Spiritual disciplines alone don’t transform us. Disciplines are those practices we actively participate in that invite God’s Spirit to do the work He Spiritual disciplines alone don’t transform us. Disciplines are those practices we actively participate in that invite God’s Spirit to do the work He wants to do in and through us.
Sadly, for many Christ followers, disciplines can be used in a legalistic way becoming a measuring stick of our spirituality.
Dallas Willard writes about Disciplines of Abstinence and Engagement which hold a beautiful balance of inward and outward focused disciplines. Disciplines are vitally important. We have to be engaged with practices that help us become who we want to become, but we need to remember that only God’s Spirit is the one who brings lasting changes to our heart and mind.
How do we do that? I think if we approach spiritual disciplines the way Eugene Petersen translates Romans 12:1-2, we will experience the kind of change Dallas Willard writes about so profoundly in his book.
“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” Romans 12:1-2 MSG ...more
Perhaps the most insightful things to be learned about a person is reading what others say about them after they have passed from this world.
The peopPerhaps the most insightful things to be learned about a person is reading what others say about them after they have passed from this world.
The people who knew Dallas Willard best share with us precious insights into his inner life and all I can say is I’d like to live more like him....more
I listened to this book, which was a lecture series given to a conference for pastors. Both Dallas Willard and John Ortberg presented and answered queI listened to this book, which was a lecture series given to a conference for pastors. Both Dallas Willard and John Ortberg presented and answered questions.
What was shared in this book is some of the best of Dallas Willard that I have read so far. It will be revisited again and again-it was that good in my estimation....more
Tickle’s premise of the Christian church going through a major reformation every 500 years and that we are ripe for another is interesting to considerTickle’s premise of the Christian church going through a major reformation every 500 years and that we are ripe for another is interesting to consider.
I felt she put everything into a tidy box and made bold predictions for the near future. I am not sure it’s that simple.
I was challenged by some of what she wrote and will think more about what I read. She is hopeful for the future and that was refreshing....more
When thoughts of a job at the mall sounded more attractive than my 30 years of full-time campus ministry, I suspected something was cracking in my souWhen thoughts of a job at the mall sounded more attractive than my 30 years of full-time campus ministry, I suspected something was cracking in my soul. Reading Scripture was reduced to preparing the next bible study. Prayer was toilsome and I questioned whether it made a difference. Sharing my faith became an assignment instead of an overflow of joy in what Christ had done for me. I longed for more of the Christian life than what I experienced.
Ruth Haley Barton, in her book Sacred Rhythms suggests spiritual disciplines as “practices that keep us open and available to the work that only God can do in our lives. Spiritual disciplines are the basic components of a rhythm of life that keeps us oriented toward God.” The disciplines described include solitude and silence, reflection on Scripture, self-examination and confession, discernment, Sabbath-keeping, and caring for the body.
Spiritual disciplines don’t transform us—spiritual growth occurs solely by God’s Spirit and His grace in our lives. Barton writes, “what I can do is create the conditions in which spiritual transformation can take place by developing and maintaining a rhythm of spiritual practices that keep me open and available to God.”
The first time I read Sacred Rhythms felt like fresh water to a dehydrated soul. The invitation to spend time with God in varied ways sounded captivating. I learned to approach Scripture more for transformation instead of information, asking God to let His Word change me from the inside out. I discovered sitting in silence gave space to listen for God’s voice speaking to me-often after meditating on a passage of Scripture. I was dared to view Sabbath as a gift to be received for rest and healing—not a command that felt archaic and unrealistic in today’s world.
Barton writes about human striving and our “inordinate sense of ought and should, burdened by unrealistic expectations about what it means to be a good Christian.” I was striving to be a “good Christian” and forgot to focus on abiding in Christ. Barton’s book helped me focus once again on abiding in Christ, and the job at the mall lost its charm. ...more
There are no sprints in the life of faith. It takes a lifetime. It is slow, deliberate and has many, many difficulties as well as immense pleasures. FThere are no sprints in the life of faith. It takes a lifetime. It is slow, deliberate and has many, many difficulties as well as immense pleasures. For the ones who persevere there is transformation and a deeper understanding of God.
We know not how long any of us has, but we need to keep walking until God says it’s time.
