Luther Seminary Digital Commons @ Luther Seminary Doctor of Ministry Theses Student Theses 2019 Breathing With God: Inhaling God's Spirit, Exhaling God's Reign Douglas Scott Dent Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.luthersem.edu/dmin_theses Part of the Christianity Commons, and the Practical Theology Commons Recommended Citation Dent, Douglas Scott, "Breathing With God: Inhaling God's Spirit, Exhaling God's Reign" (2019). Doctor of Ministry Theses. 45. https://digitalcommons.luthersem.edu/dmin_theses/45 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Theses at Digital Commons @ Luther Seminary. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctor of Ministry Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Luther Seminary. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. BREATHING WITH GOD: INHALING GOD’S SPIRIT, EXHALING GOD’S REIGN by Douglas Scott Dent A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Luther Seminary in Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF MINISTRY ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA 2019 © 2019 by Douglas Scott Dent All rights reserved ABSTRACT Breathing with God: Inhaling God’s Spirit, Exhaling God’s Reign by Douglas Scott Dent This action research project engaged transformative mixed methods to determine the effect of directed interventions on a cohort’s participation with the triune God. “Breathing with God” embraces an inspiring by God, aspiring to be Christ-like, and conspiring with the Holy Spirit. Theoretical lenses included respiration and personality preferences. Biblical lenses included Genesis 11:1-9 (Babel), Psalms 42-43 (the deer pants), Acts 2 (Pentecost), and Romans 12:1-8 (church as body). Theological lenses included spiritual capacity and discipleship. Findings revealed that improved comprehension of personality preferences and spiritual gifts coupled with consistent spiritual practices improved participation and willingness to engage in missio Dei. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS With deep and heartfelt gratitude, I wish to thank: My Family: Karen who understands and encourages my need to learn and grow and try new things, and who loves me, always; and Madalyn and Jonathan who graciously accepted the times when I had to read and write, and who loved me patiently through this process. My Editors: Terri who read every paper, evaluated every research instrument, and edited this thesis with compassionate and thoughtful insights, and Peg who edited this thesis with rigorous attention to grammatical detail. My Journey Team who spoke the truth in love to me throughout this process. The Cohort Members who engaged with me in learning how to breathe deeply with God. My Congregation for their encouragement and prayers, for the gift of time to read, study, and write, and for the financial support to pursue this project. My Colleagues for their inspiration and camaraderie on this journey: Mary, who read all my work and challenged me to think bigger, higher, and deeper; Neil, who patiently answered my computer questions with grace and a sense of humor; Meghan, who offered gracious hospitality and with whom I shared worship and denominational kinship; Doug, who reminded me to keep things simple and not to overthink; Ernest, who unfailingly provided meaningful insights into the Gospel; Albert, who engaged with me in rich conversations over burgers and beers; Laurie, who joined us mid-journey and deepened our dialogue; and Andy, whose music ministry enriched our gatherings. The Luther Seminary Faculty for making this opportunity possible, sharing their collective wisdom, and introducing me to the exciting possibilities of the missio Dei. The Triune God who richly blesses me by continually breathing toward me and inviting me back into holy community. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................... vii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ........................................................................................... viii 1. BREATHING WITH GOD ...........................................................................................1 The Research Question ..........................................................................................4 Variables ................................................................................................................5 Importance of the Research Project .......................................................................6 Theoretical Lenses .................................................................................................7 Respiration .....................................................................................................7 Personality Preferences ..................................................................................8 Biblical Lenses ......................................................................................................9 Genesis 11:1-9 & Acts 2 ................................................................................9 Psalms 42-43 ................................................................................................11 Romans 12:1-8 .............................................................................................13 Theological Lenses ..............................................................................................14 Spiritual Capacity .........................................................................................14 Discipleship ..................................................................................................16 Methodology ........................................................................................................18 The Research Design ...........................................................................................19 Definition of Key Terms .....................................................................................22 Ethical Concerns ..................................................................................................24 Summary ..............................................................................................................25 2. CONTEXT AND THEORETICAL LENSES .............................................................27 Context ................................................................................................................27 Introducing the Lenses ........................................................................................30 Theoretical Lenses ...............................................................................................31 Respiration ...................................................................................................31 Personality Preferences ................................................................................35 Summary ..............................................................................................................47 3. BIBLICAL AND THEOLOGICAL LENSES.............................................................48 Biblical Lenses ....................................................................................................49 Genesis 11:1-9 ..............................................................................................49 Psalms 42-43 ................................................................................................57 Acts 2 ............................................................................................................63 iv Romans 12:1-8 .............................................................................................69 Theological Lenses ..............................................................................................74 Spiritual Capacity .........................................................................................74 Discipleship ..................................................................................................81 Summary ..............................................................................................................92 4. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND METHODS...................................................93 Action Research Methodology ............................................................................93 Transformative Mixed Methods ..........................................................................96 Biblical and Theological Grounding of the Methodology and Methods .............98 The Research Cohort .........................................................................................101 The Research Design .........................................................................................102 Analyzing the Data ............................................................................................106 Summary ............................................................................................................107 5. ANALYZING AND INTERPRETING THE RESULTS..........................................108 Review of the Research Question and Process ..................................................109 Profile of the Research Cohort ..........................................................................110 Affirming Our Ministries ..................................................................................114