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Formation

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Recent Research

Why Showing Up—and Opening Up—Matter for Formation

Most recent

Why Showing Up—and Opening Up—Matter for Formation

Christians who keep their faith lives private hinder their spiritual formation. Regular worship attendance boosts positive emotions and reduces negative ones. But most Americans rarely attend church, limiting its formative potential (Footnotes by John Ortberg).

Oct 7, 2026·Jim Taylor

The Formative Power of Mentoring

Research reveals how guides can shape lifelong flourishing, long after the mentoring itself has ended (Footnotes by John Ortberg).

Sep 23, 2026·Jim Taylor

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

The Recent Research Archive

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

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

The Local Church Was Made for Formation

Soul Talk

The Local Church Was Made for Formation

How can we join Jesus in the spiritual formation work he is already doing in local congregations (Footnote by John Ortberg)?

Oct 7, 2026
Ministries that Renew, Transform, and Equip the Church

In The Field

Ministries that Renew, Transform, and Equip the Church

Help is available for local churches that want to prioritize spiritual formation (Footnote by John Ortberg).

Oct 7, 2026
The Art of Spiritual Companionship

Soul Talk

The Art of Spiritual Companionship

Growing toward God requires wise companions, and not just any friend will do (Footnotes by John Ortberg).

Sep 23, 2026
Three Ministries of Spiritual Companionship

In The Field

Three Ministries of Spiritual Companionship

Who tends the souls of the people who spend themselves tending everyone else (Footnotes by John Ortberg)?

Sep 23, 2026
This Ancient Creed Can Rescue Us From Spiritual Homelessness ft. Glenn Packiam | 011

Podcast

This Ancient Creed Can Rescue Us From Spiritual Homelessness ft. Glenn Packiam | 011

The Nicene Creed turns 1,700 years old this year. Glenn Packiam thinks a fractured, homesick church has forgotten how to use the one thing built to lead it back home.

Sep 17, 2026
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