Spiritual Growth Planner

“Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)

The Spiritual Growth Planner invites you to allow God to search your thoughts and explore the orientation of your soul. While a tool like this can never assess the interiority of a soul, it can give a glimpse of where you are at a particular moment in time. The spiritual growth planner acts like the marks we put on the door frame to show the kids how much they’ve grown. The marks reveal the process of an organic, invisible process we call growth. These measurements don’t force growth to happen; they reveal where you are and where you hope to be the next time you get measured.

The planner is a way to mark your inertia, your desire and your growth. It is rather like taking your blood pressure as a measure of your health. If you take the inventory in another six months, you may be able to see where the invisible process of growth is producing fruit or not. This is no one-size-fits-all program — just the invitation to recognize where God is at work and calling you deeper into himself.

This spiritual growth planner will not measure behavior or chart standards of excellence. It can’t assess your qualification for leadership, your gifting or your ministry skills. It son’t accound for the fruit of the Spirit in your life, nor will it fix your soul. This planner can, however, put you in touch with a longing or desire for God that translates into intentional motivation for the spiritual journey. Disciplines don’t work by fiat. Spiritual disciplines must be engaged freely and out of desire for God, not outward appearance. Desires can keep you open to God even when nothing seems to be happening. Attend to the desires of rummaging around in your soul. Notice where the Holy Spirit is nudging you toward love of God, neighbor, and self. The goal of the Christian life is not so much a set of behaviors as it is an orientation of the soul toward God and his kingdom.

Each section of the planner asks questions that attend not simply to outward behavior but to the roots of behavior. Don’t blitz through the inventory section. Take time to notice your desires and inclination as well as your resistances.

Hints For…

Linear Thinkers: The inventory provides some structure and “next steps.” It allows you to form your own spiritual health plan and set goals you so desire.

Intuitive People: You may find the question grid frustrating because it seems boxy and incomplete. The open-ended questions at the beginning of each section, along with the box marked “desire,” may be the most helpful for you. If you are not someone who likes structure, name your reticence as you take an intentional look at your soul. If you begin to feel you should desire all of the disciplines or that you should do something about everything that is missing in your life at once, stop. Ask God to help you discern your most important desire at the moment. Stay with that.

New Disciples: You may feel both overwhelmed and excited by all the disciplines. Remember that your goal is not to master all of these disciplines. You are simply to make a beginning. Attend to the desire of your heart and the prompting of the Holy Spirit in this particular moment.

For the sake of brevity, this inventory is designed around the acronym WORSHIP. Each letter of the word worship represents a way we can open ourselves to God. Within each of these headings are a series of practices and relationships that can help you grow more deeply in your worship of God.

Begin by asking yourself, Which of these seven expressions of desire for God resonates most deeply within me? Underline the word that connects with you. What would you like to see happen in your life of worship? Name your longings, desperations and needs that surface for you in each area. (Briefly write your response to each category in the box.)

Where are you today in your desire to

Worship the Trinity
Open yourself to God
Relinquish the false self and idols of your heart
Share your life
Hear God’s Word
Incarnate the love of Christ
Pray your life

Choose your strongest desire and go through the following assessment.

Worship the Trinity

Am I celebrating the love and glory of God with reverence and joy (Psalm 95:1-7)? Explain.

Where am I longing to move into deeper celebration of God?

Fill out the form below using the following guide: 1 = not true, 2 = needs improvement, 3 = most of the time, 4 = consistently true. Choose one or two categories for which you feel a deep or passionate desire. Put a check in the “Desire” column.

	1	2	3	4	Desire
I am aware of God’s presence in my life, confident of his love for me and intentionally celebrate our connection.
Worshiping with fellow believers gives me a deep sense of joy and God’s presence.
I take time to celebrate God and acknowledge my limits by deeply entering into a weekly sabbath day that is different from every other day.
I am aware of where I place people, experience and images before God.
I am a joyful, thankful person who expresses gratitude to God and others easily and often.

Total Score: _______