When we were children, we wanted our bodies to grow. At some point as an adult, we’d like the growth of our bodies to stop! I like donuts as much now as I did when I was a child but their effect on me is far worse. Instead of burning those calories off, that donut lands and lingers. We measure physical growth in inches and pounds but there is another kind of growth that is slightly harder to measure. I’m referring to spiritual growth. It’s not always clear how well or poorly that kind of growth is going. That we should grow and that we can grow is biblical without question. The way we measure that growth is more difficult. In John Ortberg’s excellent book titled, “The Life You’ve Always Wanted,” he starts by stating what many of us, if we’re honest, feel about spiritual growth. He wrote, “I am disappointed with myself…not so much with particular things I have done as with aspects of who I have become.” I can relate to that statement and the statements he continued to make about the various areas of his inner life that seem to remain stunted in their growth. I have been a Christian since I was five years old, it seems like some of this should be easier by now. I have the Holy Spirit, the Bible, good friends and lots of good role models. Yet, some days I wonder if I’m making any progress at all. We have stated that GROW is a core value at Calvary; we need to understand what that means to spare us from the discouragement that might tempt us to quit trying and training.