Ministry is hard on the soul! As a pastor, I can find myself ministering out of a spiritual deficit. SoulShaping® has helped me develop simple, life-giving disciplines that refresh my soul and lead me to deeper intimacy with Jesus.

Thank you for this edition of SoulShaping® . It has encouraged me to take my spiritual life more seriously throughout the day. The disciplines have enriched my study, my self-reflection, my prayer and my time with the Lord. I’m learning how to deal with distractions, how to preview and review my day, and how to journal. Studying SoulShaping® in our Bible Study group made it possible to work together and discuss at a slower pace.

Not only does the SoulShaping® Experience include a fantastic diagnostic tool (something other spiritual practice books lack) but it provides a pathway towards new practices that anyone can do, from baby steps to advanced. Learning about God’s pathways (Pace, Presence, Perspective, Power and Purpose) was eye-opening, and Doug connects specific spiritual practices with each pathway. The book is founded on deep biblical principles and examples. The accompanying journal is a helpful tool, and for us, SoulShaping® functioned additionally as an inspirational sermon series. I can see how it would also work really well for a church retreat.

Doug’s books, SoulShaping® and the companion SoulShaping® Journal are gifts to the Church. They are life-defining tools. Rumford's writing is insightful, drawing on solid biblical study and faithful life experience. The focus on intentional, individual spirituality discipleship is both pastoral and strategic. I highly recommend the SoulShaping® journey to all who long for deeper spiritual connection.

SoulShaping® (Second Edition) is a foundational book, reflecting Doug Rumford’s extensive study of the classics on spiritual formation, along with his lifetime of personal practice and pastoral experience. This book is useful both for personal growth and for groups. The SoulShaping® Journal adds to the impact of this survey of spiritual practices. This one book provides a wealth of material, to which the reader will return many times.

I am so grateful for Doug’s gift of SoulShaping® . This is the gold mined in the trenches of life and ministry by someone who was committed to figuring out how to live and share spiritual vitality. It’s like Doug attended every conference and read every book on spiritual formation and organized his notes to share with us! He gives us both clear teaching and very practical ways to grab hold of these life changing spiritual practices.

In a world with shifting values and constant tensions pulling us in every direction, SoulShaping® provides a brilliant vehicle to allow God to do the shaping and forming He desperately wants to do in our lives. SoulShaping® and the accompanying journal has not just enriched my life but also that of my staff and close friends. As a husband, father, and Church leader I owe it to myself to make intentional space and time to allow God to shape and form me.

SoulShaping® is simply one of the best guides I have ever encountered for discovering and pursuing spiritual vitality. Many spiritual resources give tasks and disciplines to put into practice but do not help you discern the current state of your soul. SoulShaping® has both helped me to find my spiritual bearings and has given me eyes see where God is calling me to open up to God’s pace, presence, perspective, power, and purpose.