Series Resources
sermon-based study guide
This guide is designed to guide a group discussion around the weekend sermon. You can also use this as an individual, but we highly recommend finding a friend and inviting them to discuss with you. Menlo Church has Life Groups meeting in-person and online using these guides. We’d love to help you find a group.
What you will find in this guide: A discussion guide for groups and individuals. If you are using this as an individual be sure to engage with each question in a journal or simply in your mind as you prayerfully consider what you heard in the sermon and seek to discover what God is inviting you to know and do.
The Formation Machine Series Resource
Spiritual Formation Resources
Series: The Formation Machine
Dates: February 9th - February 23rd, 2025
Books for Deeper Study
- John Mark Comer - The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
- Explores how the hurried pace of modern culture forms us in unhealthy ways and calls readers to adopt the spiritual disciplines of rest, simplicity, and silence to counter cultural drift.
- Timothy Keller - Counterfeit Gods
- Identifies modern idols (success, money, relationships) and offers biblical insights on how to reorder our hearts to worship God alone.
- Jon Tyson - The Burden is Light
- Focuses on how to live a meaningful and counter-cultural life, particularly in urban environments. It offers practical wisdom for rejecting cultural pressures and embracing spiritual formation.
- Dallas Willard - The Spirit of the Disciplines
- A classic on spiritual disciplines, this book dives into how they transform believers into Christlikeness and allow us to live as salt and light in the world.
- James K.A. Smith - You Are What You Love
- Explores how habits and cultural liturgies shape our loves and imaginations, calling for intentional re-formation of our hearts through worship and spiritual practices.
Podcasts
- The Emotionally Healthy Leader Podcast by Pete Scazzero
- Focuses on the intersection of spiritual maturity and emotional health, offering practical wisdom on formation in the face of cultural pressures.
- Fight Hustle, End Hurry by John Mark Comer and Jefferson Bethke
- Practical discussions on resisting cultural busyness through spiritual formation.
- The Practicing the Way Podcast by John Mark Comer and Team
- Emphasizes how to integrate spiritual disciplines into daily life, with topics like Sabbath, community, and fasting.
- This Cultural Moment by Mark Sayers and John Mark Comer
- Explores how the church can thrive as a counter-cultural community in a post-Christian society.