People nearly always act on their feelings, and think it only right. The will is then left at the mercy of circumstances that evoke feelings. Christian spiritual formation today must squarely confront this fact and overcome it.

Now, when we set aside contemporary prejudices and carefully examine

these two great sources, I believe it will become clear that heart, spirit, and will (or their equivalents) are words that refer to one and the same thing, the same fundamental component of the person.

But for all of the soul?s vastness and independence, the tiny executive

center of the person?that is, the spirit or will?can redirect and re-form the soul, with God's cooperation. It mainly does this by redirecting the body in spiritual disciplines and toward various other types of experiences under God.

But in both cases ?grace? means we are to be, and are enabled to be, active to a degree we have never been before. Paul?s picture of grace is ?And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed? (2 Corinthians 9:8).

Note how many aspects of the selfare explicitly involved in this passage: the mind (thought), the will (choice), the feelings, the soul, and the body. A major part of understanding spiritual formation in the Christian traditions is to follow closely the way the biblical writings repeatedly and emphatically focus on the various essential dimensions

Spirit refers to its fundamental nature as distinct and independent from physical reality.

Feeling Feeling inclines us toward or away from things that come before our minds in thought. It involves a tone that is pleasant or painful, along with an attraction or repulsion with respect to the existence or possession ofwhat is thought of. How we feel about food, automobiles, relationships, positions, and hundreds of other things illustrates

Each aspect or dimension of the person will be a source ofweakness or

strength to the whole person, depending upon the condition it is in, and the condition it is in will depend, finally, upon the heart. A person who is prepared and capable of responding to the situations of life in ways that are ?good and right? is a person whose soul is in order,

If it is our act, there must be added to those conditions the inner and always unforced yes or no by which the person responds to the situation. This response is our unique contribution to reality. It is ours, it is ws, as nothing else is.