Are we growing up?

This week we finish our series, "Happy Trails." Here is an overview.

The City (Spiritual Exploration Stage)

Characteristics: A sense of awe and discovery. The realization that a savior is needed.

How get stuck: Always exploring, never committing. Feeling worthless and not realizing that you are worth more.

How grow: Commit to following Christ. Find people who can help you grow in your knowledge of the Bible.

The Foothills (New Christ Follower Stage)

Characteristics: Hungry for knowledge, a sense or rightness, belonging to a group.

How get stuck: Becoming judgmental, keep switching churches, “we against them” mentality, self-righteousness.

How grow: Discover spiritual gifts, realize the need to give to others, start serving.

The Trailhead (Minister on Behalf of Jesus)

Characteristics: Using gifts and strengths to serve others, feeling that you belong to a community and are needed, developing a sense of responsibility.

How get stuck: You grow weary in doing good for others. You become too externally focused in your faith. You neglect your soul.

How grow: Question beliefs anew, go through a crisis, let yourself doubt your beliefs/self as you keep seeking God.

Forrest (Internal Journey)

Characteristics: You doubt your beliefs about God. You feel old wounds from your past need to be healed. Favorite spiritual practices do not work for a time. The focus of your journey is what is going on inside of you with God. This stage is often precipitated by a crisis.

How get stuck: You run from the invitation of God to be healed. You run from the work and the suffering. You go back to a more familiar stage.

How grow: Find someone who has gone through this stage and have them coach you. Persevere. Spend ample time reflecting. Deal with emotional issues you are wrestling with.

Treeline (Ministry from Being)

Characteristics: You are comfortable in your own skin. You are shedding your false self. You are busy, but not hurried. Your ministry comes from who you more than what you do. Your life is inner-directed by God. You are yielded to him. You minister out of your brokenness.

How get stuck: You lose your mooring to the Bible and become overly mystical and relativistic.

How grow: Find people who will support you in this stage.

False Peaks (ways we get off the trail)

This is not really a stage. Listen to the MP3 for more information.

Summit (Life of Love)

Characteristics: You are emotionally very mature. You live detached from this world with a non-anxious faith. You are wise and very powerful. You live with a deep sense of being God’s beloved. Your center is strong. Your strength is your weakness. You are marked by compassion and conviction.

How Get Stuck: At this stage people rarely get stuck. They have reached the summit. They have gone as far in this world, as they can, with God. People may worry about how detached they are from things.

How grow: Go to be with the Lord and continue to grow in the next life as you get to know your infinite God at deeper and deeper levels.

We will conclude this series on Saturday night, 5 p.m., 3651 S. Colorado Blvd.