Activity: Habit Forming

Objective(s): illustrate how habits are formed

Time: perhaps 15 minutes for the initial lecture. After that, nothing, except some final debriefing at the end of class.

Materials: a signal (a bell perhaps?)

This exercise is best done throughout the entire course, but it could be introduced even in a single classroom session. It is best done in the midst of a class where lecture, discussion, and other elements are going on at the same time.

First, early in the class introduce the idea of tiny habits as presented in the work of psychologist B. J. Fogg. Describe Fogg’s idea of MAT: Motivation, Ability, and Trigger. Developing Fogg’s research, describe how actions—which are associated with sufficient motivation, with steps that require little ability to complete, and with simple triggers—facilitate change (not to mention the work of the Holy Spirit). Then present further psychological research to show the significant benefits (for health, longevity, spiritual life, and so on) of gratitude. By now students will be motivated to improve in gratitude.

Then show the bell (or some other signal) to the class and announce that every time they hear it they will be required to quickly say one thing they are grateful for (or at least one thing they like). Then periodically, at random, make the signal. Everyone must say something immediately each time. After a while, re-instruct the class to shift from needing to speak their gratitude to merely thinking of it. Don't drown the class in signals, but offer enough to secure reinforcement. Talk to them of how they might respond to bells from now on. By the end of the class (or the course) you will have taught the class a habit—and something about how to learn a habit.

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Assignment Set 1

1. Self-Examination

Introduction

God longs for our growth in Christian maturity. Ultimately God’s plan is to make “all things new” (Rev. 21:5). We set our eyes on things like loving God and neighbor (Matt. 22:37–38), putting off vice and putting on virtue (Col. 3:5–14), or becoming holy as God is holy (1 Pet. 1:16).

But if these goals seem too unreachable, God—who longs for our growth in Christian maturity (did you hear me tell you this?)—reveals another aim that helps us take real and realistic steps toward the ultimate goals. That aim is increase. Just listen:

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Cor. 3:18)

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control. . . . For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Pet. 1:5–8)

On the one hand, our transformation is “from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” On the other hand, we are encouraged to “make every effort.” But what effort are we to make? How are we as Christians to foster our own growth in holiness and maturity in Christ? The Scriptures mention a variety of means through which the Spirit works to transform us. When we meditate on the Word of God and pray, God uses these activities to heal, to convict, and to transform us into the image of Christ. While the Scriptures do not prescribe any particular type of Bible study or prayer practice, we are encouraged to use these practices as appropriate to our personality and schedule.

Another practice that is at least hinted at in the Scriptures is the practice of prayerfully reviewing one’s life, perhaps at the end of a day, a week, or some other season of time. Some people call this practice self-examination, but truly we are just opening ourselves up to the God who examines us most deeply (Pss. 11:5; 26:2; Jer. 17:10). In different settings God seems to encourage us to examine ourselves to assess where we are at with the Lord (Lam. 3:40; 1 Cor. 11:28; 2 Cor. 13:5). We are urged to be alert, aware of the thoughts and feelings that arise from God or arise from the evil one (Luke 12:35; 1 Thess. 5:6; 1 Pet. 5:8). More specifically, Psalm 139 provides a good example of one who calls upon God to “search me” and “lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps. 139:23–24).

For a Christian this is a matter of seeing our lives under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. There is a forward look: What is the measure of increase that is appropriate for me at this time? What might it look like if I lived to the image of Christ in this particular area of life? This will be different for one person than another. Indeed some use a passage of Scripture to point to areas of focus (Rom. 12). Other people just reflect on one vice or virtue.

But there is also a backward look: How have I lived today? We look back at the videotape of our day (or week) to see how we have honored the Lord in the area of our increase. And then comes the key moment: the adjustment. Prayerful review is not about mere guilt and confession. The point is the fostering of increase, any little step of increase. So we look at the goal and at our lives and we contemplate adjustments, the way golfers might adjust their swing ever so slightly after attending to the details of a shot. In the spiritual life this pattern of forward looking (imagining what maturity might look like), backward looking (remembering the day or season), and adjustment (thinking and praying about what changes might be appropriate) is often used in association with the keeping of a journal or an ongoing relationship with a spiritual director.

