A newly repackaged and updated 40th anniversary edition of the timeless guide that has helped numerous seekers discover a richer spiritual life infused with joy, peace, and a deeper understanding of God, updated with a new introduction by the author and a new section: “Entering the Great Conversation about the Growth of the Soul.”
Hailed by many as the best modern book on Christian spirituality, Celebration of Discipline explores the “classic Disciplines,” or central spiritual practices, of the Christian faith. Along the way, Foster shows that it is only by and through these practices that the true path to spiritual growth can be found.
Dividing the Disciplines into three movements of the Spirit, Foster shows how each of these areas contribute to a balanced spiritual life. The inward Disciplines of meditation, prayer, fasting, and study offer avenues of personal examination and change. The outward Disciplines of simplicity, solitude, submission, and service help prepare us to make the world a better place. The corporate Disciplines of confession, worship, guidance, and celebration bring us nearer to one another and to God.
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.” He offers crucial new insights on simplicity, demonstrating how the biblical view of simplicity, properly understood and applied, brings joy and balance to our inward and outward lives and “sets us free to enjoy the provision of God as a gift that can be shared with others.” The discussion of celebration, often the most neglected of the Disciplines, shows its critical importance, for it stands at the heart of the way to Christ. Celebration of Discipline will help Christians everywhere to embark on a journey of prayer and spiritual growth.
Review
“Through the course of a lifetime we may encounter two or three books that we know have made a lasting impact, not only on the way we think, but on the way we live. Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline has been this kind of book for me.” — Chris Hall, President, Renovaré
“Foster is not really the ‘spiritual disciplines guy.’ He is a Jesus guy. Through his life and writings he has led many of us back to indispensable wisdom on how to live a Jesus kind of life. May this movement go on and on.” — John Ortberg, teaching pastor, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, author of If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat
Named among the top ten religious books of the twentieth century by Christianity Today magazine — Christianity Today
“The best modern book on Christian spirituality….. No other book apart from the Bible has been so helpful to me in the nurturing of my inward journey of prayer and spiritual growth.” — Ronald J. Sider, executive director, Evangelicals for Social Action
From the Back Cover
Since its publication in 1978, Celebration of Discipline has helped millions of seekers discover a richer spiritual life infused with joy, peace, and a deeper understanding of God.
Hailed by many as the best modern book on Christian spirituality and described by Christianity Today as one of the ten best books of the twentieth century, Celebration of Discipline explores the classic “Disciplines,” or central spiritual practices, of the Christian faith. Along the way, Richard J. Foster shows that it is only by and through these practices that we can find a true path to spiritual growth.
Dividing the Disciplines into three movements of the spirit, Foster shows how each movement contributes to a balanced spiritual life. The inward Disciplines of meditation, prayer, fasting, and study offer avenues for personal examination and change. The outward Disciplines of simplicity, solitude, submission, and service prepare us to help make the world a better place. The corporate Disciplines of confession, worship, guidance, and celebration bring us nearer to one another and to God.
Foster provides a wealth of examples demonstrating how the 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.” Featuring a new foreword, preface, and closing essay, Celebration of Discipline will help motivate Christians everywhere to embark on a journey of prayer and spiritual growth.