Any relationship that we have with God will be determined by what we think of God and what we think God thinks of us.

Resources: Good and Beautiful God, James Bryan Smith. Abba’s Child, Brennan Manning

Relationships require communication. The quality of our relationship with God will be affected by the quality of our communication with God.

Resources: Hearing God, Dallas Willard

For two persons to be able to develop a relationship, there must be a way for them to be together, to share a space. God’s Kingdom provides this space.

Resources: Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard

A relationship with God depends on how well we “do” relationships in general. Community is the place where we develop this ability and capacity to participate in an authentic relationship with God.

Resources: Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer

To develop a healthy image of God, understand how He desires to participate in a relationship with us, and how He invites us to participate in the relationship with Him, we need guidelines. The Bible provides these guidelines.

Resources: Eat This Book, Eugene Peterson, Experiencing God in Scripture, Jan Johnson

As in any relationship, the combination of two unique persons creates a one-of-a-kind relationship. The components of these unique relationships may repeat themselves and cluster into groups of components. These clusters can be called “streams” of spirituality and can be observed in the various expressions of the Body of Christ.

Resources: Streams of Living Water, Richard Foster

Any relationship requires effort and intention. Spiritual disciplines are our effort to participate in the relationship, both for the joy of sharing the relationship and for the purpose of becoming what we need to be in order to more fully participate in the relationship.

Resources: Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster.

Augustine is credited with praying, “Grant, Lord that I may know myself that I may know thee.” Coming to know ourselves, the self we don’t normally see or want to see, is essential in participating in a healthy relationship with God.

Resources: I Told Me So, Greg Ten Elshof, The Enneagram Made Easy, Elizabeth Wagele

In most healthy relationships there is shared activity. Learning how to share our efforts with God, as a part of and for the benefit of our relationship with God is essential in developing a healthy relationship with God.

Resources: The Gift of Being Yourself, David Benner, Let Your Life Speak, Parker Palmer

Just as our image of God is important in our relationship with him, one that includes his deep and unconditional love for us, our image of ourselves is also critical, believing that we are worthy of being called his beloved, for us to be able to experience God's love.

Resources: Life of the Beloved, Henri Nowen

For us to share a relationship with God, it will be helpful to understand how God made us, how growth happens in our spiritual life, and how that growth shapes the relationship we enjoy with God.

Resources: Renovation of the Heart, Dallas Willard

Relationships are not fixed or static. As we grow and change, our relationship with God will also be different. It can be helpful to know and anticipate some of the typical ways that our relationship with God may change over time.

Resources: Critical Journey, Janet Hagberg. Mansions of the Heart, Tom Ashcroft.