Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth, 25th Anniversary Edition Book

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by: Richard J. Foster

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Average Rating: Rating: - This book will change your relationship with Christ forever. Christianity is about relationship - God meeting our fundamental need to be in personal, intimate relationship with him. I should have read this book when I was a much younger Christian. I've been following Jesus for nearly a decade, and I've enjoyed my walk so far. However, as I have approached the decade milestone, I have felt a growing dissatisfaction with my walk. I had this nagging sense that at the ten-year point, I really should know him better. After all, Jesus is supposed to be my best friend. And, I wasn't sure why. This book is more than simply a devotional. It goes beyond the 'why' of the disciplines, but gives some practical advice on 'how'. How many of us understand how to "meditate", "fast" or "pray" without simply mouthing the words from time to time? How do you practice "submission" without feeling inferior to someone or practice "solitude" without feeling lonely? The disciplines are like a farmer, preparing the soil for seed. The farmer cannot force the seed to grow, but he can provide an environment that is good for its growth - tilling the soil, providing water, fertilizer, planting seeds, removing weeds. But, only God causes the growth. Similarly, the disciplines prepare you for growth that only God can (and does) provide. The contents of this book, applied and practiced, have been revitalizing my walk in ways I hadn't thought possible. I'm learning things about this personal relationship that were completely unexpected, and tremendously enriching. I encourage you to get this book if you claim the name of Jesus and be prepared to experience a deeper, personal, life-changing experience with your loving Lord. Expect to change - for to spend time in the presence of the eternal, living God is to be changed! Rating: - Buy it. Do it. Foster has done an excellent job of explaining the spiritual disciplines of the Christian faith without being too deep for the layman. This is a book that explains in some detail without overloading the reader, and gives the reader the excitement and the means of actually putting these celebrations into practice. Now, it's not as simple as "read and do." Discipline is not easy all the time; but it's always worth it. Knowing how to start and what to do is foundational to winning the battle over the flesh. And Foster provides what you need. Actually going through with it, well, that depends on how much you want to see God more intimately and have your life transformed more and more according to Rom. 8:29 and 2 Peter 1:1 - 4. Do you want to experience what Peter calls "partaking of the divine nature" (partaking, not becoming divine)? Then it takes discipline with the intent to know God more. Read what Peter says and you'll see just how important the disciplines are to have what Peter says is available to every believer. The only downside I see to this work is that the chapter on confession goes even further than Roman Catholicism in granting the power to forgive. Only God can forgive; the Catholic church grants this right to the members of it's magesterium (which I do not see in scripture). But Foster seems to grant the actual power to remit the sins of others to ANY Christian. So read this chapter with an understanding that adjustments need to be made to make it more biblical. He provides many good points, but this one goes too far. If it was not his intent to say this, then it's just written poorly and one still needs to be careful. Rating: - A True Spiritual Classic Richard J. Foster has exhibited a real understanding of the Christian Life. The path to spiritual growth does come through the celebration of discipline. This book is a must for all believers who want to have a closer relationship with God, and a fresh holistic view of practicing Spiritual Disciplines. The inward disciplines of meditation, prayer, fasting, and study, are essential to spiritual growth. It was also refreshing to see study put into the category of spiritual discipline. This discipline has been lost, and even frowned on among evangelical Christianity, and needs a jump start from this awesome Quaker. Study can be an act of worship. The outward disciplines of simplicity, solitude, submisison, and service, are real keys to evangelism. These disciplines nurture the Christian and lead to the corporeate disciplines: confession, worship, guidance, and celebration. What I liked most of all about this book is that Foster doesn't just give good definitions about what these things are, but shows practical ways to practice them. The author has a vast amount of practical knowledge because he practices these disciplines, which makes his work all the more meaningful. I highly recommend this book because I read it and it changed my spiritual habits. Thank you Richard Foster for your dedication to building up the body of Christ.

Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth, 25th Anniversary Edition Book

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