A variety of techniques for this self-examination have been developed in the history of spirituality. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, suggests beginning by choosing particular sins to be addressed. After committing to obedience upon rising in the morning, you then review your practice regarding the sin in question at noon and in the evening. You mark your progress regarding the sin and notice the various factors that influence the power of that sin and victory over it. William Law, along with Jeremy Taylor, another Anglican, encourages a more general review of the day, asking for pardon for what went amiss in the day and giving thanks for what was good. Both emphasize the need for a deliberate review and attention to the “prevailing temper” surrounding the moments of victory or defeat. Puritan father Jonathan Edwards frequently emphasizes the use of particular passages of Scripture in self-examination. Using this technique, you select passages of Scripture that are applicable to your personal growth in holiness (for a list of Scriptures appropriate for this use, see Evan B. Howard, Praying the Scriptures: A Field Guide for Your Spiritual Journey [Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1999], 136–37). Then, in the evening, you set aside a little time to prayerfully rehearse the day, reflecting on (1) the activity of your thoughts, feelings, words, and actions in light of (2) the sense of the passages of Scripture.

Prayerful review need not be a depressing habit of morbid introspection. Rather, it can be an honest and thankful review of the day, thanking God for victory and pressing on toward further growth in holiness. Remember, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6).

The Assignment

In this assignment you are to experiment with prayerful review (or self-examination) by allowing God to search your life daily for one month. You are to choose either a particular vice or virtue to consider or a short passage of Scripture to serve as the focus of your review (for a list of sample Scriptures, see Howard, Praying the Scriptures, 136–37). You are to keep a journal identifying your forward looks, your backward looks, and your adjustments for each day. For this reason it might be helpful to choose an item to consider that has easily recognizable development (later you can explore the nuances of this practice). The purpose is not to describe the lurid details of your sinful habits. You don’t need to describe the sins, only your practice of examining the sins (if you are exploring a sin). At the end of the month, you are to write a summary of what you experienced and what you learned from your time with this exercise.

Later you will do this same assignment again, in light of some required reading and my comments on your exploration with this first exercise. After two experiments with this practice, I suspect that you will be able to adapt it to match the needs and situation of your own life.

2. Growing in Virtue: An Aggressive Plan

Growing in virtue is an important aim of the Christian life—so important that Scripture urges us to be aggressive about it. For example, 2 Peter exhorts us to “make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 1:5–8). The attainment of virtue is a primary aim of the Christian life. John Cassian summarizes the monastic strategy that the devout Christian should, like a sagacious bee, collect the nectar of each virtue from him who holds it dearest, and store it in the cells of his heart . The literature of Christian spiritual formation repeatedly urges us to develop habits of obedience, penitence, compassion, simplicity, humility, and love.

But how are these to be developed? How is this “every effort” conducted? Most importantly, our life is transformed by the grace of God’s Spirit. But it is also nurtured by our own efforts, by “every effort.” How? By the intentional use of means. Dutch Reformed pastor Willem Teellinck (1579–1629) speaks of the means to attain the true purpose of life (which is to glorify God with our lives). These means include spiritual activities (like Scripture reading and prayer), the duties of our ordinary lives, and special charitable efforts. Benedict of Nursia (480–547), author of the well-known Rule of Saint Benedict, speaks of the “tools of good works” and lists over seventy habits that foster godliness of life. Devotional classics such as The Imitation of Christ or The Practice of Piety describe various means by which virtues might be fostered. These strategies often include, for example, the use of imagination (meditating on life after death, picturing ourselves before God, and desiring those virtues that would please God), the use of relationships (submitting ourselves to another by giving an account of our progress in virtue on a regular basis), the use of actions (reading and reflecting on particular passages of Scripture or regularly receiving the Sacrament), or the use of repetition (fostering compassion by repeating a loving phrase in our heart each time we meet someone). These are just a few ideas. The possibilities are endless.

So, after you identify a virtue to work on and a strategy of means to employ, go to work. Allow your faith in God’s plan and Spirit to work its way out in your own life practice of love for God and others.

