Renovare

I have been a member of Richard Foster's Renovare community for at least 15 years, dating back to the weekend Richard and Emilie Griffin brought a Renovare Conference to Pioneer Drive Baptist
Church in Abilene--yes, Abilene. My friends Jeanenne and Jim Nichols were there and that was also the beginning of Jeanenne and my Spiritual Formation Group with Kaye Price-Hawkins which lasted until I left Abilene.

Renovare means to renew in Latin and is an infrachurch movement committed to the renewal of the church in all its multifaceted expressions. Founded by Richard Foster, it is Christian in commitment, international in scope and ecumenical in breadth. They are publishers of the Renovare Spiritual Formation Bible.

Quoting from that: "we observe how God spiritually formed his people through historical events and the practice of Spiritual Disciplines, that is, "The-With-God-Life." Renovare continues this emphasis on spiritual formation by placing it within the context of the two-thousand year history of the Church and six great Christian traditions we find in life: Contemplative: the Prayer-Filled Life; Holiness: The Virtuous Life; Charismatic: the Spirit-Empowered Life; Social Justice: the Compassionate Life; Evangelical: The Word-Centered Life; and Incarnational: The Sacramental Life. This balanced vision of Christian faith and witness was modeled for us by Jesus Christ...."

While spiritual formation seems like a contemporary buzz-word, Foster's Celebrations of Discipline from which the term came is now in its 40th year of printing. I have found his writings very helpful for my growth, and have enjoyed meeting Richard and Emilie and others on his staff through the years.

I just received their lastest catalog--I think it is the best I have ever seen in offerings for spiritual development: There are books and DVD's and Cassettes from Richard and Dallas Willard, books from C. S. Lewis, Eugene Peterson, and Thomas Kelly. Classics of devotion like John of the Cross, The Imitation of Christ...I could go on and on.

If you, dear reader, are interested in growing , order the catalog and visit their online store at http://www.renovare.org/. You will not regret it.