Thesis Capstone Project (Spring 2016)- The Process of Spiritual Development and Inner Healing Prayer in the Local Church

TALBOT SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY
INSTITUTE FOR SPIRITUAL FORMATION
THE PROCESS OF SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT AND
INNER HEALING PRAYER IN THE LOCAL CHURCH
A THEIS SUBMITTED TO
THE FACULTY OF THE INSTITUE FOR SPIRITUAL FORMATION
IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF
MASTERS IN SPIRITUAL FORMATION
DEPARTMENT OF SPIRITUAL FORMATION
BY
KAYLA JUSTINE BASS
LA MIRADA, CA

MAY 2016
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………......3
2. Part One: Definition and History of Spiritual Development……………….......3
2.1 Definition of Spiritual Development…………………………………….3
2.2 John of the Cross………………………………………………………...7
2.3 Teresa of Avila……………………………………………………………10
3. Part Two: Psychological Transformation…………………………………………13
3.1 Transformational Psychology…………………………………………….13
3.2 Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy……………………………………………16
3.3 Post-Traumatic Growth…………………………………………………...19
4. Part Three: Transformation in the Local Church………………………………...22
4.1 Inner Healing Prayer………………………………………………………22
4.2 The Body of Christ and Reconciliation………………………………….25
4.3 Creative Transformation……………………………………………........28
Application……………………………………………………………………………...31
Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………….45
Experiential Report…………………………………………………………………….47
2

Introduction:
The process of spiritual development is a concept that has its foundation in the
nature of relationship between God and humanity. Spiritual development is a process
because it begins and ends with sanctification with the ultimate goal of union with Christ.
Chan states that, “spiritual progress is viewed primarily from the perspective of restoring
the image of God rather than from the developing of innate human potential. Rather, any
attempt at realizing the human potential must take the person through the redemptive
path.”1
One of the primary ways to the redemptive path is through inner healing prayer.
Inner healing prayer is a significant way the church can lead believers into the depth of
their own heart and unite mind, body, soul, and spirit. Inner healing prayer is impacted by
the believer’s personal relationship with God, but also reflects the believer’s relationship
with community. It is in a believer’s personal walk with God that they understand both
theologically and relationally who they are in Him, and it is in community that the
psychological human nature emerges to engage the process of spiritual development.
Part One: Definition and History of Spiritual Development
2.1 Definition of Spiritual Development
Spiritual development includes many things such as justification, repentance and
sanctification, which look at the nature of grace and moral formation. Chan states that,
“Grace refers to the restoration of interrupted fellowship with God.”2
After looking to
Christ to receive justification can a believer look at the inward self. It is only in looking at
1
Simon Chan, Spiritual Theology: A Systematic Study of the Christian Life (Downers Grove, IL:
Intervarsity Press, 1998), 9-10.
2
Ibid., 79.
3

the interior nature of the spiritual life that a believer finds restoration in intimacy with
God. There is a process to spiritual development, not in terms of striving in relationship
with God, but in understanding where believers are at with God, the means to develop an
intimate relationship with Him, and where the end goal is to achieve the deepest form of
knowing God and being known by Him. Moral formation is a tool that the church has
embraced by doing good works for God out of spiritual striving. This may or may not
involve personal ministry, growing for the purpose of trying to please other leaders, or
trying to grow interpersonally. Moral formation recognizes that there is a human form,
shows our finite nature as human beings in our limits and boundaries, which ultimately
reveals our need for Christ. Spiritual development is an ongoing process, which
understands the finite nature of humanity and understands the concept of moral
formation. It is something that reveals the distinction between God and man and the
concept of the God image. One of the purposes of the heart of God is to reveal the human
mind and heart in order for the connection between the head and the heart to happen. The
heart and the will work against each other in a way that allows the nature of humanity to
reveal its brokenness and need for God. The unique nature of spiritual development is the
goal of holistic transformation. The importance of transformation is that it will look
different for every person. Relational connection is one of the tools that is used for
spiritual development while establishing a healthy connection to Christ.
Spiritual development also has its foundation in spiritual theology. The movement
of the Holy Spirit is found in a balance of the Word and what scripture says about the
nature of Christ and his church.
4

Spiritual Theology.
According to Aumann,
“Spiritual theology is that part of theology that, proceeding from the truths
of divine revelation and the religious experience of individual persons,
defines the nature of the supernatural life, formulates directives for its
growth and development, and explains the process by which souls
advance from the beginning of the spiritual life to its full perfection.”3
This definition of spiritual theology validates the nature of a believer’s
relationship with God because it helps to mature the believer in recognizing that the
spiritual life is a continual process. Greenman says that, “Theology’s work of analytical
and critical reflection concerning texts, beliefs, and concepts is not an end in itself, but
actually an important means toward the greater end of assisting the transformation of
persons toward Christian maturity.”4
There is room for the believer to grow in their walk
with Christ because they are either actively or passively pursuing Him. Theology in itself
is important for growth in the spiritual life, because not only is personal growth
important, but understanding the reason behind where believer’s growth comes from and
whom their growth comes from is essential to their faith. It is important to recognize that
grace and mercy are significant in understanding the fullness of theology and the
Christian life. Greenman states, “Divine grace speaks not merely of a past reality by
referring backward to an experience of salvation; grace also is a present reality that
informs the current experience of the Christian life.”5
Grace is something that believers
continually walk in and is something that embodies the essence of spiritual theology. In
3
Jordan Aumann, Spiritual Theology (Westminster, MD: Christian Classics Inc., 1987), 22.
4
Jeffrey P. Greenman, ed., Life in the Spirit: Spiritual Formation in Theological Perspective
(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2010), 34.
5
Ibid., 25.
5

spiritual theology believers ultimately realize that everything in the spiritual life is not
about them, but it is about the work that Christ did on the cross and the continuing work
that he desires to do in believers who choose to participate with Him through the Spirit.
Character development is a significant part of spiritual theology because it
separates the flesh from the spirit. There are times of both consolation and desolation that
will reveal the hearts of believer’s, but also reveal the places that believers are trying to
present their false self to God. The false self is presented from a moral standard, while the
actual self comes to recognize its potentialities when it comes to God fully open and
present to Him. Character development is a continual process that is worked out in
different stages of the believer’s walk with Christ.
In the history of Christianity there are stages that a believer will go through in
order to achieve the end goal of union with God. The concept of spiritual development
within this implies that there is an end goal in mind. In the spiritual life there is an
integration between the nature of the human self and God. Henri Nouwen looked at this
perspective as he studied the spiritual life. It was said about his ministry by Hernandez
that,
“Therefore, Henri Nouwen’s trilogy of coinherence was richly interconnected-
psychology and spirituality (knowing self, knowing God); spirituality and
ministry (loving God, experiencing God) the reality of which both his works as
well as his experiences more than substantiated. Nouwen’s schematic trilogy also
ties directly with the threefold focus of the Great Commandment and defines the
nexus of spirituality with psychology (love of self), with ministry (love of
neighbor), and with theology (love of God.)”6
It is within knowing yourself and knowing God that the soul goes through a
natural progression in the spiritual life. John of the Cross established knowing God and
6
Wil Hernandez, Henri Nouwen and Soul Care: A Ministry of Integration (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist
Press, 2008), 3.
6

