Invitation to a Journey by M Robert Mulholland Jr Jr

Invitation to a Journey by M Robert Mulholland Jr Jr

M. Robert Mulholland Jr. defines spiritual formation as the process of being formed in the image of Christ for the sake of others. Compact and solid, this definition encompasses the dynamics of a vital Christian life and counters our culture's tendency to make spirituality a trivial matter or reduce it to a private affair between me and Jesus. In Invitation to a Journey, Mulholland helps Christians new and old understand that we become like Christ gradually, not instantly. Not every personality is suited to an early morning quiet time, so Mulholland frees different personality types to express their piety differently. He reviews the classical spiritual disciplines and demonstrates the importance of undertaking our spiritual journey with (and for the sake of) others. This road map for spiritual formation is profoundly biblical and down to earth. In the finest tradition of spiritual literature, it is a vital help to Christians at any stage of their journey. This edition is revised and expanded by Ruth Haley Barton with a new foreword, spiritual practices and study guide, to provide spiritual direction for individuals and groups seeking spiritual companionship for one another on the journey of transformation.

M. Robert Mulholland Jr. (1936-2015) was emeritus professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary and the author of several books, including Shaped by the Word, The Deeper Journey, Revelation and the landmark spiritual formation book Invitation to a Journey. He also served as pastor of Shirley Community Church in Shirley Mills, Maine. During his extensive academic career, Mulholland served as adjunct professor at the Academy for Spiritual Formation and taught at several seminaries and universities around the world, including Wesley Theological Seminary, Harvard University, McMurry University, Moscow Evangelical Christian Seminary (Moscow, Russia), West Africa Theological Seminary (Lagos, Nigeria) and Baltic Mission Center Theological Seminary (Tallinn, Estonia). An elder in the Kentucky Conference of the United Methodist Church, Mulholland was a frequent speaker at Bible and spiritual renewal conferences. He and his wife, Lynn, have two children.