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. The author claims that these disciplines can infuse life with joy, promoting inner peace and fulfilment. This was his highest and most holy work, the work that makes confession and the forgiveness of sins possible…Some seem to think that when Jesus shouted “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Not only really enjoyed the book, but learned a great deal of life-changing principles I will treasure moving forward in my relationship with God.

In his groundbreaking books, teacher, philosopher, and spiritual guide Dallas Willard forever changed the way many Christians experience their faith. I don't see where any harm has come to me from doing these kinds of things, and the beauty of it is that if I don't like the results I can quit doing it at any time. Foster points out that the motivation toward establishing spiritual discipline is simply a “longing for God” (p.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. Foster provides a wealth of examples demonstrating how these Disciplines can become part of our daily activities—and how they can help us shed our superficial habits and "bring the abundance of God into our lives. It didn't matter if we didn't like the song, it didn't matter that no one seemed to be singing around us or that we had a really tough week.

Meditation and fasting are two disciplines I don't do often, or at all, in my relationship with Jesus. God and I've talked about it, He's cool with it, and that will just have to be good enough for sanctimonious straightwads who think they know better. This was particularly evident when Foster turned to practical descriptions of spiritual Disciplines that went beyond what is clear from Scripture. We would talk through sung worship, how to approach it, what to do when you don’t know what you believe, what to do when you don’t feel like it, what to do when you are embarrassed to sing, and whether you can text and worship at the same time (you can’t! I recognise that Jesus is there in the kitchen – normally by acknowledging him out loud or in my head and then I quietly pray in tongues as I unstack.Try first just whispering his name or repeating a psalm and just be aware of the words you are speaking. I go to learn, and grow, and all that happy crappy, and I discovered that I already do a lot of things that are suggested in this book, that some of the others in the group are seeing these kinds of things for the first time, and yet they're the ones with their lives together while I'm at sea and can't tell my ass from a hole in the ground sometimes.

So, he turned to a trusted mentor for guidance and heard these words: "Ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. Each beloved book of the Bible comes to life with outstanding performances by Jim Caviezel as Jesus, Richard Dreyfuss as Moses, Gary Sinise as David, Jason Alexander as Joseph, Marisa Tomei as Mary Magdalene, Stacy Keach as Paul, Louis Gossett, Jr. Even a quick perusal of the lists should indicate that there are overlapping terms for maturing in discipleship.

The aim of biblical mediation is for us to encounter the living God – leading to repentance, obedience and faithfulness to his word and ways. Dividing the disciplines into three movements of the Spirit, Foster shows how each of these areas contribute to a more balanced spiritual life. the meditation upon Scripture is the central reference point by which all other forms of meditation are kept in proper perspective” (p29).