knowing yourself in a significant way through the progressive nature of the spiritual life.
2.2 John of the Cross
John of the Cross referred to spiritual development in the three stages of
purgation, illumination, and union.
Purgation refers to the beginning stages of one’s relationship with God. This stage
involves the love of God for pleasures sake. The conversion process has happened and
the beginning stage of the purification process has started. The soul enjoys fellowship and
intimacy with God and feels things in a personal way. The believer is feeling the love of
God, and God is meeting the believer where they are at in their spiritual development.
Purgation often leads to the dark night of the senses where the attachments that human
nature have formed on the soul are brought into the light and recognized as vices of the
human heart. It is the job of the Holy Spirit to illuminate the unhealthy attachments that
believers form in order to deepen intimacy with God. Unhealthy attachments are formed
in the mind and lead to a separation of the mind and the heart. The dark night of the
senses involves the will because the will involves the character that comes from the heart.
Coe says, “In general, the dark night of the senses is a special time when God intends to
move spiritual beginners into a place of growth where they would not go on their own.”7
The believer experiences a greater sense of trust and faith in God, while there is continual
progress on the working out of the will. Dallas Willard writes about the transformation of
the will and says, “The constant character of the will apart from God is duplicity-or more
accurately, fragmentation and multiplicity. It wills many things and they cannot be
reconciled with each other.”8
7
Todd W. Hall and Mark R. McMinn, ed. Spiritual Formation, Counseling, and Psychotherapy
(Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers, Inc., 2003), 81.
8
Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2002), 147.
7

Willard also says, “In a condition of alienation from God, the complexity of the
human will moves irresistibly toward duplicity, not just the harmless sense of
“doubleness,” but in the sense of deception. This is the result of pretending to feel and
think one way while acting in another.”9
The sense of doubleness in the human soul
reveals both a desire to know God, yet still desire’s pleasure and feeling God’s presence.
The character of a believer is in the process of being worked out in this stage and reveals
a move toward illumination of the human soul toward God.
Illumination begins to bring clarity to the soul in the midst of the dark night of the
soul. There is an ordering of thoughts and the mind and a believer’s faith begins to
develop in a new way. In this stage the believer loves God for the sake of love itself and
not to experience or get anything from it. John of the Cross explains illumination through
the analogy of the sun and a window. He says, “The extent of illumination is not
dependent on the ray of sunlight but on the window. If the window is totally clean and
pure, the sunlight will so transform and illumine it that to all appearances the window
will be identical with the ray of sunlight and shine just as the sun’s ray.”10
The state of
illumination reveals the goodness of God even though it may not seem like goodness to
the human mind. Illumination has the idea of union in mind and there is a working out in
the spirit the deeper things that are in the flesh. He also writes that,
“From the beginning the divine light illumines the soul; yet at the outset it can
only see through this light what is nearest- or rather within- itself, namely, its own
darkness and miseries. It sees these by the mercy of God, and it did not see them before
because this supernatural light did not shine in it. Accordingly, it only feels darkness and
evils at the outset. After being purged through the knowledge and feeling of these
darkness and evils, it will have eyes capable of seeing the goods of the divine light.”11
9
Ibid., 147.
10
John of the Cross, The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, trans. Kieran Kavanaugh and
Otilio Rodriguez (Washington D.C, Institute of Carmelite Studies Publications, 1991), 164.
11
Ibid., 427.
8

As the soul goes through the process of illumination there is great revelation
toward what union with God will look like and how state of the soul is revealed in
character and love for God alone.
Union with God is understood in a dynamic way. There are different faculties that
recognize the move of the Spirit and the human spirit being united. This dynamic unity of
the soul goes back to the original state in which the soul was created. The nature of faith
and grace leads to union with God and is revealed from a personal knowledge of God to
contact with God that is higher than a “normal” level of faith. Howells states that,
“At the level of “ordinary” faith, the soul’s means of knowing is much the same
as it was in the natural state: it is through the images and ideas of God given in revelation
which, though they come from God, are accommodated to the human senses and use
forms of knowledge derived from the senses. On the higher level of grace, that of union,
these images and forms are entirely absent, as the soul attains a new means of knowing
by direct contact with God.”12
The level of ordinary faith that is mentioned are the senses, images, and tools we
use to encounter a deeper level of knowledge of who God is and the personal touch
believers long to have with God. At the level of union with God, there is a higher grace to
be able to not need those means in order to encounter God; believers can just be with
him.
Ultimately it is through detachment with appetites in the world that believers are
able to pursue an awareness and clarity with God that is relational and brings the
transformative healing through the inward life of prayer and seeking union with Him.
Looking at the inward life is beneficial for illumination and clarity for how God wants to
spiritually develop his church.
12
Edward Howells, John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila: Mystical Knowing and Selfhood (New
York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 2002), 44.
9

2.3 Teresa of Avila
Teresa of Avila is significant to the movement of the interior life of the soul
because of the life of prayer. Her focus on the spiritual life looks at the many dwelling
places of the soul with the ultimate desire to be transformed. She made the distinction
between the interior and exterior parts of the soul and found value in seeking out ways of
connection between the soul and the external spiritual world. She places a high value on
the sensory life with God as a means to achieve divine union with Him. It is through her
personal experiences with the supernatural lifestyle that she was able to write about
“supernatural prayer” (contemplation). It is through looking at her lifestyle and values
that believers are able to recognize both the interior and exterior transformation that
comes from prayer and the practices of sitting with God in silence and with an awareness
of their interior spiritual life that affects the exterior spiritual life.
Teresa’s view of the soul is significant to the spiritual life because according to
Howell,
“Teresa makes a new departure in the Moradas by beginning with the image of
God in the soul in order to point toward the goal of transformation at the center of the
soul. Her aim is to identify at the start a point in the soul, which will provide a
perspective from which her anthropology and the process of transformation can be seen
as a unity with a single goal. It is a unifying perspective that she seeks, as opposed to
finding something in the soul that is already in union, either explicitly or implicitly.”13
The goal of starting a transformation of the soul is to recognize that it begins with
the image of God, and the overflow from that is the unification of the soul. The nature of
the relationship with the soul and God comes from human anthropology and the human
soul being attuned to the Spirit. Part of the goal also comes from recognizing that this is a
Trinitarian perspective as well. Howells also states that, “The center of the soul is the
13
Ibid., 95.
10

