As we think and talk about spiritual practices and the spiritual disciplines, I find it helpful to hear how others pray. From the incredible prayers in Scripture to the prayers of the saints across the ages, listening in on the great cloud of witnesses and then incorporating their words into my personal liturgy provides encouragement and support.

In honor to the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, our brilliant (and thoughtful) managing editor Joannah Sadler suggested that we share a gift with our readers. In Issue 8.2 of Conversations Journal, Ruth Haley Barton of the Transforming Center wrote a moving piece on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life of contemplation and action. Below is the text of that article in its entirety, as well as a link to the PDF, should you prefer to read it with the design elements in place.

May the incredible story of King’s life of faith speak to you today.

Join the Conversation: Stories of Change

Front Page

by Tara Owens

Transformational Theology

by David Benner

by Richard Rohr

Honesty About the Journey

Getting Naked With The Friends Of Jesus

DEAR READER,
Like any group or organization, the staff of Conversations Journal has our own jargon. Some of them are original (like the way we respond to Gary’s jokes during conference calls) and some of them are lifted liberally from respected friends and colleagues. You’ll find one such phrase—“the elephant in the sanctuary”—frequently in the pages of this issue, and we have to admit that we stole it from Dallas Willard.

Both he and we use that phrase to refer to the issue of “non-transformation” in the body of Christ. This issue of Conversations not only aims to make that elephant a little more visible (and a little harder to ignore), we hope that it will provide examples and experiences of transformation that will refuse that elephant reentry. We, like you, desperately want change. We want to be transformed ever increasingly into Christlikeness. We know you do, too.

We extend the invitation, as we do in each issue of the journal, to join in the conversation, this time about how we change. We want to hear your stories. How have you seen change in your life? Where have you been frustrated by its absence? Where are you seeing Christ’s work take root within you? Your family? Your church?

“Verbicide,” C. S. Lewis writes in his excellent collection of lectures called Studies in Words, “the murder of a word, happens in many ways.” Lewis goes on to explain that there are a few more common ways that words are murdered: inflation (using “sadism” for “cruelty,” as an example) or verbiage (using a word in a way that implies a promise that will never be kept; for example, describing something as “significant” without any reference to what it might signify). Over the last five years, we’ve been witnessing just such a crime. It has, sadly, been a corruption in parts, a slow death that has gone almost unnoticed by all but the most observant. The victim: the verb “to follow.”

To wit, ask yourself what it means to follow something or someone. Think about the ways you’ve last used that word, whether you were referring to watching your favorite television series, like Lost, or being the dedicated fan of a band, like U2. Do you participate in social network sites, such as Facebook or Twitter?

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DEAR READER,

Our vision for every issue of this publication is to create the kind of environment in which you’re not only invited to listen in on a conversation about spiritual things, but also feel free to pull up a chair and enter the discussion. The guiding image for the journal is the inspiration for this kind of conversation: seven large leather chairs arranged in front of a large wooden table before a crackling fireplace. That’s where we believe true transformation begins, when God is invited into conversation—with us and through us. This regular feature is just one way that you can “join the conversation.” We hope that through it, we will all be transformed more deeply into His likeness.

This particular topic, A Call to Spiritual Formation, is of obvious interest to us—and we’d love to hear what you think. Facilitated by a small group in Denver, Colorado, this document was originally drafted by 150 people across the Church and then crafted by approximately 50 individuals at the RENOVARÉ International Conference in July 2009. Its purpose is to bring to the forefront “the absolute necessity of an intentional process of spiritual formation for each and every Christian.”

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