Conformed to His Image: Kenneth Boa

Books of 2006

Well, here is a list of the books I managed to read in 2006 including some that are still in progress. I expect the 2007 list will be a bigger one as I make up a reading plan and attempt to have one book read every two weeks. I’ll post that up as soon as I figure which ones and in which order I will read them. In no particular order, the list from 2006…

Completed in 2006:

Under the Unpredictable Plant, Eugene Peterson
Living Prayer, Robert Benson
Memories of God, Roberta Bondi
Five Smooth Stones for Pastoral Work, Eugene Peterson
Becoming Friends, Wadell
Experiencing the Trinity, Darrell Johnson
Wisdom Distilled from the Daily, Joan Chittister
Long Wandering Prayer, David Hansen
The Rule of St Benedict
The Story of Discipleship, Elizabeth Barns (out of print)
Texts Under Negotiation, Walter Brueggemann
A Widening Light, Luci Shaw
The Secret message of Jesus, Brian McLaren
Thirsty for God, Bradley Holt
Irresistible Revolution, Shane Claiborne
The Rhythm of Life: Celtic Daily Prayer, David Adams
A Short History of Progress, Ronald Wright
Eats Shoots and Leaves, Lynn Truss

[Edit: The Sacred Journey, Fredrick Buechner]

I may have missed a few…

In Progress:

Conformed to His Image, Kenneth Boa
Reversed Thunder, Eugene Peterson
The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience, Ronald Sider
Christian Mystics, Ursula King
Free of Charge, Miroslav Volf
Sacred Companions, David Benner
The Contemplative Pastor, Eugene Peterson

Kenneth Boa

For those looking for the latest updates to the Confirmed to His Image Chapter reviews, I have taken a little hiatus since the birth of our son last month. The demands of parenting and other assignments due has made it difficult to keep up. I will pick up the reviews this week and start from where we are as a church (Ch 11, I think). Thanks for your patience.

Conformed to His Image, Ch 9 “God’s Plan to Meet Our Needs

This week in the nineth Chapter of Conformed to His Image, Kenneth Boa discusses the topic of "God’s Plan to meet Our Needs." Not the perceived needs one might imagine living in a materialistic, self-serving culture (new car, house, boat, $$$, popularity, etc…), but rather, the essential and core needs that all humanity share, such as: Love & Acceptance, Significance & Identity, and Competence & Fulfillment. Boa’s objective is to help us understand that all of these essential needs are ultimately fulfilled through "…participation in a spiritual family, a spiritual body, and a spiritual temple." (pg. 110). He suggests that the core to reaching this fulfillment is though a better understanding of what it means to have Christ’s life in us…

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Conformed to His Image, Chapter 8: Exchanged Life Spirituality: Grasping Our True Identity in Christ

Have you ever wondered what an exchanged life might look like? Have you ever considered what holding to the truths of life in Christ means for your daily journey in Him? It seems many can agree to what the Bible says about life in Christ, but in reality, the truth doesn’t penetrate to the point of transformation. We walk around talking about new life and all the benefits of being in Christ, but there is little change as we try to pound the pavement in our own strength. The idea of an exchanged life is exactly what Kenneth Boa unpacks for us in this chapter. Understanding our identity in Christ has serious, liberating implications for our lives as we seek to serve him…

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Conformed to His Image: Dependence & Discipline, Ch 6

What is it in tremendously godly people that we admire so much? Is it the way in which they live/d sacrificially? Is it the seemingly insurmountable spiritual accomplishments they achieved that we admire? Do we wish God to work in us in ways he worked in Mother Teresa, or Billy Graham? Do we long for the closeness to God that we feel they experience/d?

There is a fantasy that exists more often than naught within the imaginations of Christians that wants to believe that the type of transformation evident in the lives of the spiritual giants we admire happens with little effort. Many are afraid that embracing a spirituality that entails effort is bordering on legalism and somehow feel this works in opposition to the grace we are saved by. On the other hand, embracing a spirituality intent on effort for acceptance – the idea of earning salvation – is likewise a misunderstanding of discipline working in concert with dependence on God…

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