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Formation

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Recent Research

Small Acts of Kindness Outweigh Self-Care

Most recent

Small Acts of Kindness Outweigh Self-Care

A favor for a neighbor gives back more than it costs, and it works best when a warm heart partners with a clear head. (Footnotes by John Ortberg.)

Sep 9, 2026·Jim Taylor

Stories have the power to create identity, build community, and change minds

Immersive narratives shape us, bind us to one another, and change what we do (Footnotes by John Ortberg).

Aug 26, 2026·Jim Taylor

The Power of Four

What changes when Scripture reading becomes a four-times-a-week habit (Footnotes by John Ortberg).

Aug 12, 2026·Jim Taylor

Contemplation, Creation, and the Stranger at the Door

Three Celtic instincts — stillness, awe, and welcome — are turning up in contemporary research on attention, generosity, and human flourishing (Footnotes by John Ortberg).

Aug 5, 2026·Jim Taylor

Can Spiritual Formation Actually Be Measured?

A new wave of research is mapping how practices, relationships, and shared life reliably shape Christlike character — and why formation is always communal (Footnotes by John Ortberg).

Jul 16, 2026·Jim Taylor

The Recent Research Archive

What Actually Happens to a Soul That Walks

A generation exhausted by screens, speed, and endless self-optimization is trading comfort for meaning — and finding the road still has power to reshape a soul (Footnote by John Ortberg).

Jul 7, 2026·Jim Taylor

Why High-Achieving Men Suffer in Silence

Success can hide astonishing levels of emotional isolation, and spiritual formation may be the last place we look. (Footnotes by John Ortberg.)

Jun 22, 2026·Jim Taylor

Your Brain on Imagination

Imagination isn't private mental theater. It's survival equipment, shared belonging, and the shape of the Kingdom rehearsed before it arrives. (Footnotes by John Ortberg)

May 27, 2026·Jim Taylor

Fear Rewired: From Brain Panic to Trained Courage

Fear hijacks the brain before you can think. Courage is trained action, not fearless personality. Stress, rightly held, sharpens rather than shatters.

May 14, 2026·Jim Taylor

When AI Starts Shaping Souls

AI is becoming a spiritual guide—are we noticing? Chatbots offer connection—but may erode real relationships. As AI companions rise, human love quietly reshapes itself.

Apr 28, 2026·Jim Taylor

The Formative Power of Song

How singing shapes the body, binds communities, and opens the soul

Apr 7, 2026·Jim Taylor

What Actually Makes Life Work

Research on change, health, and connection.

Apr 7, 2026·Jim Taylor

Loneliness & Connection

Solutions to the loneliness problem include reconnection to communities, making contributions, and physical contact with loved ones.

Apr 6, 2026·Jim Taylor

Rest as an Act of Faith

Science shows that rest conduces to productivity, creativity, and physical, mental and spiritual health.

Apr 6, 2026·Jim Taylor

The Science of Hope

Psychology backs the promise of new life by showing how hope leads to a meaningful life, contributes to well being, and grows through deliberate practice.

Apr 6, 2026·Jim Taylor

The Three Pillars of Lent

The three pillars of Lent—Prayer, Fasting, & Almsgiving—heal our relationships with God, self, and neighbor, respectively, and science shows they are also good for us.

Mar 31, 2026·Jim Taylor

More from Formation

Hospitality Is Something You Become

Soul Talk

Hospitality Is Something You Become

Hospitality is far bigger than hosting dinner, and the Christian practice of welcoming the stranger is due for a revival. (Footnotes by John Ortberg.)

Sep 9, 2026
Three Ministries of Radical Hospitality

In The Field

Three Ministries of Radical Hospitality

Kingdom outposts among the poor, training in compassionate listening, and a place of sanctuary for burned-out leaders (Footnotes by John Ortberg).

Sep 9, 2026
Predestination, Soul Care, Church Hurt and Healing Childhood Wounds | AMA001

Footnotes

Predestination, Soul Care, Church Hurt and Healing Childhood Wounds | AMA001

For the first Ask Me Anything, John takes the questions listeners sent in with their reviews — no guest, no script. Predestination, spiritual abuse, church hurt, and what AI is doing to his own attention span.

Sep 3, 2026
A Systems Theory Expert on the Anxiety Running Your Team ft. Steve Cuss | 010

Podcast

A Systems Theory Expert on the Anxiety Running Your Team ft. Steve Cuss | 010

Steve Cuss spent years as a hospital chaplain, learning to read the anxiety in a room before anyone had named it. His conclusion: the most valuable thing a leader can offer their people is a well self.

Sep 3, 2026
Finding Your Place in the Drama of Scripture

Soul Talk

Finding Your Place in the Drama of Scripture

Can a diverse collection of stories add up to one unified story (Footnote by John Ortberg)?

Aug 26, 2026
Three Story-Telling Ministries

In The Field

Three Story-Telling Ministries

Bible stories come alive when we learn them, tell them, and act them out (Footnotes by John Ortberg).

Aug 26, 2026