Invitation to a Journey - part 5 This is part five of some excerpts and reflections from "Invitation to a Journey: a road map for spiritual formation" by M. Robert Mulholland Jr. His proposed definition of Christian spiritual formation is: "Spiritual formation is a process of being conformed to the image of Christ for the sake of others". If you have ever done a Myers Briggs personality type test you might like to look at some of the suggested preferences for the spiritual life for the standard preference pairs extraversion(E)/introversion(I), sensing(S)/intuition(I), thinking(T)/feeling(F), judgment(J)/perception(P).   Remember, people are on a continuum between these preferences and they are not right or wrong.  But they may help us understand that others may be just as spiritual as us, they just tend to approach it in a different way. Remember, Mulholland is careful to warn that psychology is no substitute for spirituality and neither is spirituality a substitute for psychology. Introvert Preference Tend to adopt models of spirituality that emphasize solitude, reflection, mediation contemplation etc.  ----  Extrovert Preference Tend to select models of spirtuality that bring us together with people in worship fellowship, prayer groups etc.  Will want corporate rather than private spirituality Intuition Preference Creative use of our imagination, recreating bible passages in mind's eye, listening to thoughts and ideas that emerge from within  ---- Sensing Preference Spiritual forms will use senses - chanting, incense, listening to inspiring music or sounds of nature, working with paint/clay may be worship, use symbols and movement Thinking Preference Tend to cerebral spirituality, appreciate reason, tend to analytical and theoretical wrestling with scripture, tend to theologize abstractly rather than personal struggle with its personal application.  ---- Feeling Preference Tend to focus more on relationship with God and others, encounter God through relationships and the emotions that come with them, prayer emerges more from feelings than thoughts, incarnate our spiritual insights in relationships Judging Preference Spiritual life highly structured and regulated, devotions planned and follow a pattern, systematic reading of scripture, want to be 'in control' of our relationship with God  ---- Perception Preference May find difficult to develop a regular structured set of spiritual practices, take our spirituality where we find it or an opportunity comes up, appreciate spontaneity in both individual and corporate forms of spirituality and become restless with regular/ordered forms of worship

David Wanstall, 01/04/2009