attainment of the dynamic structure of the Trinity, in the mutual exchange between God
and the soul of the spiritual marriage. Further, it is the confirming of the rest of the soul
to this Trinitarian structure, enabling the whole soul to work together in performing good
works in accordance with the divine will.”14
Experience is one of the primary ways that
Teresa of Avila finds a dynamic relationship with God possible. Experience with God is
found to enlarge the sense of self but also the sense with God. The experience talked
about is one that Howells says is, “The skill brought by one who knows not just
something about the object under view but how to orient and position oneself in relation
to this object in order to grasp it accurately.”15
Further, he also says, “The soul’s
experience is its possession of the three persons of the Trinity within the soul, such that it
can differentiate and know the persons in its mutual indwelling with God in the soul.”16
The dynamic relationship with God involves not just knowing about something, but being
so in tune with it that a correct understanding of it is known.
Through her personal encounters and spiritual life Teresa of Avila desired that the
believer come to not only experience God the Father, but also the Spirit and Son as they
experience an indwelling with God that is transformative. It is through knowing the
innate nature of the image of God that the believer can achieve a state of union with God.
Howells writes, “Experience is, at root, a dynamic relational ability, a self-other relation,
which is expanded by mystical transformation, such that we attain a new ability for
knowing God in union.”17
The relational dynamic of life with God and a great knowledge
of the soul is seen in the description that Teresa gives of the interior castle and its many
14
Ibid., 93.
15
Ibid., 94.
16
Ibid., 94-95.
17
Ibid., 95.
11

levels to achieve a greater union with God.
The interior castle is the place where the soul is able to commune with God. The
dwelling place refers to both the character heart of God but also the personal revelation of
prayer that believers have with God. The condition of the soul is examined and insights
into the Christian life are evaluated and examined. One of the unique things about the
vision of the interior castle is that it is developmental and as the believer continually
seeks revelation and grows in the faith there is a choice to move toward the next stage of
development.
Human development and the soul are an important role in the progress of the
interior life because issues of sin are evaluated as well as the role of fortitude and the
will. Teresa of Avila writes about the sixth dwelling place, “The purification of the
person is realized not merely through the sufferings inherent to the human condition but
especially through contact with the person of Christ in his humanity and divinity.”18
This
purification process comes with prayer as the foundation for everything that happens in
the spiritual life. There is a grace that comes when prayer is evaluated and looked at
through the lens of spiritual development and union with Christ. Teresa’s goal was union
with Christ, which was found through the mystical path. The path toward union with God
comes in knowing who God is and who we are. This is the foundational path toward
experiencing the fullness of who God is and how much he desires that we only find
satisfaction in Him.
Part Two: Psychological Transformation
3.1 Transformational Psychology
18
St. Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle: Study Edition, trans. Kieran Kavanaugh and Otilio
Rodriguez (Washington D.C.: ICS Publications, 2010), 20.
12

As the believer begins the process of spiritual development, human nature and the
flesh or sarx, are going to be revealed. Human nature is reflected in the will and battles
with the mind in terms of what our spirit desires. Ultimately, humans are relational
beings, and this is reflected in psychology and the human heart. The process of
psychology is foundational to spiritual development and inner healing prayer because in
the human condition believers are able to focus on the person of Christ and the
transformation he brings. Coe says that, “The good person, who is in the process of
transformation and who had developed well his or her abilities to observe and reflect on
the human condition in the love of God, has the potential to be truly open to what is real
and to producing the best product of psychology.”19
The transformational process of psychology affects the believer and their human
nature as well as the psychologist as they are working with clients in the process of
transformation and healing. Coe also says, “The psychologist has the opportunity to
contemplate in God the nature of the person and the dynamics of transformation, to be in
love with God, opening toward a greater union with the Spirit, and being filled with all
the fullness of God in the understanding of self and others, as well as in the caring for
other souls.”20
When human beings are connected and transformed in the Spirit, the
natural reality that will be poured out cares for the souls of other people. In order for
transformation to happen within the psychological nature of a person it is important to
understand who the nature of a human being is.
There are differing views of who a person is and what constitutes a human being.
There are scientific realities that constitute different parts of human beings but do not
19
John H. Coe and Todd W. Hall, Psychology in the Spirit: Contours of a Transformational
Psychology (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2010), 87.
20
Ibid., 103.
13

make up the whole of what it means to be transformed as a human. The transforming
nature of a human person is that our person lies in living a holistic lifestyle. The soul is
the deepest part of the human being and constitutes the essence and core of whom they
are. This is foundational for anyone regardless if they are a believer or not. Willard says,
“The “soul” is deep in the sense of being basic or foundational and also in the sense that
it lies almost totally beyond conscious awareness.”21
The soul is the place that the body,
mind, and spirit live from and is also the place where things can be in alignment and
work together to create a holistic transformation.
Transformational psychology looks at the nature of the human person and begins
with the concept that human beings are not just soul but spirit. To understand how the
scriptures transform a human being there needs to be a recollection of the importance of
the nature and essence of the human person. In order to understand where the healing and
transformation need to take place there needs to be an understanding of the self. Coe
states that, “This “Observing I” is the core dimension or reality of my spirit and personal
identity as a spirit; it is my self as an agent who is capable of self-consciousness or self-
awareness.”22
The personal nature of being self-aware affects how humans view
themselves and view other people. Self-awareness can be impacted through secure and
insecure attachments and bring awareness for ones need to find true security in God.
The Attachment Theory.
Different systems of attachment affect the nature and essence of the human person
21
Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2002), 199.
22
John H. Coe and Todd W. Hall, Psychology in the Spirit: Contours of a Transformational
Psychology (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2010), 225.
14

and allow for development to happen if secure attachments are in place. Attachments
affect human beings to the core of who they are and call them into a place of
understanding that they are not just made so that external relationships are secure, but the
way they handle character and emotions in those relationships. In terms of behavior and
how one attaches Holmes says about John Bowlby’s attachment system that,
“An attachment behavioral system is, a blueprint or model of the world in which
the self and significant others and their interrelationship are represented and which
encodes the particular pattern of attachment shown by an individual. The ambivalently
attached person we have described might have a working model of others as desirable but
unreachable, and of themselves as unworthy of support and love, and/or of an unreliable
and rejecting attachment figure with a protesting, attacking self.”23
This understanding of an attachment behavioral system impacts a human beings
relationship with other people, but can also be translated onto God where one views God
as unattached, unloving, and insecure. The person who is insecurely attached will see him
or herself as unable to relate to another in a healthy way, and will disengage emotionally,
mentally, and spiritually from the relationship. Specifically in attachment theories, the
object-relations theory affects personality and relationships.
Holmes states that, “Object-Relations Theory rests on the assumption that early
relationships are a formative influence on character.”24
Character is significant in the
process of personality development and attachment because that affects decisions and the
process of how we develop and live our life. Collicutt says, “It is in the interaction
between situation and temperament that the stuff of personality is formed. We come into
the world with certain temperamental ‘givens,’ but we find ourselves in certain situations,
often repeatedly, and it is in the mix of these that determines our individual personal
23
Jeremy Holmes, John Bowlby & Attachment Theory (New York, NY: Routledge Inc, 1993), 68.
24
Ibid., 103.
15

