Celebration of Discipline, Special Anniversary Edition - by Richard J Foster (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

A newly repackaged and updated 40th anniversary edition of the timeless guide to Christian spirituality 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 living, 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 formation and 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 profound spiritual growth.

This classic guide to spiritual formation organizes these timeless practices into three key movements:

• The Inward Disciplines: Explore avenues of personal examination and change through powerful practices like meditation, prayer, fasting, and study.
• The Outward Disciplines: Learn how simplicity, solitude, submission, and service can prepare us to make the world a better place.
• The Corporate Disciplines: Draw nearer to one another and to God through the shared experiences of confession, worship, guidance, and celebration.
• A Path to Deeper Living: Move beyond superficial habits and discover how to "bring the abundance of God into your lives" with this foundational guide to Christian spiritual disciplines.

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.

Review Quotes

"If everybody in the country could read--and heed--this book, what a difference it would make to the planet; nay, to the cosmos." - Madeleine L'Engle

"Foster has challenged us to see Christian faith ... as a life of spiritual transformation." - Brian D. McLaren

"Foster has taught me more about prayer and living faithfully than just about any other living author. This book will become a challenging and formative part of your spiritual life." - Lauren Winner

Named among the top ten religious books of the twentieth century by Christianity Today magazine - Christianity Today

"Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all his brothers and sisters to share the find, Richard J. Foster has 'found' the spiritual disciplines that the modern world stored away and forgot, and has excitedly called us to celebrate them. For they are, as he knows us, the instruments of joy, the way into mature Christian spirituality and abundant life." - Eugene H. Peterson, author of Leap Over a wall

"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

"This seminal work on the practice of spiritual disciplines is never outdated. Foster's warmth makes what could be musty practices seem rich and alive while his vast intellect lends credence to his authority on the issue." - Relevant Magazine

"Richard Foster has given us a rare gift.... The celebration of each discipline in this book hands us a tool that can be useful in helping us to integrate our inner and outer lives." - Macrina Wiederkehr, O.S.B., author of A Tree Full of Angels

"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

"Through the course of a life-time 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. How encouraging it was to learn that there were concrete, practical means of grace that could help me grow more deeply into the image of Christ. There is still much transformation ahead, but by God's grace my life has been significantly changed for the better through this special book, as have the lives of countless others." - Chris Hall, President, Renovaré

"Foster may not have realized the revolution he was launching. He has challenged us to see Christian faith not just as a system of doctrinal information, but as a life of spiritual transformation, a way of life formed by disciplined spiritual practices. His lasting influence, I believe, will be measured in decades and centuries, not months or years." - Brian D. McLaren, author of A New Kind of Christian

"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