Week beginning Monday 14 December 2026
This week you'll plan the six-week spiritual practice you need for your Reflective Formation Portfolio. The practice runs from Monday 4 January to Sunday 14 February 2027, and the portfolio is due on Friday 19 February. Your proposal is due on Friday 18 December, so I can give feedback and approve it before you begin.
By the end of this week you should be able to
- name an area of desired growth and the relational domain or domains (eg I want to grow in my relationship with people and with God)
- choose a realistic practice you can participate in and give a biblical or theological reason for it
- plan how you'll practise, keep notes and adapt if things don't go to plan
Step 1: Read
Read selected material from two books:
- Matthew Bingham, A Heart Aflame for God: Parts 2 and 3 in the book outline Reformed spiritual practices in some depth.
- Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: She lists a whole range of spiritual practices and how they are done. Please be discerning - she is not a Reformed Christian, but her list is quite broad so she is helpful. The handbook is arranged by practice, so read only what's relevant.
Step 2: Reflect privately
Take some time to reflect on the influences already shaping your life, and on an area where you'd like to grow. Think across your relationships with God, yourself, others and creation. The private reflection worksheet in this module has some (I hope!) helpful prompts for you to consider. You don't need to submit this, but it may help you in your reflections. It's for you alone. Please don't submit it.
Step 3: Choose a practice
Choose one practice, or a small combination of related practices, that you can realistically sustain for six weeks. Here are some starting ideas. Most practices touch more than one domain.
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Domain
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Practices you might consider
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God
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Scripture meditation; praying the Psalms; silence and solitude; fasting
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Self
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reflective prayer at the end of the day; journalling; a weekly rest boundary; simplicity in one area of life; examen
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Others
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deliberate fellowship and encouragement; hospitality; service; accountability with a trusted friend
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Creation
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prayerful attention to creation; a concrete stewardship habit; rest from work and consumption
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Keep it realistic. One workable pattern is about 15 minutes on five days each week, plus a longer weekly time of reflection. Some practices, such as hospitality or deliberate "sabbath-ing", suit a weekly rhythm better. Choose something realistic - again remember the assessment will be on your critical reflection of the practice, not the practice itself.
Keep it safe. Choose a practice that is safe for you. For example, fasting may or may not be physically healthy for you (it normally is). Be discerning about what you can realistically do.
What happens next
You'll begin on 4 January, keeping brief private notes as you go. The intensive falls in week four of your practice. On the Thursday we'll review your practice in light of what we've learned, and you can adapt it if needed. Your portfolio then reflects on the whole experience.
The portfolio is not about proving that you grew. A thoughtful reflection that concludes the practice was poorly chosen, needed adapting or showed little change is perfectly acceptable.
This week's task
Submit a spiritual practice proposal of no more than 250 words.
