who has a heart for God and is easy to understand and respect.

Favorite Movies

• Lord of the Rings
• Dumb and Dumber
• Braveheart
• Tommy Boy

Favorite Music

• Jazz
• Classical
• Shane Barnard
• Bebo Norman