Raising Simpler Souls
A Spiritual Formation Series for Families in a Culture of Too Much
It’s never been harder to raise whole, grounded kids in a fractured world.
And it’s not just the big stuff—culture wars, tech overload, social drift. It’s the daily, soul-wearing exhaustion of life in a loud, hurried, always-on environment.
We’re not just trying to help kids navigate what’s out there.
We’re also trying to figure out what it means to be formed in here—in the kitchen, in the car, at the dinner table, in the quiet (or chaos) of ordinary days.
And most of us are doing it with hearts already stretched thin.
🛤 A Different Kind of Formation Series
This isn’t a parenting tips post.
And this isn’t a family conference workshop.
It’s not a formula-driven “A + B + C = D” approach—because real families don’t work that way.
Real parenting doesn’t follow templates. You can do everything the manual says and still get a result that makes no sense at all.
In my experience, you can do A + B + C… and get W.
This week’s reflections aren’t about fixing your family.
They’re about forming one.
Not strategies.
Soul habits.
This is a spiritual formation series—for families, yes, but really for anyone longing for a slower, more grounded way of living and loving at home.
I’m calling it Raising Simpler Souls.
Not perfect children. Not ideal households.
Just people—young and old—learning to be present, attentive, and more anchored in God.
😨 Let’s Name the Fear
Let me be clear: I know the concerns are real.
Many of the parents I know are deeply worried—about schools, screens, identity confusion, peer groups, and the erosion of spiritual and moral foundations. Some have moved cities—or states. Others are homeschooling, shifting to charter or religious schools, or just praying their kids can get through this cultural moment with their souls intact.
These aren’t imaginary battles. And I’m not writing from a cave.
I feel the tension too.
But here’s what I’ve learned:
Fear is a formation strategy—just not a good one.
It trains people—children and adults—to either fight or flee.
It produces hyper-vigilance, emotional reactivity, and relational breakdown.
And while it may feel like protection in the short term, it often hollows out the interior life over time.
This week, I want to offer a different kind of formation:
One shaped not by fear, but by presence.
Not by retreat or reaction, but by attentiveness, simplicity, and spiritual clarity.
In a culture that demands more and faster, this is a counter-formation:
A quiet rebellion rooted in God’s pace and God’s peace.
🧠 What Dallas Willard Saw So Clearly
Dallas Willard once said:
“Everyone receives spiritual formation, just as everyone gets an education. The only question is whether it is a good one or a bad one.”
That quote has never left me.
Because here’s the hard truth:
Every rhythm in our home is shaping someone.
And today, the rhythms of the wider culture are often stronger than those of the home.
Every default device check.
Every rushed meal.
Every exhausted reaction.
Every “just a second” as we scroll.
These aren’t neutral.
They’re neural—forming something deep within.
In us. In them.
And unless we name that—honestly and compassionately—we’ll keep underestimating just how deep the influence runs.
This series is about building a good spiritual formation—
One rooted in love, grounded in presence, and gentle enough to be trusted.
📉 What We’re Losing Without Realizing It
Here’s what I see—and maybe you’ve seen it too:
Families no longer eat together—or when they do, phones are within reach. Conversation has been replaced by distraction.
Children move from screen to screen, exposed to far more than they’re developmentally ready to process—often without enough eye contact, sleep, or grounding in real-world rhythms.
Parents feel guilty when they slow down—as if presence itself is indulgent. The pace of the world becomes the pace of the household.
Grandparents long to pass on faith—but wonder how to do so without sounding outdated, preachy, or disconnected from their grandkids' reality.
Church programming has gotten louder and flashier, but many homes feel spiritually thin. Attendance has become a substitute for attention.
Bedtime used to be a sacred closing moment. Now, it’s often when the anxiety surfaces—about peer groups, identity, online content, or the unspoken ache of feeling unseen.
Pornography isn’t something they find—it finds them. And many parents are scrambling to address what has already begun shaping their kids' view of intimacy, value, and selfhood.
Identity confusion, digital socialization, and screen addiction are forming children long before we’ve trained them to reflect, pray, or name what they’re really feeling inside.
We’re moving fast… but we’re not going deep.
And our kids feel it—even when they can’t name it.
We tell them to love God.
But are we showing them how to be with God?
We teach them not to conform to the world.
But are we slowing down long enough to resist it ourselves?
📬 A Word for the Week
Every Monday, I share reflections like this—free for all. But if this post stirred something in you, would you consider becoming a paid subscriber?
Each Wednesday, paid subscribers receive a beautifully designed formation tool to help you anchor these insights in your real, everyday rhythms.
📚 A Few Resources for the Road
If you’re walking the road of parenting, grandparenting, or mentoring the next generation, here are a few recent books that may speak to the tensions you’re feeling:
Signals: How Brain Science and the Bible Help Parents Raise Resilient Children by Cherilyn Orr (Focus on the Family, 2025). Couples neuroscience and scripture to help parents better understand their kids and connect with God’s wisdom.
The Parent’s Battle Plan by Laine Lawson Croft (Chosen, 2023). Offers bold spiritual warfare prayers and biblical strategies for parents whose kids have drifted—or are in crisis.
Spiritual Disciplines for Children by Vernie Shorr Love (2012). A hands-on, practical guide for helping kids grow in Christlikeness through the classic disciplines—written for parents and teachers alike.
📥 More book recommendations coming in Friday’s post—including resources for navigating prodigals, identity questions, race and injustice, and family spiritual rhythms.
🧰 Practice of the Week
Try this tonight:
Take 5 minutes before bed to notice one small habit in your home that’s quietly forming your family’s soul.
Is it shaping presence or distraction?
Is it forming rest or hurry?
Name it.
Not to fix it right away.
Just to notice.
Noticing is the beginning of all formation.
🧭 The Compass Center | Spiritual Formation for Families
If this series is speaking to you—and if you’re longing for tools and support to nurture spiritual depth in your home—be sure to subscribe for Wednesday’s formation tool:
A Rule of Life for Families Who Want Less Noise and More God.
It’s practical. It’s beautiful. And it’s designed to be used tonight.
👉 Become a paid subscriber to receive this week's tool
📨 Share This With a Friend
If this post spoke to your season—or gave you words for something you’ve been feeling—would you consider forwarding it to a friend, pastor, or parent you care about?
We don’t need more noise. But we do need more companions.
💭 A Benediction for the Week
May your home be slower this week, even if your schedule isn’t.
May your voice carry more peace than pressure.
May your table—however messy—be a sacred space.
And may your children see not just your effort, but your presence.God is already with you.
May you be with Him—and with them.
Gratefully,
— Gene (The Compass)