development.”25
It is through our temperament that we are able to discover the internal,
emotional nature of the psychological nature of our human person and begin to
understand how that is connected to spiritual development.
3.2 Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is significant to the process of human development,
because while it is something that is primarily done in a therapeutic setting,
understanding how emotions are processed and viewed is significant for not only human
development, but also spiritual development. The emotional state of a person is
understood in cognitive-behavioral therapy and is a significant psychotherapeutic tool in
getting to the core of how emotions affect human beings state of holistic health. Frijda
states that, “Emotions provide information that orients the human organism to important
needs along with the motivation to interact with the environment to satisfy those needs.”26
Emotions reveal a part of our humanity that desires to be seen and heard. They are
foundational to who we are as human beings and bring meaning in our life as humans.
Emotions can easily become imbalanced due to physical, mental, and even spiritual
trauma and unhealthy relationships and attachments.
McKay and Thoma state that,
“Emotional problems arise when emotions are underregulated, overregulated, or
misplaced owing to relating more to past experiences than to the present. Beck (1976)
developed an approach to address these difficulties, known as cognitive therapy, based on
recruiting rationality to reflect upon reality, gain a more accurate perspective, and thus
bring emotion more in tune with the actual situation.”27
The nature of looking at emotion brings clarity to the mental state of a person and
25
Joanna Collicutt, The Psychology of Christian Character Formation (Norwich, UK: SCM Press,
2015), 53.
26
Nico H. Frijda, The Emotions (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1986).
27
Dean McKay and Nathan C. Thoma, Working with Emotion in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
(New York, NY: The Guilford Press, 2015), 3.
16

brings their being into focus. It is a way of concentrating on the places that they have
ignored or denied and situates them in reality so that their emotions and therefore their
thought life can come into balance. McKay and Thoma also state that, “Thus it appears
that in order to create a corrective emotional experience for clients, it is necessary to help
clients attend to their emotion, accept it, and draw new meaning from it.”28
A corrective
emotional experience is one where there is an intensification and active engagement of
emotion, where the client feels they can express whatever they feel in order to not
prolong suffering or pain outside of therapy.
Greenberg and Thoma distinguish emotion-focused therapy within cognitive-
behavioral therapy by stating, “Another important distinguishing feature of EFT is that it
is process-oriented. This means that EFT therapists watch for the emergence of specific
types of emotional processes in session to guide their interventions and to determine what
to do when, based on what a client is experiencing in a given moment.”29
This approach
to therapy is significant in that it can come alongside the cognitive-behavioral approach
to therapy to help provide an integrative approach that is unique to the needs of the client.
Emotions are central in the holistic development as humans and affect our human nature
even before we have language to understand what is happening either internally within us
or externally with other people. Greenberg and Thoma mention different types of levels
that emotions come from and the importance of understanding different reactions that
come from those as well as how they affect the human person in an in depth way. The
ones mentioned by Greenberg and Thoma are instrumental emotions, secondary
emotions, primary emotions and primary maladaptive emotions. They say,
28
Ibid., 4.
29
Ibid., 239.
17

“Instrumental emotions have an inauthentic quality and are used to try and
manipulate or control the behavior of others…Secondary emotions are emotional
reactions to primary emotions…feelings of despair and defeat tend to appear, especially
when feelings such as shame, guilt, or fear arise consistently in the face of attempts to get
interpersonal needs met…Primary adaptive emotions are those that alert clients to core
needs of the self, orient them toward getting those needs met, and motivate them for
action…primary maladaptive emotions are initial reactions triggered by a current
situation that are more related to past experiences than to the present.”30
Greenberg and Thoma agree that, “A primary goal in EFT is to move past
instrumental and secondary emotions in order to encounter primary maladaptive
emotions.”31
An emotion that is expressed by a client in an initial reaction in a situation is
reflected by something deeper that is going on in their person. While the human person
can react irrationally in some situations and manipulate situations, this type of therapy
and understanding where emotions come from helps the therapist work with the client on
regulating and letting those emotions be expressed in a healthy way. The outcome is not
to bury what the client is feeling, but provide space for the client to know that their
emotions do not have to own them.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy carries an important need within inner healing
prayer because it is here that we see the importance of the integration of therapeutic
methods and spiritual development. Emotions and understanding what we need in order
to function in a healthy way relates to our need for people and the growth that happens
when self-awareness and development happen. There is a grace that happens in this
therapeutic process when we are able to recognize the development that is occurring.
3.3 Post Traumatic Growth
The concept of trauma and post-traumatic growth is significant for human
development and is relatively new to the field of psychology and transformative ministry.
30
Ibid., 241-242.
31
Ibid., 243.
18

Trauma challenges the human person mentally, emotionally, and psychologically. The
way that trauma impacts the brain is in the way the brain chemistry responds not as much
when the trauma is occurring, but in how it is affected much more after the fact. Calhoun
and Tedeschi write about various states of positive changes that people who have been
through trauma develop. They say, “These changes include improved relationships, new
possibilities for one’s life, a greater appreciation for life, a greater sense of personal
strength, and spiritual development.”32
A majority of research has shown that people who
have been through traumatic experiences in life recognize value in people, relationships,
and may have an increased awareness of the supernatural. Calhoun and Tedeschi also
mention that, “Although firm answers to the questions raised by trauma—why do
traumatic events happen, what is the point to my life now that this trauma has occurred,
why should I continue to struggle—are not necessarily found, grappling with these issues
often produces a satisfaction in trauma survivors so that they are experiencing life at a
deeper level of awareness.”33
The level of awareness that happens in people who have
been through trauma is significant for spiritual development because a great level of
awareness can lead to discernment and increased knowledge to bring holistic healing.
Positive psychology is a new area of study but relates to posttraumatic growth in
that its primary goal is according to Christopher Peterson, “A call for psychological
science and practice to be as concerned with strength as with weakness; as interested in
building the best things in life as in repairing the worst; and as concerned with making
the lives of normal people fulfilling as with healing pathology.”34
Part of understanding
32
Lawrence Calhoun and Richard G. Tedeschi, “Posttraumatic Growth: A New Perspective on
Psychotraumatology,” Psychiatric Times (April 2004): 1.
33
Ibid., 1.
34
Christopher Peterson, A Primer for Positive Psychology (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006)
19