After a time of applying your strategy, pay attention and notice what the Spirit of God (and your spirit) is doing. You may perceive a change. Either all at once or over time, a new habit emerges, and you increase in virtue. Or you see that you are making a bit of progress and need to press in even more. You may also perceive that an adjustment is needed in your strategy. Perhaps counting compassionate acts is not really getting at the internal root of your need for compassion and you need to foster some way (perhaps a scheme of meditation) of prayerfully working on the patterns of your heart and mind. Or you simply realize that this is getting nowhere, and it is time just to drop your strategy and plan entirely. It also might happen that over time you “hit the wall.” It may not be just that nothing is happening but that God is taking you somewhere else and perhaps deeper through this experiment. It is not just a matter of revising or quitting a strategy. It is that this effort is doing something different inside you, and you need to pay careful attention to this new work of the Spirit. When you do this, new (and perhaps unconsidered) virtues will arise.

Do you want to be effective and productive in your knowledge of Jesus Christ? I suggest making, by God’s grace, some effort. God has given us means by which we can make an aggressive plan for growth in virtue. Who knows what might happen if we act?

Your assignment will be simply to follow the instructions below:

• Select. First, select a virtue to foster.
• Prepare. Next, design a plan to nurture this virtue. Passages of Scripture, sections of monastic rules, models of saints’ lives (old and new), and your own independent explorations (just type “Christian virtues” or “monastic virtues” in a search engine and see what you find) will all come in handy as you design your plan. Think of employing relationships, repetition, imagination, actions, and so on.
• Participate. Carry out your plan for two weeks. A proper experiment should really last longer, but this is a class. Watch what happens and see if you can notice a need (at this early point) for further aggression or adjustment or if you are hitting the wall.
• Report. Finally, write a report summarizing what you did for each of the above steps, what you experienced in this experiment, and how this practice is relevant to your education in Christian spiritual formation. Draw from our readings from the week and the course and evaluate the practice of aggressive virtue formation for today.

3. My Talking Back Journal: Responding to Unwelcome Voices

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. . . . The tempter came and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4:1, 3–4)

Sometimes we are assailed by unwelcome voices. Voices from our past. Voices from our culture. The voices of our dysfunctional habits. Voices from the devil. Jesus responded to the subtle lies that tempted him away from true life by talking back—and talking back with Scripture. We can find in this practice of Jesus Christ, as many others have found throughout Christian history, a model for our own lives.

Fourth-century monastic and spiritual writer Evagrius of Pontus developed a handbook for just such occasions. He states, “Now the words that are required for speaking against our enemies cannot be found quickly in the hour of conflict, because they are scattered throughout the Scriptures and so are difficult to find. We have, therefore, carefully selected words from the Holy Scriptures, so that we may equip ourselves with them.” There is no doubt that Evagrius’s selection emerged from his own personal struggles and his ministry of hearing others’ struggles.

Why not try your own Talking Back journal? The practice of talking back requires four simple steps.

1. Identify an unwelcome voice. There are some unpleasant voices that need to be explored, understood, and even welcomed. There are others that should be refuted as obstacles to the knowledge and love of God. The point at this stage is to notice and recognize them as such. Sometimes you will be able to distinguish a clear source of the voice. Sometimes you will only be able to identify that this voice—when it arises—is unwelcome.
2. Name the lie. It is one thing to recognize the voice of the evil one. It is another to discern the lie that is being promoted through this voice. Here you must look at what arises in the mind to see what this voice is trying to accomplish.
3. Find the biblical response. Once you’ve recognized and named the lie, you must search the Scriptures for an appropriate response. Some Scripture passages serve to strengthen motivation. Some speak directly against particular lies. Others draw us to God. See if you can find the right Scripture that will best serve God’s work in you whenever you face this particular unwelcome voice again. Then write it down in your journal. Better yet, write it and memorize it. Now you are ready to fight.
4. Talk back. Next time that voice assails you, reach for your new sword. Recognize the unwelcome voice. Consciously name that lie. Turn to your biblical response and proclaim it with all the courage you’ve got. “Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, Satan!” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him” (Matt. 4:10–11).

