Spiritual Deformation

Sharon and I are the Missionaries In Residence here at Nyack College. We consider it an honor to be working at our alma mater. We met here, courted here and even got married here!

The role of MIR is now under the Spiritual Formation department of the college. That's good. But as I consider the awesome responsibility of shaping the lives of impressionable teens and twenty-somethings, I am forced to ask myself this question, "How can I form students without being formed myself?" The answer is that I can't. Before I can ever expect to be forming the lives of others, I must be in process of being formed myself. And as I look into myself I believe there needs some "de-forming" that needs to take place before some forming can take place.

To put it another way, I need to go through God's refining fire, to melt away those attitudes that are not appropriate. In particular I need to let God burn away some critical tendencies I have noticed lately. It is so easy to criticize and so much harder to appreciate what has been done in the name of Jesus.

Pray that I allow myself to undergo the refiner's fire in this area. Pray also for me to connect with a small group with whom I can be accountable during the year.

Thanks.

Trent