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I don’t know about you, but everywhere I turn in Christendom, I’m hearing more and more about “spiritual formation.” Church employees with the title “Director of Spiritual Formation;” websites and books instructing us in the practices of “spiritual formation;” speakers and conferences dedicated to helping people along the journey of “spiritual formation.” And, to be…

I’ve been reading the Christmas story (Luke 1:5 – 2:40) as often as I can this season. Which has only been a few times. I’ve been hung up, as I have been in Christmases past, on this Gabriel & Mary conversation that ends with Mary’s brilliant, simple, horrifying prayer in Luke 1:38:   “Behold, I…

Happy December! The Passions of Christ’s Advent Devotional Cards are back again for the 2015 advent season. The Passions cards are available in two ways: Free pdf download (perfect for reading on your e-reader device) when you subscribe via email to lifewithjocelyn.com. If you are already an email subscriber, but want the pdf link sent…

I love it because it reminds me of my brokenness. I love it because it humbles me, exactly in the place where there used to be pride that I couldn’t even see! I love it because it invites me back into the repentance (turning away from self & turning toward God) rhythms that are absolute necessity for…

At church we’re starting a study of the life and ministry of Jesus through the eyes and pen of the Gospel-writer Mark. I’ve decided to write a little bit alongside our teaching pastor – one devotional study per week. I’m calling it a devotional study because I hope that you’ll find each one to be…

Oh God, thank you for a new day – a new opportunity to learn to pray. We come to you, again, as learners — novices. We come to you as little children: trusting, seeking, needy. And so we say again, alongside your first followers: “Teach us to pray.” We think of all that you taught…

“Fools are bad.” It was a comment out of the mouth of my newly-turned 4-year-old. We were debriefing Day 2 of VBS. The theme is ‘Wisdom & Foolishness.’ I have to admit, his comment startled me. I may even have gasped a little bit out loud. Such pretension. Such confidence. Such seeds of disdain for…

I had one of those days this week. You know: those days. Maybe you did too. You know, just work and life and relationships and entropy and dirt and full and loud and chaos. And no end in sight. You know, those days when everything feels hard and nothing feels easy. I’m sure I bring as…

I spend the summers with Eugene Peterson. Not face-to-face, but face-to-page. Eugene is my spiritual mentor whose life and personality and spiritual giftedness are perhaps more starkly different from mine than any of my other mentors. He sees the world through an entirely different lens than I, and, therefore, his mentorship is invaluable to me.…

We don’t need any more volunteers in this world! We need ministers of God & His Gospel Good News. We’re all volunteers, right? Somewhere, somehow, in some way, we all give away some of our time and energy for free. Some of us volunteer lots of hours, others just a few. Some of us choose…