Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth

This is an incredible book. Richard Foster displays real spiritual depth for the Christian life that is all but lost in many parts of Western Christianity. It is by no means a shallow book, and the book takes time to read because almost every sentence is so full of spiritual gems that it would be wasteful to skim over any part. I found that Richard Foster explores both Biblical verses and quotes from Spiritual classics (both working very well together). Celebration of Discipline is a refreshing book that cannot help but re-energise your thirst to know God in a deeper way. A must-read and spiritual classic needed for our generations!

As Foster points out, what is missing today is not smarter or better people, but deep people. Perhaps the reason why this book is alarmingly relevant almost 30 years after its original authorship is because it highlights that though we may be in the age of unprecedented accessible information, (particularly on the subject of God) the irony is that for many this has marked the abandonment of reflection and prayer. This is perhaps one of the greatest critiques that the life of Jesus makes against the lifestyle of so many Christians in 21st century western Christianity. \\r\\n\\r\\nIn our clamour for more, more solutions, more experiences, more relationships and more insights, many have abandoned spending meaningful time with the fountain of all of the above. \\r\\n\\r\\n'Celebration' has made me realise that for many years I have had a 'just Google it' mentality for resolving spiritual issues rather than be silent, and in simple prayer create a space for God to speak. This process can be aided in both an individual and corporate context by returning to the simple disciplines demonstrated in Scripture and explained by Foster. \\r\\n\\r\\nTruly blessed are those at the end of their rope, often the only place where we stop and cast our eyes upon Jesus. When we do we realise less is truly more. \\r\\n

This book was tedious to read. It was boring and quoted non-biblical sources throughout the majority of the book. The bible was quoted occasionally and was at times interpreted incorrectly. \\r\\n\\r\\nI had to read this book for a bible course so I read the whole thing. I was amused by this one sentence: 'make friends with the flowers and the trees and the little creatures that creep upon the earth. '\\r\\n\\r\\nI would discourage everyone from this book; there would have to be better sources on fasting, meditation and other Christian disciplines.

I came across this book whilst studying """"Christian Spirituality"""" at an Assemblies of God Bible College. I have since given two copies away and use the copy I have now on a regular basis. The chapter on Christian meditation is outstanding - many Christians have ignored this discipline because of how other religions practice meditation. But David meditated on the Word of God 'morning and evening' - he meditated on the goodness of God. I have had the most amazing revelations by taking a passage of scripture and meditating on it - putting myself in the story (as Foster suggests). And that's just one of the chapters - the truth and revelation regarding every discipline is refreshing, burden lifting, and inspiring. A MUST HAVE book for every Christian - no matter what denomination you are part of.