Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life

This is one of the most important books a Christian can read to help with growth in Christlikeness.

It's not an easy read, per se, though it is well written. It will challenge you in how you have previously and are currently spending your time and efforts. At some point, perhaps often, you will be convicted of not pursuing Him the way you should. But that is all good. Because once you know the ways the Holy Spirit can and will use to grow you, you'll want to spend time in that pursuit.

Keep in mind that this is not about earning your way into heaven. That is simply not possible, no matter how much effort you put into it. But once you have been justified in Christ, you will naturally want to become more like Him. This is a great place to start to get on that path.

This is my 2nd read of this book (first was 12-13 years ago, I believe) and I definitely got a ton out of this. I honestly think this is a book I could read yearly and get plenty out of it. One thing I've done this time (a habit I developed in my read-through of Grudem's Systematic Theology) is I took pretty detailed notes in the Obsidian app in outline form. So I can refer to them and get a huge portion of the value in just a fraction of the time. Or if I need to refresh my mind on one of the Disciplines in particular, I can refer back to the appropriate section. (Yes, I give myself credit for the Discipline of Journaling in this endeavor!)

I will write up a full review later. But this is one of the most useful, practical books on spiritual growth I have ever read. It is somewhat similar to Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline, but I think a little more accessible and less intimidating. I am going to schedule some time to re-read it again in about six months. I will try to put into practice what I can now and plan on adding more later.

I have been reading through the “Ancient Practice Series” as well. And many of the same disciplines were covered in this book as well. And while I liked the Ancient Practice Series, those books are 150-200 pages of history and motivation on why you should Prayer, Fast, Tithe, participate in the Eucharist, observe the Church Calendar, etc., but none of them had much if anything in the way of practical advice on how to go about doing those things. This book was full of very practical helpful advice as well as the motivation, history and benefits. Highly recommend.

My full review is at http://bookwi.se/spiritual-disciplines-for-the-christian-life-by-donald-s-whitney/