Renovation of the Heart

1.Willard argues that spiritual formation is not a specialty topic for advanced or mystically inclined Christians — it is the normal calling of every believer. Does the way your church or community talk about discipleship reflect this? What does it emphasize instead?

1.Willard describes spiritual disciplines as 'activities of mind and body purposefully undertaken, to bring our whole person into effective cooperation with the divine order.' How does this definition differ from thinking of disciplines as religious duties or ways of earning favor?

1.Willard argues that the body is not a prison for the soul but an essential part of who we are, and that bodily habits powerfully shape our spiritual condition. How does this challenge any dualism you may have absorbed — the idea that the spiritual and physical are unrelated?

1.Willard defines the mind as including not just conscious thoughts but also our images, patterns of thinking, information, and what he calls our 'orientation' — the deep framework through which we interpret everything. Before this chapter, how did you think of the mind in relation to spiritual formation?

1.Willard describes the will as 'the executive center of the self' — the faculty that chooses, directs, and commits. In your experience, does the will feel like a reliable captain of your inner life, or does it feel more like Paul's description in Romans 7 — knowing the good but not doing it?

1.Willard argues that emotions are not simply things that happen to us — they are deeply connected to our beliefs, desires, and will, and they can be formed and reformed over time. Does that match your experience? Have your emotions ever genuinely changed as your beliefs or habits changed?

1.Willard argues that the 'social dimension' of human life — our relationships, communities, and social identities — is one of the six dimensions that must be transformed, not just the context in which transformation happens. How does recognizing this change how you think about church, friendship, and family?

1.Willard defines the soul as the dimension of human life that 'organizes all the other dimensions of the self around God.' This is distinct from the popular understanding of soul as simply the spiritual part that survives death. How does Willard's definition expand your understanding of what the soul is and does?

1.Willard argues that the dimensions of the self (will, mind, body, emotions, social life, soul) are deeply interconnected — transformation in one area affects the others, and neglect in one area sabotages the others. Can you identify a time when growth in one area of your life produced unexpected growth in another?

1.Willard uses the word 'curriculum' deliberately — he wants us to think of spiritual formation as something that has content and a plan, not just good intentions. What is your current 'curriculum' for becoming more like Christ? Is it intentional and structured, or largely accidental?

1.Willard argues that individual spiritual formation cannot be fully sustained in isolation — the church is the indispensable context for formation. At the same time, the church itself needs renovation. How do you hold both of those truths together without becoming either a lone-wolf Christian or a passive consumer waiting for your church to change?

1.Willard writes that spiritual formation is 'the normal Christian life' — not an advanced option for the particularly devout. After reading this book, do you agree? What in your background or church culture has made this feel like an optional extra?

1.Willard points to a range of classical spiritual disciplines — Scripture reading and meditation, prayer, fasting, solitude, worship, service, confession, and celebration. Which of these have you practiced most regularly? Which have you never seriously attempted?

1.Which chapter or dimension of spiritual formation (will, mind, body, emotions, social life, soul) was most challenging or surprising to you? What did it surface in you that you weren't expecting?