Hi, I’m Jon.
I write about Christian spiritual formation and the slow work of becoming like Christ.
I’m especially interested in how the Christian tradition helps us make sense of that long journey. How we grow, how we change, and how love slowly reshapes us from the inside out.
I’m the author of Dwelling in Christ, a book that invites readers to grow beyond quick fixes and into a lifelong rhythm of transformation. The book is rooted in the ancient Threefold Way of Christian spirituality. Purgation, illumination, and union. Drawing from Scripture, theology, and my own experience, it offers a framework for understanding spiritual formation not as something we accomplish, but as something God patiently works in us as we learn to dwell in Christ.
I also write a weekly newsletter called Three Weekly Lights. Each Monday morning, readers receive three small lights: a note from me, a voice from the Christian tradition, and a question to carry into the week. It’s designed to help you participate more deeply in your transformation, offering a bit of clarity and focus at the start of the week.
In addition to my writing, I’m the co-founder of Dwell, an audio Bible app created to help people rediscover the ancient practice of listening to Scripture. Before the printing press, most Christians encountered Scripture by hearing it read aloud. For centuries, their faith was formed through listening, not reading. At Dwell, we believe the smartphone—another world-changing technology—can help people reconnect their modern lives to the ancient rhythms that shaped the first 1,500 years of Christian faith. It’s one example of how I try to bring tradition and technology together in service of a deeper life with God.
I also serve on the Ministry Team at Renovaré, a movement dedicated to guiding people into a deeper life with God. Each year I teach at the Renovaré Institute, helping people learn how to cultivate a rule of life.
I’m an advocate for a Christian spirituality that is rooted in the Christian tradition but also intensely practical for people living in our modern world. The core question I explore through my work is:
What can I learn from the past to help me better participate in the present?
In other words, I want to find out how Christians from the past have worked with God’s transforming grace and live that as honestly as I can. Ultimately, I love trying to find the wisest ideas and then explain them in a way that’s easy-to-understand and practicable.
I worship in the Anglican Communion, but I value and embrace the beauty and balance of the Christian tradition. Thus, I learn from all three branches of Christianity: Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant.
I live in Frisco, Texas, with my wife, Kori, and our three children.
If you’d like to know more about me and my early testimony, I wrote about it for Christianity Today.
Christianity Today · April 2016
When Altar Calls Don’t Work
How many times did I need to get saved before truly loving God?
Read my testimony →
You can also find me on Instagram, X, and Substack, where I post a weekly mini spiritual practice and quotes on the spiritual life I’ve collected over years of reading.
Other Interests
Growing things.
I try growing flowers and plants in containers, both inside and outside my house.
Finding the right plant for the right season, with the right light and the right watering, takes more attention than most people expect.
I like keeping watch over them.
Building playlists.
I keep a handful of playlists that I’ve been curating for years. Adding, subtracting, reordering until they feel right.
Jazz, bossa, sacred chant, ambient. Each one is built for a specific mood or moment. It’s a small thing, but I take it seriously.
A few favorites: It’s Evening Now, Somewhere on a Patio, and Monastery Mood.
Starting things.
I’m a serial entrepreneur. My identical twin brother and I have started three companies together. Graceway Media, Lightstock, and Dwell.
I even started a Christmas light business once and sold it.
There’s nothing quite like the process of turning an idea into something real, and I don’t think I’ll ever stop doing it.
Understanding the world.
I love learning about the history of just about anything. The origin of how something came to be and the underlying motivations behind it.
I listen to audiobooks on history and biographies, and I follow geopolitics in real time.
Understanding why things are the way they are is the kind of learning I never get tired of.
Designing systems.
I’m drawn to personal productivity and the technology that supports it, without getting sucked in too deep.
A few apps I’d recommend: Things 3 for tasks, Craft for notes, Fantastical for calendar, and Superhuman for email.
I’ve also been shaped by David Allen’s Getting Things Done, Tiago Forte’s Second Brain, and Traction for business management. The goal is always the same: free up attention for what actually matters.
Collecting quotes.
I’ve been collecting quotes from my reading for over 15 years. Passages from the saints, mystics, and seekers who’ve shaped my faith, spanning nearly two thousand years of Christian wisdom.
Transformation is slow.
You don’t have to walk it alone.
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