what God wants to heal in people who have been through trauma is an understanding of
the foundations of the nature of the trauma, and the progressive events that have been
going on in life that may have challenged that experience. Part of the progressive nature
of trauma is that after the event happens, people have a choice whether or not to accept
that life is going to be a struggle or they can choose to transform it. Rendon states that,
“A traumatic event, it turns out, is not simply a hardship to be overcome. Instead it is
transformative…we learn over and over that traumatic events have the power to
transform us into better people and make our lives more meaningful.”35
Understanding
positive psychology and the transformative nature of trauma allows for the greater nature
of the full spectrum of the human person to be understood and recognize that humans are
unique in their very being.
Part of understanding the unique nature of the human person is being able to
evaluate the essence of meaning and what brings purpose to life. After a person has gone
through trauma there is often a reevaluation of the purpose of life and what the future
looks like. Werdel and Wicks state that, “As the Latin root of the word motivation
indicates, meaning is something that moves us. Meaning assists in both behavioral and
affect self-regulation, as well as helps us in fulfilling our needs for purpose, value, self-
efficacy, and self-worth…When we have meaning, we have a “why.”36
The concept of
meaning and life purpose not only affects the persons understanding of what they are
called to do, but how they will respond when trauma happens.
Within the human person is the desire to do good things and find meaning through
35
Jim Rendon, Upside: The New Science of Post-Traumatic Growth (New York: TouchStone,
2015), xii-xiii.
36
Mary Beth Werdel and Robert J. Wicks, Primer on Posttraumatic Growth: An Introduction
and Guide (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley& Sons Inc., 2012), 58.
20

external sources such as giving to global outreach or to have deeper relational
connections, but if we are not able to ask the question of why we are doing these things
and exploring who we are than the process of growth is futile. Werdel and Wicks also
state that,
“The goal of one’s belief systems is to remain balanced. Therefore, the
discrepancies in belief systems result in distress. This negative experience of feeling
distress then initiates a new meaning-making process to restore violated or disrupted
global meaning and to reestablish once-violated assumptions in order to restore feelings
of control and predictability as a way of decreasing distress.”
One of the goals of trauma and human growth is to recognize that life needs to be
balanced and even though disorder will happen psychologically, emotionally, and
physically, meaning and a sense of balance are possible. In the middle of posttraumatic
growth it is important to recognize the importance of emotions and the role they play in
transformation and progressive growth over time. Werdel and Wicks, “use the metaphor
for positive emotions as “vehicles for individual growth” that encourage personal
development…In doing so, positive emotions are not merely markers of psychological
flourishing, though they are this as well. Positive emotions are also capable of producing
psychological flourishing.”37
The idea of not only surviving but flourishing is
foundational to growth and development as a human being. This process and
understanding of posttraumatic growth is extensive, but the connection between that and
inner healing of a person spiritually is foundational for personal and spiritual
development.
Part Three: Transformation in the Local Church
4.1 Inner Healing Prayer
Inner healing prayer begins with the foundation that there is more to the human
37
Ibid., 98.
21

person than simple communication. Bennett says, “Inner healing prayer is simply
cooperating with the Lord to let Him cure and remove from our psychological natures the
things that are blocking the flow of the Holy Spirit.”38
Within inner healing prayer is the
attempt to reintegrate the whole person and begin a journey of healing and
transformation. There is a deep connection between our inner healing and our personal
prayer life that we cannot ignore because in that, we can recognize that God is doing an
in depth work in and through his people. Inner healing prayer addresses the attachment
distortion and looks to bring security to the person’s relationships and help them
understand their identity and value in relating well with other people, with themselves,
and with God. Inner healing prayer looks to heal not only ones relationship with God, but
also ones relationship with the self and others.
Inner healing prayer specifically understands looking for Jesus in every situation
and learning to see where he is. Kraft says that inner healing is, “a form of Christian
counseling and prayer which focuses the healing power of the Spirit on certain types of
emotional/spiritual problems.”39
During moments when intense emotions arise there is
space during prayer for sitting in silence to hear the Spirit and how he wants to lead the
time. Guidance is provided by other believers trained in hearing God clearly for someone
else and discerning what the Spirit desires to do for that person that is unique to their
situation. Prayer looks like keeping our gaze toward Him and being okay with expressing
the emotion necessary to receive full healing. One of the goals of inner healing prayer is
the reconnection with Jesus where believers have turned away or have not recognized
that he was working in a particular situation in life. It is through the awareness that God
38
Rita Bennett, How to Pray for Inner Healing for Yourself and Others (Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming
H. Revell Company, 1984), 25.
39
Charles H. Kraft, Deep Wounds, Deep Healing (Ann Arbor, MI: Servant Publications, 1993), 36.
22

desires to bring healing in believer’s lives that pain can be recognized in a real way. Inner
healing prayer has many different forms, but ultimately looks toward the goal of
reintegration and holistic healing.
A specific type of inner healing prayer called sozo is used to engage the believer
with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This type of prayer is often done with two
people praying, while a third receives. The purpose of sozo is to get to the root of issues
that are hindering the believer from their personal connection with God as Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit. Sozo looks at the deep-seated fears, emotions, relational connections and
spiritual connections as well as generational ties that have been taken on intentionally or
unintentionally through family ties. Declaring aloud the areas of forgiveness, the ties that
need to be broken and the root emotions that have shaped the believers character are
some of the things that can be released in prayer, while at the same time receiving the
good things that the Father desires to give. While the sessions are done through trained
lay people in the congregation it is ultimately the Holy Spirit who leads the session. He is
the one who reveals what is broken and what He desires to redeem.
The deep work that the Holy Spirit desires to bring empowers believers toward a
reality of knowing their true identity in Christ. Sozo empowers Christians to look toward
God as the main source of their healing. Inner healing prayer is deep level healing and
can touch many different levels of the human person. It is an integrative process that
requires care after the time of prayer as well as ensuring the person receiving prayer has
the support of community.
Deep level healing is distinguished in that it is prayer ministry and it is a holistic
process. This type of in depth prayer can include creative elements where the presence
23

and person of Jesus is guiding the time. Inner healing prayer is a creative form of prayer
because it establishes a connection with God through other means beside Scripture and
worship. It works through personal relationships, the distorted self and sometimes uses
art to connect the believer with God. Bennett talks about creative prayer and says, “It
allows God to build into the person’s life what he needed but missed, especially in
childhood. It fills the gaps in his life with Jesus’ all sufficient love, and helps him grow in
his love for Him. It helps to restore his or her God-given creativity. It helps the
knowledge of God move from the head to the heart.”40
In creative prayer there is an
acknowledgement that God was present even in painful circumstances, but is also part of
the process of holistic spiritual development where there is a reintegrating of the spiritual
life with the physical and mental. Creative prayer also opens the believer up to hope and
to the possibility that Jesus desires reconciliation and total restoration.
There are many benefits to this type of intensive prayer. Developmentally there is
a greater sense of self as well as transformation in relationships and awareness. Wuellner
states that, “One of the first changes we notice is a strengthening of the sense of identity,
a more powerful self…To enter into the full life of God, the full relationship with God,
we individuals need a healed, whole self, a healthy identity with which to relate to God
and to the world.”41
As a stronger sense of the self comes into awareness there is also a
greater sense of the awareness of the needs of other people. Wuellner also says, “Along
with this growing awareness of the reality and beauty of our identity comes a growing
awareness of the identity of others…we sense within ourselves, as our own healing grows
40
Ibid.,43.
41
Flora Slosson Wuellner, Prayer, Stress and Our Inner Wounds (Nashville, TN: Upper Room
Books, 1985), 76.
24

