Stages
Friendship forms us. Friendship with God sanctifies us. Our journey is one of loving God, coming to know him, and experiencing eternal life. There are stages to this, and they track with Jesus's parable of the sower/soils.
Anticipance
Anticipance is a made-up word, a twist on anticipation. It's a property that scales readiness, watchfulness. When we are current in our relationship with God, our Anticipance will be high. We are prepared for change.
Disruption
Something changed. Are we ready? Or does it take us by surprise? If unprepared, if not watchful, we might miss its significance.
"When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path." —Jesus
The word of God's kingdom has been sown. The risk is that we miss it; we don't understand its meaning. And before it can have its intended effect, the enemy snatches it away.
Attunement
What if we were ready? What if we did notice? Attunement is about studying, asking questions, and seeking to understand. God, what does this mean? How do I give of myself in response? Without this step, we may not process well.
"As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away." —Jesus
The Starter is ready to take God's revelation and run with it. We embrace it with zeal and gives ourselves to it. The risk is that we don't allow time and patience to be formed by it. What we have discovered is carried in our hands but not yet in our bones. When trouble or pressure comes, momentum is lost.
Resonance
No shortcuts. No sprints. Yes, the shift might have felt unsettling. It will take a while to adjust. But slowly, ever so slowly, we change. We gradually feel more at ease with this new normal.
"As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful." —Jesus
The Explorer walks in the new over an extended time period. We are gradually formed by it — if we resist worldly distractions and the pull of wealth.
Embodiment
Eventually, the new normal becomes just normal. Adjustment is complete. A disruption has become formation, no longer requiring focused attention.
"As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty." —Jesus
The Venturer carries new knowledge deep inside and naturally bears the fruit of that knowledge. There's nothing forced or faked; it's just the instinctive overflow of a transformed person.