Like most pastors I have engaged the perennial struggle to find a workable balance between matters of the mind and spirit. The pendulum has swung wildly from the green pastures of deep study, passionate prayer, and leisurely reflection to the working fields of extreme busyness, urgent sermon preparation, and truncated devotions. More often than not, I have felt confined to the working fields of ministry with fond longings for soul nourishing meadows. But how does one find the appropriate balance between the tyranny of responsibility and the liberty of an unfettered spiritual life?

Many years ago, I was drawn to Regent College's graduate program by its unique emphasis on spiritual formation. Their faculty mix reflected my own inner dichotomy. On the one hand there were teachers in spirituality like Eugene Peterson and James Houston. Other faculty members like J. I. Packer and Gordon Fee represented my comfort zone with their focus on theology and exegesis of Scripture.

Even though I felt ...