When people ask me, “What do you do?” I’m honestly not always quite sure what the best answer is.
I usually reply something like, “I’m a writer and preacher, and I work with a community center in Costa Rica.” All of this is true; but it’s just the places or ways I do what I really do, which is spiritual formation.
My work and ministry–my vocation–is creating spaces for people to spiritually formed. Formed into the likeness of Jesus, transformed by the power of Holy Spirit. Re-formed into who God created them to be.
Through my writing, my preaching, and work around the world, my goal is the same: simply spiritual formation.
So, “What do you do?”
- I write blogs and devotionals about how God is always present with us–in the small, daily tasks and the big ones. Formation happens here.
- I preach sermons in churches, retreats, conferences, and camps that help people understand how God really is interested in their flourishing–all of Scripture reveals God as one who loves so intensely, beyond what we can imagine! Formation happens here.
- I teach spiritual practices, which are simply invitations from God or to God, leading us to better know him and ourselves. Formation happens here.
All of this–really, everything I write, preach, or teach–is rooted in Genesis 1:27. “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Because everything in life and faith begins with this simple, deeply profound truth that you are made in God’s image.
Identity is everything. It’s who we are, what we do, how we perceive the world, the way we show up to life, how we dress, what we say, where we live, how we make choices; the list is seemingly infinite.
There’s much more I could write about that; but this blog post isn’t about me. It’s about you. More specifically, it’s an invitation to you.
For the past three years, Cyndi Staudt and I have teamed up to create online and in-person experiences rooted in God’s love and being made in his image. At the beginning of the year, we spend a week in Costa Rica on a Sabbath-and-serve trip (save the date for January 18-25, 2027). In the fall, we hold a 1-day women’s conference about abiding in God’s love.
And in just a couple weeks–beginning June 1–is our Summer Soul Camp, a 4-week online journey of spiritual renewal. Think of it like a Vacation Bible School but for grown-ups! In each week we focus on a spiritual practice, such as Creative Worship, Confession, Service, and Celebration. With daily prompts for prayer and journaling and a Scripture reading plan, there’s a simple invitation to spiritual formation each day.
This year’s theme is “Everyday Sacred” and it’s an invitation to just that–to see that everyday is sacred because God is. It’s not overspiritualizing or trying to make something holy that isn’t; it’s the discovery of a deeper gratitude, a deeper reverence for all things that God created.
We hold Summer Soul Camp each year for several reasons, but for me, it comes back to that initial question, “What do you do?” Answer, “Simply, spiritual formation.”
Come, be formed. In the quiet places. With community. Through spiritual practices. To see that everyday might just be sacred.
Registration is open; we start June 1!
