“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion?”
-Jesus (Matt. 11:28 MSG)
More and more people seem to be answering “yes” to these questions while sharing stories of feeling “stuck” in their spiritual journey. There’s a noticeable disconnect between the experience of abundant life that we read about in the Bible and the quality of life most Christians live today. In our culture, following Jesus has become more about survival until we “die and go to heaven” than grace, adventure, and genuine, noticeable, life-giving change. If the only option is such a “get-out-of-Hell-free card,” it’s no wonder many Christians are questioning the point of following Jesus.
Simply put, the kind of faith that merely focuses on believing that God exists, accepting Jesus as your personal savior, going to Church, reading your Bible, trying your best to be a good person, and waiting to die to go to heaven is no longer working for most people.
The good news, however, is that while this could lead us to conclude that the way of Jesus does not work, there is another path to explore. Yes, there is another way of following Jesus that leads to abundant life!
Experiencing this fullness of life requires deep connections to God, ourselves, and others. While we greatly desire such connections, we also fear the risks inherent in the vulnerability required. As a result, we can develop barriers that keep us from the fullness of life God desires for us.
For this purpose, we have created the EREMOS Spiritual Formation Cohort!
What is the Spiritual Formation Cohort?
The EREMOS Spiritual Formation cohort immerses participants into a lifestyle at home in the love of God. The ten-month experience helps participants establish a rhythm of experiencing God in solitude, community, and way of life with more awareness of God’s loving presence in all things.
This cohort might be for you if…
You desire to experience more of God
You desire to better know yourself
You are feeling stuck in your faith journey.
You are looking for a truly safe space to explore what you believe and share struggles of life and faith with others
You desire to experience God’s healing presence
What is the structure?
Participants will journey together within a group throughout this 10-month experience (August 2023 – May 2024).
The cohort will gather for an opening weekend retreat and then two-hour small group meetings approximately once a month.
The opening retreat in September and closing retreat in May will include contemplative exercises, communal sharing, and learning about spiritual formation.
Participants will create a rule of life that helps them develop spiritual habits and a rhythm for engaging in spiritual disciplines in solitude and community throughout the year.
Participants will receive individual spiritual direction once per month.
Participants will interact with one another consistently through a private online community space.
Participants will read, reflect on, and discuss selected materials on spiritual formation.
What will we experience?
Growth in self-awareness, God-awareness, and experiential knowledge of God’s love for self and others.
Healing from past wounds.
New spiritual practices that help us say yes to God’s loving presence in our lives on a regular basis.
A safe community to explore life with God together.
Cohort Facilitators
Zachary Bryant
Lead Facilitator
Zach is the Co-Founder of EREMOS and a spiritual director, life coach, and teacher of the Way of Jesus in Nashville, TN. Over the past twelve years, he has worked with multiple churches and non-profits in various teaching and pastoral roles. He completed his Master’s of Divinity at Lipscomb University in 2019 and, subsequently, two years of training in spiritual direction from the Institute for Christian Spirituality. He completed a third year of spiritual direction training in offering the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola in 2023. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, weight training, music, comic book movies, and spending quality time with his wife, Kayla, and their labradoodle.
MaryAnn Green
Co-Facilitator
MaryAnn has a passion for sitting with others, hearing their stories, and companioning them while looking and listening together for the Spirit of God’s presence in their lives. She considers it an honor and privilege to witness how the Trinity speaks uniquely to each of His children. MaryAnn gratefully received a Spiritual Direction certification through Lipscomb University’s Institute of Christian Spirituality. She has married her high school sweetheart, Daniel, for 26 years and has been given three wonderful and inspiring children. She worked as a nurse in Women’s Health for eight years before staying home with my children. MaryAnn and Daniel have two needy yet beloved dogs who remind them daily of the Lord’s faithfulness, and she deeply enjoys reading, walking, or hiking in nature, music, yoga, and great conversations.
Julianna Tate Zoch
Co-Facilitator
Julianna Tate Zoch is a Spiritual Director and founder of Wondering Company, a faith community for wonderers.
Combining her personal experience of 7 years wrestling with faith, her formal training through a Masters of Divinity degree, and her training as a Spiritual Director, she creates space for wonder so others don’t feel alone in their faith experience.
She is also a wife, daughter, sister to four amazing women, a barista, baker, chronic hobby-abandoner, and more.
Opening Dates
Opening Online Gathering: August 24th, 6-8 PM
Opening In-Person Retreat in Culleoka, TN: September 15th-17th
Financial Cost
The financial cost of this cohort is $120 a month for ten months. A $50 fee is due with your application, which is refundable until August 16th, 2023.
Instructions to set up your ten $120/month payments will be sent to you two weeks prior to the start of the opening retreat on August 24th. Your first month will be prorated from your $50 depost.