Your assignment is simply to follow the instructions above and “talk back” for a week. You will need to:

• Select. Identify the unwelcome voice that you intend to address in this particular assignment. Make sure and pick a voice that you hear frequently, even several times a day, so that you are bound to encounter it in the course of this assignment.
• Prepare. Spend time reflecting until you perceive a lie that dwells beneath the voice. Then dig around in Scripture until you discover the truth and the sources of a response or responses. You may wish to do a bit of background homework in Evagrius’s Talking Back (Antirrhetikos): A Monastic Handbook for Combating Demons.
• Participate. Write your response(s) down. Perhaps memorize it. Then use it for a week and watch what happens. You may need to create “remembering” aids so that you remember to talk back when the situation arises. Reviewing periodically during the day will help. Over time you will remember more readily, but for the sake of this assignment you must be very intentional right away. You might want to make adjustments after a few days.
• Report. Finally, write a report of your experience. State the reasons for your choices of voices and Scriptures. Describe the experience of “talking back” itself. What did you do and how did it go? Did the voice simply go silent and that was the end of the assignment? Finally, reflect on this experience as a practice in Christian spiritual formation. Draw from your resources for the week and in the course as a whole. How might you evaluate the practice of “talking back” as a vehicle for fostering Christian spiritual formation in the lives of individuals and communities?

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Assignment Set 2

The topic of this week is what a good deal of books related to spiritual formation are all about: character change and personal development in Christ. You will be reading about mind, heart, and action (and spiritual warfare). You will think about changing a habit. Your discussion will give you the chance to explore the whole arena of spiritual warfare. And the assignments will take you deeper into the psychology of personal change, your own personal transformation, and the practice of self-examination. By the end of the week, you should be well acquainted with the sense of personal spiritual formation: intentionally following the Spirit to facilitate God-oriented and God-shaped changes in our lives.

1. Academic—Insights from Positive Psychology

I have come to the conclusion that there is some kind of convergence going on these days between the fields of spiritual formation and positive psychology. Reflection on how we are formed in Christ and reflection on how human beings thrive have much to offer each other. So your assignment is to take a look at this intersection and see what you think. You have been reading about spiritual formation and specifically about personal change in this chapter. Now explore some of these positive psychology resources and write a brief summary of what positive psychology wisdom has to offer our understanding of becoming more like Christ.

• Can old dogs learn new tricks? Dr. Lara Boyd’s brain research on neuroplasticity suggests that we can change our ways of thinking and being. See also the first chapter of Ellen Langer’s Counterclockwise: A Proven Way to Think Yourself Younger and Healthier (pp. 3–19).
• Al Switzler encourages us to use skill-power rather than willpower in his TEDx Talk.
• Here is a YouTube playlist of seven different B. J. Fogg videos on personal change.

2. Personal—My Portrait: Mind, Heart, Will (Again)

God longs for us to love him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. Every dimension of human experience is part of God’s transforming work. In this chapter we explore how God changes us in mind, heart, and will. So now that you have already explored this, try it again with all the new insights you have gained thus far in the course. Reflect on your own life and what has shaped who you are. Think of your present, current patterns of thought, of feeling, of decision and action. How has God formed you in your mind, your intellect? Can you describe any key seasons of development in doctrine or thought? How has God transformed your feelings? Have you experienced any key times of healing? What were the elements present in that time? And what about action? Can you recount times when particular kinds of action were important in your growth in Christ? Drawing from your resources for this week and from your own personal reflection, see if you can say something about your love of God with heart, mind, and so on.

Now look at the future. Where do you think the Spirit of God is leading you in any one of these areas in the days (or years) ahead? Any ideas of an appropriate next step?

3. Spiritual Practice—Self-Examination

Perhaps the key practice for personal change is the practice of self-examination. We find the psalmist asking the Lord to search his heart in Psalm 139. We find the body of Christ encouraged to examine themselves (1 Cor. 11:27–34). Christian saints throughout history have recommended the practice of periodic reflection on our mind, heart, and actions in the light of Christ and the gospel. I have written a brief guide to the practice of self-examination on my website (see here). Your assignment is to choose one of the methods of self-examination described in the guide, to do it for a few days, and then to write a summary of what you did, what happened when you did it, and what you learned.

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