The Other Half of Church: Christian Community, Brain Science, and Overcoming Spiritual Stagnation

What I realized later was that the people who did not respond to training likely had right-brain obstacles: low joy, isolation, a lack of loving community, poor identity formation, and unhealed trauma.

These spiritual disciplines are important. Yet we will soon discover that fruit will be inconsistent when there is: • Low joy • Shallow relational attachments • Unstable identity • Weak community

The development of our relational and emotional life helps our soil be more fruitful while the spiritual disciplines remove obstacles to our growth. If I lack right-brain relational development, the spiritual disciplines will be less effective. Even healthy seeds will not grow well in depleted soil.

A simple list of spiritual disciplines would include Scripture meditation, solitude, silence, fasting, prayer, service, and celebration. As we make spiritual disciplines a part of our intentional daily practices, they will change us from the inside out.

If I want to obey Jesus, I need to focus on right-brain skills that help me love Him and receive His love. My behavior will then take care of itself. Our brains are designed to change us through love.

When we fail to understand how people grow, we lose track of the central task Jesus gave the church. Having no plan for transformation produces Christians with poor character who try to do good ministry. Jesus did the opposite. He started His ministry by preaching about a transformed inner life that drives the outer life. A transformed inner life t

The lack of discipleship was so widespread that Willard labeled this failure “the Great Omission.”