learning to place ourselves in God's presence where he can begin to do the work of transformation in us.

If you’re simply engaging with our series and not directly with the book, then follow this guide for the first route for mediation: Meditation upon Scripture. J. Oswald Sanders, a Christian leader for nearly 70 years and author of more than 40 books, presents the key principles of leadership in both the temporal and spiritual realms. What I love the most about the book is his reminder that the pursuit of a Christ-centered life is all about change and bringing ourselves closer to God. If you wonder how you can find the deeper layers of the teachings of the revolutionary Jesus, you could do worse than to spend some time with Foster.As a practicing Christian, you should be wrapped in the Holy Spirit deep enough to intuit God's will; your prayer is not requesting God to change His will in your favor; rather, your prayer is God's will in action. This book has pushed me to develop aspects of my spiritual discipline that are less focused on in the modern American church (fasting, simplicity, celebration).

You may find yourself nonchalantly reading through his pages, nodding your head, perhaps underlining here and there, your legs stretched across your couch on a lazy afternoon. Physical benefits, success in prayer, the enduring with power, spiritual insights—these must never replace God as the center of our fasting” (p55).The author claims that these disciplines can infuse life with joy, promoting inner peace and fulfilment. Since Jesus lives in the eternal now, this work was not just for those around him, but he took in all the violence, all the fear, all the sin of all the past, all the present, and all the future. The disciplines are meditation, prayer, fasting, study, simplicity, solitude, submission, service, confession, worship, guidance, and celebration. If you come to me with a problem, I can offer my thoughts which may or may not be divinely inspired, and then I need to let it go.

A book that lead me to think deeply into what it really means to actively celebrate the discipline that brings Christ the most glory, and leads me into the fullness of life he invites us into through his son Jesus. I've come to prefer the term “means of grace” to refer to these kinds of practices, which keeps the focus on God’s part, rather than Spiritual Disciplines, which puts the focus on my part. A newly repackaged and updated 40th anniversary edition of the timeless guide that has helped numerous seekers discover a richer spiritual life infused with joy, peace, and a deeper understanding of God, updated with a new introduction by the author and a new section: "Entering the Great Conversation about the Growth of the Soul. Masterfully capturing the central insights of Christ's teachings in a fresh way for today's seekers, he helps us to explore a revolutionary way to experience God by knowing him as an essential part of the here and now, rather than only as part of the hereafter.At times I found myself wondering exactly what he meant, and in turn wondering whether I would agree with him if I discovered exactly what he meant.

Seeking first God’s kingdom and the righteousness, both personal and social, of that kingdom is the only thing that can be central in the Spiritual Discipline of simplicity” (p87). Foster points out that the motivation toward establishing spiritual discipline is simply a “longing for God” (p.

As I mentioned before all of these build one on the other, and celebration is at the end for a reason. A lot of people from the Protestant tradition are immediately dissuaded from the idea of spiritual disciplines because they are so focused on the idea of grace. The outward disciplines of simplicity, solitude, submission, and service help prepare us to make the world a better place. If a rock I'm holding is drowning me I can let it go at any time, but it works better if I just don't grab a hold of it at all.