christianaudio
- Description
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It's not uncommon for an accomplished musician to be able to sit down in front of a new piece of music and play it through without a hitch. To make it seem easy, as if it required no effort. Yet the "freedom" to play with such skill comes only after years of disciplined practice.
In the same way, the freedom to grow in godliness---to naturally express Christ's character through your own personality---is in large part dependent on a deliberate cultivation of the spiritual disciplines.
Far from being legalistic, restrictive, or binding, as they are often perceived, the spiritual disciplines are actually the means to unparalleled spiritual liberty. So if you'd like to embark on a lifelong quest for godliness, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life will help you on your way. Based on the rich heritage left us by the early church fathers, the Puritan writers, and Jesus Christ Himself, Whitney takes you through a carefully selected array of disciplines that includes Scripture reading, prayer, worship, Scripture meditation, evangelism, serving, stewardship, Scripture application, fasting, silence and solitude, journaling, and learning.
By illustrating why the disciplines are important, showing how each one will help you grow in godliness, and offering practical suggestions for cultivating them on a long-term basis, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life will provide you with a refreshing opportunity to embrace life's greatest pursuit---the pursuit of holiness---through a lifelong delight in the disciplines.
Customer Reviews
- Great for giving instruction on growth in godliness
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This book is great. I read the revised and updated version as I listened to it, and I must say that it is truly worth reading the newer version. He has refined both his writing style and his arguments in the newer version. Regardless, this book is great for giving you a framework for thinking about personal spirituality/holiness/growth in godliness.
Overall - The Exercise list for Godliness
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I bought this book in a bundle with Family Worship and Praying the Bible. Those two offered insights but not much depth and really felt like they weren't worth the money so I was feeling down when I turned to this one. The title and cover hadn't drawn me so really I only got the book because it was pared with the other two. I tried to read some reviews first to see what I was getting into, but my husband was annoyed by my lack of attention so I gave up look and just decided to start listening on my drive the next day. By the time I got to work, I realized that this book is the gold-winner of the group. Donald S Whitley always provides good scriptural support for why you should have certain practices, and this book has that plus basically an elaborate workout list for a wanna-be godly Christian. This answers the question, "How do you exercise yourself toward godliness." I loved every minute of it. Even the diciplines I felt I was already good at had some insights and tips for better application and faithfulness with them. I love audiobooks because I can make the most of my time, but the negative is, I'm driving so I can't take notes. I'm going to have to try to look up an outline for this book so I can focus on balancing my practices with these disciplines, but I'm very excited to have the guidance this book offers.
The disciplines that it addresses (from my memory): Scripture Reading (covering the whole Bible with one method or another to ensure you've at least been exposed to what God wants all his followers to know), studying (to grasp the meaning of the scriptures so you can make proper application of them), memorizing (to have them readily available when you need them--it makes your case to others and your discussions so much better when you can quote a scripture word-for-word rather than saying, "I know it says in the Bible somewhere that...", meditation (because you need to think about the scriptures to let them sink in and sometimes you should read less to meditate more), evangelizing (one of my weak areas, but seriously Jesus left the world telling us our calling is to go and make disciples of all nations so if we aren't thinking of how to share his truth with others, we're ignoring his commands--and thinking should just be the start; there needs to be some action too); fasting (one my church has always shy-ed away from or practiced just once, but the Bible talks about more than it talks about giving so yeah, it should be important! I've always been curious about fasting & while this book didn't give me a confident knowledge, it showed me the various methods, time frames, and motives in scripture--that I can work with), letting God speak in silence, journaling, fellowship (which sadly, many in the church trade out for socializing), learning. I'm so elated that I've come by this book. I've learned so much and I'm pleased to start putting these to practice. This knowledge makes me feel empowered and yes, Donald S. Whitney shared scriptures as guidance for each one. I'm certain I'll be revisiting this book to gather those scriptures or to gain from it's clear, concise points on these efforts.Overall - Revolution for my Soul
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A fantastic spiritual health checkup leading to a revolution in the way I am living my life. I am by nature undisciplined spontaneity. This book showed me another way.
Overall - Show ALL Reviews
- This is solid food for the...
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This is solid food for the spiritual life. Though it deserves more than a one time listening, as there is much to put into practice here,
even an initial reading brings significant motivation and instruction to propel the Christian life forward thorugh the spiritual disciplines. It would be an excellent book for small group study.
Overall - This is one of the most...
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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.Overall - I have to confess, this book...
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I have to confess, this book has taken me 15 years to read! I was given it in the early 1990's and have had a couple of goes, but put it down. More recently I got the audiobook and have listened to that instead. I actually almost put it aside again, but am glad I persevered.
The main problem I have is Whitney's very dense writing style. What he says is very good, the way he says it can make it hard work. Not that he's a bad writer, he just seeks to argue his point perhaps a little belabourdly in places. He draws on lots of contemporary and historical examples of people who uses the disciplines, it's clear he's well read, and then gives realistic, attainable application. So it's certainly a very useful and edifying book.
Despite my criticism, as I persevered the book grew on me. The audio version (available from Christian Audio) is very well read. And anyone who opens it with a heart to learn about and, more importantly, put into practice the spiritual disciplines will certainly benefit. I've found myself challenged and rediscovering a few of the disciplines I'd neglected because of this book.Overall - I have to confess, this book...
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I have to confess, this book has taken me 15 years to read! I was given it in the early 1990's and have had a couple of goes, but put it down. More recently I got the audiobook and have listened to that instead. I actually almost put it aside again, but am glad I persevered.
The main problem I have is Whitney's very dense writing style. What he says is very good, the way he says it can make it hard work. Not that he's a bad writer, he just seeks to argue his point perhaps a little belabourdly in places. He draws on lots of contemporary and historical examples of people who uses the disciplines, it's clear he's well read, and then gives realistic, attainable application. So it's certainly a very useful and edifying book.
Despite my criticism, as I persevered the book grew on me. The audio version (available from Christian Audio) is very well read. And anyone who opens it with a heart to learn about and, more importantly, put into practice the spiritual disciplines will certainly benefit. I've found myself challenged and rediscovering a few of the disciplines I'd neglected because of this book.Overall - one of the most helpful things...
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one of the most helpful things for spiritual growth towards my soul. I was listening to it while I was cleaning the house and doing other things. I thought the audio version was great, especially for someone like me who always drives and doesn't have as much down time to read a book. book was great and so was Grover Gardner.
I am sadden that I didn't get to download this more times when it was free.Overall - Grover Gardner narrates with full attention...
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Grover Gardner narrates with full attention to the details of the 12 spiritual disciplines identified by the author, including scripture reading, prayer, worship, fasting, and journaling. The purpose of carrying out these disciplines is to become more Christ-like in thought, word, and deed. Whitney’s discussion draws from the early Church fathers, as well as Reformer, Puritan, and Quaker writers, and Jesus Christ Himself. Gardner's diction is crisp and clear as the author explains the meaning of each discipline and examines the benefits of each in the pursuit of holiness. Whitney also offers practical suggestions on how to incorporate spiritual workouts into daily routines for long-term growth in godliness and personal character development—leading to fundamental freedom, ironically, the ultimate reward of discipline. G.D.W. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
Overall
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