Digging my toes into the wet sand, I stared out at the silty brown water of the Sacramento River Delta. Every few minutes, a passing boat’s wake sent ripples lapping on the shore where I sat for my final “solo time” of the summer. Serving in ministry at Houseboats had been spiritually transformational for me. As I sat on the beach that final week, I pulled out a tattered spiral notebook and began writing, reflecting on all that had taken place.
I started by thanking God for the experiences I had at camp, the specific people He’d placed in my life, and for the ways they had impacted me. Away from home for the summer, I’d broken out of my normal routines and had formed new life-giving habits. While serving at Houseboats I began pursuing a more personal and consistent relationship with Jesus.
Feeling wistful about my time at camp coming to an end, I thought about how much I’d changed in such a short period of time. I wrote about who and what had shaped my worldview prior to that summer. Seeing myself through a different lens, I recognized attitudes and actions that hadn’t aligned with God’s best for my life.
I knew I had changes to make going forward and that willpower wouldn’t be enough to help me follow through. It was time to eliminate unhealthy patterns that had formed me and to commit to following Jesus more intentionally. Being honest with the Lord, I confessed sins I’d clung to for far too long and humbly asked the Holy Spirit to help me practice the way of Jesus back in the “real world.”
By the time I closed my tattered notebook and shook out my sandy towel, God had revealed many perspectives, habits, and influences that had shaped me. Laying them all out before Him had prompted a much-needed process of cleansing and healing that freed me to re-direct my focus toward Jesus.
The correlation between my experience that summer and the theme verse for the Practicing the Way Reading Reflection Guide is hard to miss:
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:1-2, NIV)
The process of being transformed by the renewing of our minds requires us to recognize where we are conforming to the “pattern of this world.” While you may not have the luxury of sitting on a beach to do it, this week’s practice is to consider how you spend your time and where you direct your attention.
John Mark Comer writes, “We live time-torn lives: We want to be with Jesus, but we just don’t have time to pray. We genuinely desire to grow into people of love, but our to-do lists are too long to make any serious attempt…We feel hurried, anxious, far from God, spiritually shallow, and stuck in our self-defeating habits of behavior.”1 His answer to this dilemma? Start with a Formation Audit. If you’re doing the Reading Reflection Guide, you’ll find it in Session 02, Day 5. (If you’re not doing it, read all the way to the bottom for another way to access the Formation Audit.)
Through a series of questions on a range of topics, you’ll have the opportunity to consider where you’re being formed by the patterns of this world and where you’re being formed by the Kingdom of God. It’s a chance to think about your habits, relationships, environments, and experiences as well as the stories you believe about yourself, God, the meaning of life, and the source of happiness. This practice requires effort, time, and focus. You might be tempted to do it half-heartedly or to skip it altogether, but if you’re serious about continuing to move forward in practicing the way of Jesus, you’ll want to fight that urge.
As I completed the Formation Audit recently, it shined a light on what’s occupying my mind and filling my calendar right now. I thanked God for the positive changes I’ve seen in myself and recognized some old, unhealthy thought patterns that have crept back into my life. The Formation Audit helped me to see where I need to focus my prayers and where to make healthy changes in my routines.
Before you start this practice, pray and invite the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to you through it. Ask for His help in keeping your focus and eliminating distractions. Rest assured the Formation Audit isn’t aimed at producing a guilt trip or laying unrealistic burdens on you, but on helping you to see what has formed you. Answer the questions honestly and without judging yourself. Remember this is part of a larger process designed to help you be with Jesus, become like Him, and do as He did.
*This post is part of a series based on Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer and weekly practices described in the eight-session study guide. Order your copy of Practicing the Way using this link or buy it anywhere books are sold.
If you’re participating in a group in person at CPC Danville, copies of the Reading Reflection Guide are available at Focused Living AM and PM and in the church office. If you’d like a digital PDF to download, please reply in the comments.
If you would like a PDF of the Formation Audit only, please reply in the comments.
1. John Mark Comer, Practicing the Way, Waterbrook Press, 2026