within us, a desire to reach out in compassion and communication.”42
One of the only
ways to truly love and have compassion for others is experiencing it for yourself. Inner
healing prayer is part of the process of evaluating your sense of self and your own
capacities and looking at how much you can actually give to other. There is space to
receive and heal, and from that position the believer can reach out to others in the
community and the body of Christ.
4.2 The Body of Christ and Reconciliation
A significant part of personal transformation and spiritual development is
realizing that believers do not do it alone. While personal spiritual development is
important, looking toward the body of Christ for development and transformation is an
important part of the spiritual life. Believer’s ministry to one another and community is
important for the work of spiritual development and holistic transformation.
Another significant development for the spiritual life is the ministry of
reconciliation. This is something that believers have been called to participate in with
Christ, for the body of Christ. The ministry of reconciliation is important because it draws
the believer toward wholeness and unity with Christ.
Reconciliation is important in the life of prayer because in prayer the believer can
choose to reconcile themselves to their own body, to other people, and to God. A believer
goes through the process of reconciliation in their own body when they are able to fully
embrace who they are as humans. Benner says,
“Often we do not like the body we happen to have, and so we do things-surgical
and otherwise-to change it and make it into something closer to our ideal body self. But,
rather than improving our relationships to our bodies, this just increases the distance
between us and our actual somatic self. Alienation from our bodies lies at the core of our
42
Ibid., 76.
25

alienation from our deepest self and from the world.”43
One of the important things about reconciliation that believers have with their
body is the ability to become reconciled in their own skin. Like Benner suggests, often
the ideal that humans think about is not the same standard that God has. He created each
body unique, and when humans desire to alter their body that alienates them from the
person who created them and can bring true unity and wholeness. Through prayer and
worship believers have the capacity to be at peace and recognize the holistic relationship
that God desires for the body. Taking time to pause, breathe, reflect and pray unites God
to the believer and provides a centrality that affects the believer’s spiritual, emotional,
and physical being.
Believers are also reconciled to other believers through sharing in the same
personal relationship with Christ, being connected to one another in prayer, and sharing
in the same needs. As believers are connected to Christ they share a common desire to
worship him, read the word, and live in community together. The common bond allows
them to work together, pray together, and encourage one another. There is also a common
bond to witness to people who are not believers and love them well. As believers
embrace all these things there is a new level of compassion and self-awareness realized.
2 Corinthians 5:16-21 explores the ministry of reconciliation to God. It says,
“Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though
we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no
longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away;
behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to
43
David Benner, Soulful Spirituality: Becoming Fully Alive and Deeply Human (Grand Rapids,
MI: Brazos, 2011), 78-79.
26

Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was
in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and
He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for
Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we
might become the righteousness of God in Him.”44
The reconciliation that is talked about in these verses refers to the believer and
God. It is through the sacrifice that Christ made on the cross that we can be reconciled to
him and therefore seen in a new way. The transformation process can only happen
through Christ dying on the cross, resurrecting, and through believers receiving what he
did. The message that believers carry from having received it through Christ can now be
shared with others. The ministry of reconciliation is the gospel message and was
commanded by Christ to be shared in truth, grace, and love.
“The ministry of reconciliation is important for spiritual development because it
describes the process of purgation and spiritual renewal. In the cleansing process of
becoming a new creation God begins to reveal and remove appetites and things of the
flesh that have kept people from God’s Spirit. This process can reflect a passive night in
the soul where the believer has to live by faith alone. The cleansing process occurs so that
the believer can have a richer and deeper nature of the transcendence of God and his
character. The deepest part of the self is exposed in order for the new to come in and
continue the developmental process.”45
4.3 Creative Transformation
44
2 Cor. 5. 16-21 NASB
45
Chris Baker, “Developmental Spirituality” (Lecture Notes: Biola University, Spring 2014),
accessed 6 May 2016.
27

Creative transformation in the spiritual development of the believer is significant
in transformation and inner healing prayer because it is an external outlet for healing and
understanding beauty. Understanding beauty is important for transformation because in
order to live a holistic lifestyle we need to embrace the beauty around us and within us.
Within creative transformation is an understanding of the beauty of God. Bauer says, “All
human beings are involved in four primary relationships: their relationship with God
(which they may or may not acknowledge), their relationship with themselves, their
relationship with other people, and their relationship with creation itself.”46
These
relationships define the foundations of our human existence and express ways that God
can reveal his beauty and glory.
The beauty of God is expressed in both the sacred and the secular. God does not
speak only through sacred means but in creation, through the paintings and expressions of
artists who are not believers, and in conversations with people who are not believers.
Bauer mentions different artists represented and the way their art can lead people to both
divine union with Christ and secular pieces that point the believer to Christ. He says
about Olivier Messiaen’s art, “Messiaen’s hierarchical approach reminds us that art can
be a means of helping human beings ascend to ultimate union with God (the anagogic
process), a notion that dates back to the early centuries of the church. Messiaen believed
that liturgical art, art with sacred themes, and art that helps in the process of bringing us
to ultimate union with God represent three different ways that art reveals the divine.”47
His understanding of the sacred foundation of art allows for space to be created with God
in artwork created specifically for deeper intimacy with Christ. In the midst of
46
Michael J. Bauer, Arts Ministry: Nurturing the Creative Life of God’s People. (Grand Rapids, MI:
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2013), 67.
47
Ibid., 70.
28

recognizing artwork as pointing us toward a unified relationship with Christ we can also
recognize God working in natural pieces of art and creation.
Bauer says, “We can dedicate an artwork to God, address an artwork to God,
consecrate an artwork to God, receive or perceive an artwork as coming from God, and
share our appreciation of an artwork with God.”48
In order to recognize the fullness of
God’s beauty and character we need to realize that God desires to speak in all things and
through different forms of creation. The beauty of God is represents his character and the
essence of his being. His transcendence and immanence represent beauty and art because
God’s character is above all things, but also within it. Bauer says that, “Transcendence
and immanence are irreplaceable expressions of the divine that must be given a voice if
an arts ministry is to be balanced and whole. Both are needed is art it to present an honest
and authentic picture of the biblical God to the believer and to the world.”49
In order for
God to be represented well throughout the church and in the lives of believer’s attributes
of his person need to be displayed. God’s beauty is not the only important factor in art
and creativity. Human creativity is an important part of the process of inner healing and
redemption, which flows into the body of Christ.
Human creativity is healing and redemptive because through the ministry of
Christ and his role in art and creativity his beauty is displayed in the lives of believers
and their unique ability to display works of art. The creative act is a process and
something that is developed over time. Creativity is something that displays the human
condition and the way that humanity develops over time. Bauer says that, Ultimately,
creativity is not an optional activity because it is life-giving. In the absence of creativity,
48
Ibid., 74.
49
Ibid., 90.
29

