Introduction

I wrote 12 Steps to God to organize what I've learned about walking with God. I hope it will also enable you to develop and implement a lifelong plan for your spiritual growth.

The best place to start is when I was in fifth grade. I was singing soprano in a boy's choir at church. Even though I was at church, I was so focused on looking good for the TV cameras that I wasn't paying attention to God.

Ironically, what I did for vanity has become an ongoing reminder of how God not only humbles us but can work in the midst of our mess. As I adjusted my choir robe for the hundredth time, I looked across the choir loft and saw an older man not just singing but worshiping God with joy. His way of connecting with God was compelling and beautiful.

I prayed, "God, I want what that man has." As soon as I said this prayer, I had a shocking, consequential, immediate experience of joy. I knew that God was real, that God loved me, and that God was with me.

That moment changed everything.

But then I learned that a relationship with God isn't easy. There are dead-ends, struggles, and problems. I've invested nearly twenty years in full-time ministry, earned a Master of Divinity degree, and spent countless hours looking for answers on how spiritual formation happens.

Even with all I've invested, I've often gotten it wrong. I've made a lot of mistakes:

• I've been legalistic. I zealously kept certain rules, but that didn't mean I was becoming loving, holy, or kind.
• I've been passive. I've waited for God to change me, but I've learned that he doesn't zap us.
• I've continued to struggle with sin. And that can be discouraging.
• I've struggled with guilt and shame—both for what I've done and for what I've left undone.
• I've had burnout. I got so tired of all the religious stuff.

As you start 12 Steps to God, here's what I recommend.

**First, take the course with friends.** Spiritual growth always happens in the context of relationships.

**Second, spend time in prayer.** Throughout the course, I've added questions that will help you clarify why the content matters for your life with God. Skip the questions that aren't helpful and focus on the ones that connect you to God's care for your heart.

It's one thing to have a fuzzy answer in our minds. But I encourage you to write down your goals for this course. Once you write down what God has put on your heart, it gives you clarity and excitement for this journey.

We're all about slow and steady growth. It's better to spend two minutes a day working through 12 Steps to God than try to binge it like a Netflix show. Why? Because the goal isn't to 'complete the course' but to have your heart and life transformed by God every day for the rest of your life.