The Deeply Formed Life

curiosity I followed him into his apartment building. When we got to the elevator, he pointed at the buttons while distractedly looking in the other direction. Press six, please, he said ­another strange moment, but I willingly did so. On the ride up, we exchanged names and then awkwardly stared at the numbers. His breathing was heavy and labored. I looked at him from the corner of my eye to see him talking under his breath.

We took the elevator up six stories. Then as he was about to step into his small apartment he shouted, Ma, Rich is here.

His mother shouted back with irritation, Who s Rich? (This was quite a New York moment.)

I stepped in and saw a frail, well-­dressed elderly woman grasping her walker. She had on a large pearl necklace and heels that looked a bit too big for her. With exasperation, she grumbled things like, I m so busy, There s never enough time, and How am I going to finish everything?

Soon I found out that this mom-­and-­son duo were heading to the local synagogue but that he couldn t press the elevator button due to Sabbath prohibitions. All he wanted me to do was press the elevator button ­nothing more, nothing less.

I look back at that moment and chuckle. But what struck me most in this whole encounter was that this elderly woman was stressed out because of the fullness of her life. Here she was, overwhelmed, on the Sabbath, of all days, with too much to do at ninety years of age.

New York, it is alive and well.

Dangerously Depleted

Our lives can easily take us to the brink of burnout. The pace we live at is often destructive. The lack of margin is debilitating. We are worn out. In all of this, the problem

masterfully weaves the experiences and disciplines of both personal and communal formation that inspire and empower us to a contemporary discipleship, which leads to spiritual health and flourishing. This book is a gift that enriches us as we open every layer. Rev. Dr. Gabriel Salguero, pastor at Calvario City Church and president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition

Rich Villodas understands that a pastor s primary task is not to gather a crowd but to form people in Christ. Spiritual formation is not a practice reserved for the spiritually elite; rather it is the very heart of all Christian discipleship. He embodies my hope for the contemporary church in the Western world for us to a shift toward spiritual formation. The Deeply Formed Life clearly marks the path we need to follow, making the essential practices of formation accessible to everyone. Brian Zahnd, pastor of Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, Missouri, and author of Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God

My friend Rich Villodas has been marked deeply by the spiritual directors of church history. And yet this book is not only about a call to engage in ancient practices so that we can have a more fulfilling life. Rich calls us to both personal refreshment and missional engagement, the kind of engagement that challenges injustice. I believe The Deeply Formed Life represents a new genre of spiritual direction, a kind modeled after Jesus, who both went away to pray and engaged the marginalized. Dr. Bryan Loritts, author of The Dad Difference

The Deeply Formed Life tackles the endemic issue of non-discipleship within the Western church. The book is theologically rich, pastorally sensitive, and wonderfully practical. Rich does not shy away from addressing some of the most pressing issues in our day and how they affect our discipleship. This is much-needed! Deb Hirsch, missional leader, speaker, and author of Untamed: Reactivating a Missional Form of Discipleship and Redeeming Sex

In a captivating and moving way, which is profound and personal, Rich Villodas shows us how we can be formed by God into a masterpiece. With shimmering insights and poignant stories, this rare and powerful book will take you deeper into God and make the world more beautiful. Ken Shigematsu, pastor of Tenth Church, Vancouver, BC, and bestselling author of God in My Everything

Revealing our shallowness with grace and helping us see there is so much more to living, Rich Villodas leads us patiently into The Deeply Formed Life. Step by step, this pastor walks us through the malformations that plague our modern existence. He challenges us with content that has a personal spirituality and with nothing less than a full-orbed Christian discipleship. A powerful summons to the deeper life. David Fitch, Lindner chair of evangelical theology at Northern Seminary Chicago and author of Faithful Presence