human beings lose the will that they need to remain vital and productive, either within
their own private lives or as members of society.”50
Human beings need creativity
because it points them toward a personal God who desires healing and the development
of a life of prayer to become foundational in the midst of believers developing their own
relationship with God.
Ultimately it is in knowing God and being known that holistic healing and
transformation occurs. It is by the grace of God that believers develop their unique
relationship with God and recognize that God is always developing them and leading
them to Him. Eusden and Westerhoff state that, “Knowing requires an open, personal
relationship between the knower and the known. It implies a learning that interacts with
the world, envisions the world as subject, and engages us.”51
It is in the vulnerability of
knowing and being known that spiritual development and transformation occur. Inner
healing prayer is a means by which God uses other believers to minister to his people. It
is through this process that believer’s are healed body, soul, and spirit. Emotions are
touched, creative miracles occur, and believers are conformed more and more to the
image of God through Christ Jesus.
50
Ibid., 169.
51
John Dykstra Eusden and John H. Westerhoff III, Sensing Beauty: Aesthetics, the Human
Spirit, and the Church (Cleveland, OH: United Church Press, 1998), 79.
30

Transformational Healing:
Engaging Creativity and the
Soul through Spiritual
Disciplines
Confession
“Confession” by Boris Klementiev
Simplicity
“Streams in the Desert” by L.B Cowman and James Reimann
Rest
31

“Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gogh
Inner Healing
“The Good Shepherd” Catacombs of Rome
Community
“The Last Supper” by Leonardo Da Vinci
Worship
“The Rain Room” LACMA Art Exhibit
Compassion
“The Return of the Prodigal Son” by Rembrandt
Service
“Jesus Washing the Disciples Feet” by Dirck van Baburen
Justice
“Isaiah 58:6-12”
Witness
“Matthew 28:18-20”
The Importance of Creativity for Transformational Healing:
Creativity has a significant role in the process of transformational healing.
Creativity does not apply just to art, but it is a worldview that is developed over
time. The essence of humanity demands that creativity be displayed in our everyday
lives. As human beings created in the image of God, we display a unique desire for
32

the beautiful and the experiential. While beauty and experience are subjective
topics, they speak to the unique nature in human beings to experience beauty
differently. Eusden and Westerhoff III say that,
“We are not just creatures who think analytically and logically. We have a capacity
to exercise this posture of the whole person toward experience-to think intuitively
as well as intellectually, to know tacitly as well as explicitly. We have the ability to
look into a deeper meaning of our experience.”52
The way that human beings are able to examine their lives through their
capacities is part of the unique way that they have been created in the image of God.
Creativity is significant for inner healing in particular because it allows a
person freedom to have space outside of their mind and to engage the world in a
different way. It allows God the space to speak to the person in a new way and it
allows the person to grow in self-awareness the practice of spiritual disciplines.
There is new awareness of the practice of learning about God in new ways and
embracing their own capacities and appetite for God. Creativity speaks to a level of
intimacy and freedom that is found by finding perspective. Perspective not only
speaks to art, but also to the appearance of a situation or relationship. Creativity
helps a person engage in a new way in their relationship with God and develop a
rhythm that is healing and transformative.
Why Choose Spiritual Disciplines?
Spiritual disciplines are significant to creativity because they allow God to
move in a person’s life. They allow for discernment and the posture of the human
heart to be examined in a new way. Bauer states that, “Art has the capacity to
52
John Dykstra Eusden and John H. Westerhoff III, Sensing Beauty: Aesthetics, the Human
Spirit, and the Church (Cleveland, OH: United Church Press, 1998), 55.
33

awaken us to the presence of the divine. It opens our eyes to the reality of God’s
communion with us and, in so doing, functions as a sacramental presence in our
midst.”53
Awakening to the divine give God permission to be intimate and see God
through natural creation and artistic displays of his glory. The disciplines allow
attention to be placed on God and his works rather than human achievements or
accomplishments. According to Howard,
“Spiritual disciplines, as part of spiritual “formation”-as training-are simply means…
But promoting effective cooperation with the divine order means that personal
spiritual maturity may not be the only goal of spiritual discipline…Furthermore,
spiritual disciplines serve not only to facilitate, but also to express transformation.”54
The purpose of this experiential prayer project is to use the disciplines as a
tool for holistic transformation by means of the arts, while working toward the goal
of spiritual maturity, relational development, and holistic healing. The desire is to
lead believers closer to Christ through examining their own spiritual life and the
community around them.
Confession:
53
Michael J. Bauer, Arts Ministry: Nurturing the Creative Life of God’s People (Grand Rapids, MI:
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2013), 66.
54
Evan B. Howard, The Brazos Introduction to Christian Spirituality (Grand Rapids, MI:
BrazosPress, 2008), 291.
34

Take time to examine the photo.
Examine the images, colors, and postures of the people.
What kind of response does it bring up in your soul?
What is this photo saying about confession?
Respond to each question for 20min and reflect
How does this photo and your response help you understand the nature and
character of God?
When have you truly understood forgiveness?
What does it look like to give grace to yourself and others?
Simplicity:
35

“Be still! Just now be still!Something thy soul hath never heard,Something unknown
to any song of bird,Something unknown to any wind, or wave, or star,A message
from the Fatherland afar,That with sweet joy the homesick soul shall thrill,Cometh
to thee if thou canst but be still.
“Be still! Just now be still!There comes a presence very mild and sweet; White are
the sandals of His noiseless feet.It is the Comforter whom Jesus sentTo teach thee
what the words He uttered meant.The willing, waiting spirit, He doth fill.If thou
would’st hear His message,Dear soul, be still!”
---Streams in the Desert
Take time to read through the words slowly. Read through them three times. Reflect
on the picture and what it reveals about simplicity.
Respond to each question for 20min and reflect:
How does this message invoke a sense of simplicity?
What does living a simple lifestyle look like?
What challenges come up for you as you think about simplicity?
Rest:

36

Take time to examine the painting.
Be aware of your body and how your response is toward this painting.
What specific colors, pictures, or memories come to you as you examine this
painting?
Respond to each question for 20min and reflect.
When do you last remember being fully rested?
What was this experience like? How do you sense God in the midst of rest?
Inner Healing:
37

Notice expressions, posture, and colors.
Read through Luke 15:1-7—meditate and reflect on the passage.
How is the message of the passage reflected in the painting?
What is it like to truly have your needs met? Have you ever had that kind of
experience?
Reflect on the meaning of the one. What does this tell you about yourself and Jesus?
Community:
38

Read Mark 14:12-25
What has your experience of community been like? Was it painful, good, healing?
Have you experienced betrayal in community? What was that like? If not, how does
your experience with community reflect your relationship with Christ?
What does a Christ centered community look like?
Worship:
39

Take time to examine the picture.
Respond to the questions and reflect.
What kind of emotional response does this picture bring up?
What has been your experience of worship now and in the past?
Have there been things that you have idolized or worshipped in the past beside God,
and how does that challenge your perspective of worship and God’s?
Compassion:
40

