Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth

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

In our day heaven and earth are on tiptoe waiting for the emergence of a Spirit-led, Spirit-intoxicated, Spirit-empowered people.

Foster breaks it down into a chapter for each discipline, defining the discipline, sometimes re-defining it, connecting it to Scripture, giving application, and talking about the finer points. You may unfortunately find yourself, as I did, among a group of people agreeing to experimentally practice these disciplines and see if Foster is not perhaps telling some truths.

We are told not to act miserable when fasting because, in point of fact, we are not miserable” (p56). To be clear I'm not your conventional Christian, so bear that in mind if you go any further, and please forgive any irreverence. In the Celebration of Discipline chapter on meditation, Richard Foster offers five different routes for starting this journey.

The history of religion is the story of an almost desperate scramble to have a king, a mediator, a priest, a pastor, a go-between. The book is inspiring and is a good reminder of the way I can have a more Christ-centered life through discipline.

It’s about making time and space to be aware of Jesus and to bring him our heart, exactly as it is, and asking him to touch it. We approach worship because of Jesus and for Jesus but as we do that he meets us, changes us and speaks to us. These disciplines lead not to a boring life of restriction and missing out, but to a life of balance, freedom, abundance, and celebration of Christ. I read this because it's what my Bible study group (where I stick out like a turd in a punchbowl) was doing this session. Confession is a difficult Discipline for us because we all too often view the believing community as a fellowship of saints before we see it as a fellowship of sinners.

The corporate disciplines of confession, worship, guidance, and celebration bring us nearer to one another and to God. The life that pleases God is not a set of religious duties; it is to hear His voice and obey His word.

At times the territory has felt so unknown as the news reports have felt bigger and more powerful than the God I serve. The whole thing could be likened to other religions and even non-religions and their disciplines or tenants or practices, etc. Prayer is a very important discipline because it takes us into "perpetual communion with the Father. By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions.

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. As I look back at the days when we could meet together at church I don’t think that was always my heart posture approaching worship.