This event is brought to you by Forma, a ministry of the department of Lifelong Learning at Virginia Theological Seminary. This event will be held in person on the campus of Virginia Theological Seminary – click here for more information about visiting campus, including a campus map, as well as at The Westin Alexandria Old …
View course details “2023 Forma Annual Conference: Called to Covenant”

How many of us were told anger is inappropriate? Anger is both an energy and a gift. It is like gas to the automobile -it fuels us to move forward. Anger can be a powerful tool that motivates us to rise to a challenge. The difficulty is when we abuse anger and use it in …
View course details “The Gift of Anger Retreat”

The only thing that is constant in our lives is change and it will come whether we are ready for it or not. Change means altering our lives, creating a new routine, and doing things differently. Explore the various emotions associated with change and how to adjust and cope when change arrives. Learn how to …
View course details “Change is Calling–Are you ready?”

OVERVIEW I want to be with people who submerge in the task, who go into the fields to harvest and work in a row, and pass the bags along, who are not parlor generals and field deserters but move in a common rhythm when the food must come in or the fire be put out. …
View course details “WISE WOMEN’S WORK”

Scripture resounds with God’s call to “Listen!” The discipline and gift of listening is core to the art of spiritual direction, as well as to friendship, church life, and civic engagement. Yet few professional and academic programs teach us how to listen well. It is a spiritual discipline in need of revival. In the midst …
View course details “Contemplative Listening: The Foundation of Spiritual Friendship and Direction”

Respecting and loving yourself does not make you conceited or self-centered. It is about achieving a deep sense of self-worth and self-love. It is about making the right decisions and taking the right steps when it comes to your life. This Workshop will guide you with tools on how to begin this process. We will …
View course details “Loving and Respecting Yourself”

“Sit in your cell collecting your thoughts and remember the day of your death . . . ” To modern ears this advice from the early Christian desert father Evagrius sounds morbid; we instinctively shrink away from it. Contemporary Westerners live in the most death-denying culture ever seen in human civilization. But the still-smoldering pandemic …
View course details “The Mystery of Death”

The only thing that is constant in our lives is change and it will come whether we are ready for it or not. Change means altering our lives, creating a new routine, and doing things differently. Explore the various emotions associated with change and how to adjust and cope when change arrives. Learn how to …
View course details “Change is Calling…Are you Ready?”

We often think of aging gracefully as “looking old, but still holding on” or “showing signs of aging, but still moving forward with life.” Aging gracefully is not all about age or appearance, but also about the attitude we have as we go through the various stages of life. Explore how our feelings about aging …
View course details “Aging Gracefully”

with April Yamasaki; Resident Author, Valley CrossWay Church, and Author of Sacred Pauses: Spiritual Practices for Personal Renewal “Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy,” says Exodus 20:8 as part of the 10 Commandments. Yet in Mark 2:27 Jesus says, “The Sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the Sabbath.” Over six sessions, this …
View course details “Sabbath: “A Life-long, Life-Giving Rhythm””