What does this painting reflect about compassion?
How have you experienced compassion from God or from others?
How have you been compassionate with yourself? Or have you ever been
compassionate with yourself?
Service:
41

Read John 13:1-20
What does it look like to be fully received by Jesus?
What is it look like to truly serve one another well? How does this response impact
loving your neighbor as yourself?
When did you feel loved by God?
Consider the impact of your service and engage with the posture of your heart.
Justice:
42

Read Isaiah 58:6-12
Take time to respond to the emotions or thoughts that come up with the picture and
the verse.
Examine your heart and a time when you feel like you had suffered an injustice.
What did that feel like? How was your response?
Reflect on Jesus’ perspective of justice. How did he love people well?
Examine your own heart for the injustices around the world and respond in prayer.
Witness:
43

Read Matthew 28:18-20.
How does this passage speak about our witness of Christ?
It what situations has Jesus asked you to respond and be a witness for Him? Were
you obedient?
What does radical obedience look like?
Examine your heart and ask Jesus to teach you how to love people well and see them
as he does.
Bibliography
44

Aumann, Jordan. Spiritual Theology. Westminster, MD: Christians Classic Inc, 1987.
Avila, Teresa. The Interior Castle: Study Edition. Washington D.C: Institute of Carmelite
Studies Publications, 2010.
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Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2013.
Benner, David. Soulful Spirituality: Becoming Fully Alive and Deeply Human. Grand
Rapids, MI: Brazos, 2011.
Bennett, Rita. How to Pray for Inner Healing for Yourself and Others. Old Tappan, NJ:
Fleming H. Revell Company, 1984.
Calhoun, Lawrence and Tedeschi Richard G. “Posttraumatic Growth: A New
Perspective on Psychotraumatology.” Psychiatric Times (April 2004): 1.
Chan, Simon. Spiritual Theology: A Systematic Study of the Christian Life. Downers
Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1998.
Coe, John H and Hall, Todd W. Psychology in the Spirit: Contours of a
Transformational Psychology. Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2010.
Collicutt, Joanna. The Psychology of Christian Character Formation. Norwich, UK:
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Frijda, Nico H. The Emotions. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1986.
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Holmes, Jeremy. John Bowlby and Attachment Theory. New York, NY: Routledge Inc,
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Howard, Evan B. The Brazos Introduction to Christian Spirituality. Grand Rapids, MI:
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Howells, Edward. John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila: Mystical Knowing and
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Rendon, Jim. Upside: The New Science of Post-Traumatic Growth. New York:
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Room Books, 1985.
Experiential Report
46

During the process of writing my thesis, I knew that I was going to be coming
into my semester with an unusually busy schedule. I knew that I was going to have to
find balance for my semester, but also time manage well. Part of my time of prayer and
reflection has been looking at what this season of life for me has been and wondering
what the purpose of this season of life for me was. After praying about what I was going
to write on I felt more confident as time went on that I was headed in the right direction. I
was prayerful about my topic and as I sat down to write after the process of researching
came I found that there was a lot of leading from the Holy Spirit.
I have been covered in prayer all semester and believed in by friends and family
who saw how busy my semester was going to be and gave me the space and grace to
accomplish what I needed to get done. Finals week of the fall semester I felt the personal
desire to graduate in May and took time to pray and discern if this was the semester that
God wanted me to graduate. I felt the nudge to push forward and graduate in the spring
and even though the semester has been incredibly busy, doing the thesis along with
everything else has been incredibly rewarding.
As I looked at the specific topic that I chose to study parts of my own journey
began to resonate with me as I wrote. There were times during my writing and research
where I felt God specifically leading in a tangible way, through hearing his voice clearly,
but then there were also times where God’s voice did not seem clear and I felt lost in
some of my writing and research. Reflecting on inner healing prayer and looking at the
depths of my own experiences led me to see how God had been orchestrating the timing
of everything and has been allowing me to understand the depths of my own healing
journey with God. There has been a significant amount of healing that God has done in
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my own life over the past few years at ISF, but walking into 2016 felt different and new.
The healing that has taken place in my own life is giving me a vision for what ministry
could look like in the future, and even for where God is calling me. I also had my own
personal time of inner healing prayer through my church that allowed me to experience
what a model of this type of prayer looks like, but also receive greater clarity on my
personal journey with God. Overall, my experience with inner healing prayer felt like my
soul connecting with my life experiences, and walking through different declarations of
forgiveness and breaking off relationships and things in the past allowed me to connect
parts of my history and how those unhealthy relationships affected my spiritual, physical,
emotional, and mental life.
Part of my discernment that came in writing and research was in knowing that I
could make it through the semester on the strength of Christ. Halfway through my time of
writing the thesis there also seemed to be a shift in my own heart in my belief that I could
actually finish well to the best of my abilities. I had been relying on other people telling
me that I could finish and that everything would get accomplished, but there was a belief
that began to develop in myself even in the process of realizing that there was more grace
than I expected with work and my responsibilities at church. Writing this thesis and
devoting time to something that is important and I see as valuable carried some of the
weight for me where the inclination was to get tired or not want to believe in myself
anymore.
For a long time, school and the process of learning and reading has become a
crutch for me in many ways and has kept me back from becoming more involved in
ministry and has been a long journey of understanding what my purpose in life has been.
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Coming into ISF I did not know what to expect, but I knew that once I was involved in
classes and retreats that it was the place that I was meant to be for a season of my life. I
see that season coming to a close and I am excited to see where I am called to in the
future. I am holding this season of my life very loosely and do not want to do anything
except what the Father is doing. I believe that even in writing about spiritual development
and inner healing prayer in the church that there will be opportunities to take what I have
learned even further than I thought and that God, in his grace, can continually transform
and develop what He wants that to look like in the local and global church.
As I finished writing and researching I found that there was more grace to finish
than I had anticipated. After considering a lot in prayer the last couple of weeks I actually
don’t know where God is calling me in ministry. A lot has changed for me the last couple
weeks of the semester and I am walking into the summer not knowing where I am
supposed to serve or if I am supposed to serve at this moment. I believe that God is
calling me into a time of further healing and discerning where I am called to and the
places I am called too.
This thesis writing process has revealed to me that I can trust God not just with
the big decisions in my life but with the small ones. My heart is to let Christ transform
my worldview about ministry and what that looks like. I have realized that my calling is
not something that I will always know, and it is not determined by my vocation. I am
confident that God is taking me in the direction that is going to be the best plan for my
life and the time I have spent at ISF has given me the confidence and awareness to go
wherever God is leading and trust Him in that.
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Thesis Capstone Project (Spring 2016)- The Process of Spiritual Development and Inner Healing Prayer in the Local Church

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Thesis Capstone Project (Spring 2016)- The Process of Spiritual Development and Inner Healing Prayer in the Local Church