Fortunately, this is a very practical introduction to these disciplines that recognizes that one doesn’t simply become an expert practitioner or spiritual giant overnight. Fasting is receiving more attention these days and it rightfully should since it can engender spiritual insights that might not happen any other way. Try first just whispering his name or repeating a psalm and just be aware of the words you are speaking. Maybe you’re the woman at the well, or a child that Jesus engages with, perhaps a by stander to a miracle. If those expectations aren't met, I get resentful, and then I have to do a lot of work on myself I could've avoided if I'd just left the thing alone in the first place.

Celebration of Discipline will help motivate Christians everywhere to embark on a journey of prayer and spiritual growth. Part way in I realized I was listening to the abridged version but decided to keep going and would switch to full version if I wanted more.meditation is the one things that can sufficiently redirect our lives so that we can deal with human life successfully” (p22). I didn’t really gain much from the discussion of worship, but liked the phrasing which suggested that worship forms are the “wineskin” or vessels for us to receive the presence of God (p.

As in his work on prayer, Foster quotes Martin Luther as stating that he is “so busy” that he must spend hours in prayer each day (p. He cultivates the ground, he plants the seed, he waters the plants, and then the natural forces of the earth take over and up comes the grain. We approach worship because of Jesus and for Jesus but as we do that he meets us, changes us and speaks to us. Quoted works are cited (informally) and follow fair use laws (including public domain and less than 10%/500 words). Because of this, he set into motion the entire redemptive process that culminated in the cross and was confirmed in the resurrection.

We can detect a note of sadness in the word of the Lord, 'they have rejected me from being king over them' (1 Sam.

To read successfully we need the extrinsic aids of experience, other books, and live discussion” (p68). The mass media have convinced us that to be out of step with fashion is to be out of step with reality. First published in 1992, Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home has become a classic on its eponymous subject. Prepare yourself, lay down the distractions and remind yourself of what it is you are about to do and who it is you are meeting with as you worship. In this chapter Foster salutes the value of "Flash Prayers" which are beamed spontaneously at various people we encounter or think about in the course of the day.Anyone who imagines he can simply begin mediation without praying for the desire and the grace to do so, will soon give up” (p25). Dallas Willard, one of today's most brilliant Christian thinkers and the author of The Divine Conspiracy ( Christianity Today's 1999 Book of the Year), presents a way of living that enables ordinary men and women to enjoy the fruit of the Christian life. It's a road map toward true transformation that starts not with the individual, but with the person at the journey's end - Jesus Christ. I wish it were broken up like the actual book to make it simpler to find and revise specific sections, especially since this is a reference book of sorts. In discussing meditation, Foster notes that the purpose of Eastern meditation is detachment from the world while Christian meditation is not merely trying to empty the evil, but fill ourselves with the good (p.

Celebration of Discipline will help Christians everywhere to embark on a journey of prayer and spiritual growth. In a society where raging narcissism dominates the moral landscape, the virtue of humility is often dismissed as irrelevant. 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). He cautions readers about jumping right into a long fast, suggesting several practical ideas for moving gradually into the experience. He hints at what he means; he employs scripture and writings--but he never really pins down what exactly he means.He illustrates his points with examples from Scripture and biographies of eminent men of God, such as Moses, Nehemiah, the apostle Paul, David Livingstone, Charles Spurgeon, and others. Worship didn't do too much for me because it involves so much interaction with other people, but maybe I'm just not there yet.