I will be reading this one again very soon....more
A good overview of the Hispanic population in America, which includes who makes up this population and interesting history.
For those who are interestA good overview of the Hispanic population in America, which includes who makes up this population and interesting history.
For those who are interested in ministry and missions the book is helpful for understanding cultural differences between Anglo and Hispanic ethnicities.
I picked up this book because of the title. There is a lot of mystery as well as knowledge surrounding God and His Spirit, so I was intrigued by what I picked up this book because of the title. There is a lot of mystery as well as knowledge surrounding God and His Spirit, so I was intrigued by what R.C. Sproul would write about the mystery of the Holy Spirit. What I read was a very good doctrinal explanation of the Trinity and God the Spirit. It was helpful and I do like how Sproul writes, but would have enjoyed his take on the mystery of God's Spirit and the things we can't always explain. One statement that really stood out to me was, that we often seek out the gifts of the Spirit, yet the fruit of the Spirit is the true measure of our spiritual growth. ...more
Reading Scripture for formation, not information has transformed how I approach the Bible. Peterson knew this and lived this. This book shows a refresReading Scripture for formation, not information has transformed how I approach the Bible. Peterson knew this and lived this. This book shows a refreshing way to read the Bible-to “eat this book.” ...more
On many levels I loved it and agree with Smith's truth of the Gospel being full of beauty, goodness, and truth. His sI am conflicted about this book.
On many levels I loved it and agree with Smith's truth of the Gospel being full of beauty, goodness, and truth. His suggested practices at the end of the chapters are helpful and engaging. After reading I am filled with awe and wonder at the grandeur of God and the continual love God pours out on His creation and people.
Smith writes, "The central question of the gospel is not, 'how can I be saved?' but 'Who is Jesus? Your relationship to Jesus unleashes redemptive power. I hear people say, we need to get people to make a commitment to Jesus. My response always is, we need to get people to know Jesus. If they come to know Jesus in His beauty, goodness, and truth, they will naturally make a commitment to Him."
I love this! This is the good news of the gospel. He ends the book beautifully describing how Jesus came to make things right again in the world-to restore what is broken in us and in the world. His second returning will be the final chapter in the story that God is still writing. He is restoring us to completeness now, not just when we die. This is a message the world needs right now!
But...there is a lot in the book that didn't settle well in me, which may be more about me than the book.
Smith pushes against the predominant form of the message of the gospel delivered in the 1970's and 80's. It was the message that Jesus died for our sins, bridging the gulf separating us from a holy God. It promised life eternally with God in heaven. It was a message of hope for me, especially after being in an accident that killed my friend in high school and a youth leader taking time to share with me the hope of heaven after I watched my friend die in front of me. I didn't know where I might have ended up had I died instead of my friend in that accident. I knew I was a sinner and I needed forgiveness.
Smith calls this the "shaming gospel" and he unpacks his own journey and how that message affected him in negative ways. I get it. I can name the problems with this message now-looking back. But in the context of culture in the US, the predominant belief that the world might end by nuclear war or Jesus's imminent return, this was a message of hope that people responded to in that time and space of history. Even though we can point to some fallout of that message now, is it fair to call it wrong?
I believe the message of the gospel is delivered and speaks differently in times in history. It is a message that brings hope to each generation and like a beautiful diamond reflects a different angle depending on the light shining on it. So, I wish Smith would emphasize the beauty of the gospel and how it needs to be communicated today without discounting the beauty of the gospel communicated 45 years ago and the millions of lives transformed by that message of sins being forgiven and eternity in heaven. It wasn't a wrong gospel-it was a different angle of the gospel. The gospel of Jesus transcends all cultures, events, histories, time, and even our feeble attempts at communicating the mysteries of God. God doesn't change, but how His message gets delivered does.
I do not want to discount the good work in this book. Smith has endured a pain and suffering that, in my estimation, is one the greatest forms of suffering a person can endure. God has ministered and met him in beautiful ways, which is revealed in this book. For that alone, I would recommend the book to others. But do not lose sight that the centrality of the gospel is Jesus is God and in His great love for us, came to restore us to a right relationship to Himself and others. It's all good news-if that is what's being communicated. And the "magnificent story" has many chapters, is still being written, and apparently the Author isn't concerned with wrapping it up any time soon since we are still grappling with how to tell the story with others....more
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