Spiritual Treadmills Survey Form

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Hello! Thank you for your willingness to share some of your experiences with me as I write Spiritual Treadmills: How Christian Excellence Became a Heavy Yoke (forthcoming fall 2027 from IVP).

This survey includes a set of open-ended prompts that you can answer according to your experience, sharing as much or as little as you'd like. I may follow up with a small number of you to see if you would be open to a phone or Zoom interview, but it will not be required.

The ten prompts below are intentionally designed to be spacious rather than directive and to allow for respondents to comment on any element that resonates with their experience. Please think of them as virtual brainstorming rather than an assignment. You can answer however you’d like, with as much or as little detail as you like. You can respond to one element of the prompt, or you could also answer the question with a specific moment or incident that illustrates your experience. Some of the prompts may have overlapping themes or ideas—you can skip any questions that you would not like to answer or take the question in any direction you like. The goal of this portion of my work is twofold: 1. to hear from people directly how they experienced ideas about Christian excellence in their spiritual formation and 2. to potentially include some of your experiences in my book as examples of the impact of these ideas.

If you are open to your story being considered for the latter purpose, there is an information release in the form where you can consent to allow your first name and a portion of your response to appear in the book. This might include a direct quote of your words as you've written them or my attempt to responsibly summarize and story-tell various elements. If you would like further clarification about this process before you fill out the form, please reach out with questions. Please be reassured that I will not use your name and stories in my book if you do not check the consent section of this form. If you do not check the consent section, I will simply read your responses to inform my own research. There is also a space for you to clarify whether you are willing to allow me to publish your story under the condition of anonymity.

Finally, I am so grateful for your willingness to share some of your own experience with me. I want you to know that I will read every survey response with care and interest. If your particular story does not end up in the final version of the book, it is not because I overlooked it or because there was something lacking in your way of communicating your story. Choosing which to include will depend on a variety of factors, most notably the relatively short length of Christian nonfiction, the range of topics I hope to explore, and the need for included segments to be representative of recurrent trends and topics. I genuinely value the way every personal account helps me understand the lived experience and impact of the ideas I am examining. Thank you again for sharing with me and for being part of my work!

- Marissa

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Topic 1: Christian devotional practices

When you hear the phrase "spiritual disciplines" what comes to mind?

Has your experience surrounding these practices changed over time? If so, how?

Do any feelings or somatic, bodily responses come up for you as you reflect on these practices?

Were these practices something you engaged (or aspired to engage) as an individual? In Sunday worship? In some kind of small group? Or something else?

How were devotional practices like quiet time, prayer, tithing, missions and evangelism presented to you? What motivated you (or didn't) to try them? How did you feel if you missed a day or week or month?

Did you see devotional practices as a key ingredient for relating to God? If so, how did they shape your view of God or understanding of his view of you?

Feel free to return to these general questions as prompts for any of the specific topics below as well.

Topic 2: Church Culture

How would you describe the church or community culture that shaped your ideas about spiritual devotion? This could be a denomination, what your typical church activities have looked like over the years, or a Christian leader who represents your communities of faith formation.

What sort of books, conferences, music, and activities were part of your faith formation, particularly in regard to religious devotional practices? Have you participated in something like a "discipleship group," "small group" or "accountability group"? What was that like for you?

If relevant, please indicate in your responses whether you saw yourself primarily as a recipient of this teaching or if you held a role of teaching, pastoring, or mentoring and how that shaped your attitudes toward devotional practices.

Topic 3: The Bible

What role did the Bible play in your faith formation? When did you receive or read your first personal Bible? If you were raised in a Christian community, did you participate in youth-oriented events that encouraged Bible reading or memorization? If so, what was that like for you?

What are your current practices around Bible reading, memorization, and things like "quiet time"? What practices regarding the Bible have been particularly nourishing for you? Particularly painful or problematic?

Topic 4: Prayer

What has your experience with prayer been like? This could include reflections on extemporaneous prayers, scripted prayers, praying as an individual, or praying in community? Were you taught particular liturgies regarding prayer (e.g. praying "in Jesus' Name, Amen" or kneeling by the bedside)? Did you ever "prayer journal" or "prayer walk" or something of that nature? If so, what was that like for you? Was "fasting" a part of your experience with prayer or spirituality?

Topic 5: Preaching and sermons

What would you say is the point of "preaching" or sermons?

How would you describe the kind of preaching you received? If you are/were a pastor or teacher, can you speak to what you did to prepare for sermons or preaching?

When you think of primary influences in your understanding of the spiritual disciplines, who comes to mind?

Topic 6: Tithing, Stewardship, and Generosity

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you read those words?

Who first taught you about Christian generosity? As you reflect on your church experiences, did you hear sermons about tithing or giving? If so, what was that like? Did you feel pressured to give money to churches or Christian organizations?

How did you personally approach tithing? If you were in a paid ministry position, were you expected to tithe back to the organization?

Did ideas about tithing impact your overall spending or your attitudes toward financial investments, retirement, and spending?

Topic 7: Missions and Evangelism

What has been your experience regarding sharing the Christian faith?

What comes to mind when you hear the terms "evangelism," "missions," and "discipleship"?

What did you understand the reason for evangelism and missions to be?

Have you been a missionary or known a missionary? What things come to mind as you consider the intersection of ideas about Christian excellence with Christian missions?

Topic 8: Christian Heroes and Examples

What historical or contemporary figures were presented to you as exemplary? What was/is your understanding of what was admirable about their faith?

Did you seek to emulate their example? If so, how? What was that experience like for you?

Did you ever make a life decision based on your beliefs about an exemplary Christian figure? What was that like?

What is your understanding of a Christian's sense of "calling"? How has that played out in your faith formation?

Topic 9: Spiritual Treadmills and Christian Excellence

What things do these phrases stir up in you? Do they resonate with your own experience? If not, why not? Are you familiar with the term "scrupulosity"? If so, has this played a part in your own experiences? Are you familiar with the term "sanctification"? How did that show up in your faith formation? What does the idea of "holy ambition" mean to you?

How did your understanding of these spiritual practices shape your perspective of God?

Topic 10: Your current spiritual practices

How do you describe your faith and spiritual practice today?

What sort of influences, books, media, etc. influence your current devotional practices?

Are there any other stories, ideas, reflections on Christian excellence and devotional practices you want to share?

Send me a copy of my responses.

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