Worth Celebrating - by Miriam Dixon

About the Book

The manuscript was written in a small Oregon town by a Quaker pastor describing twelve ancient Christian disciplines. The movement kindled by the book developed slowly, almost imperceptibly. But once it caught hold, it exploded into flame.

Book Synopsis

An unknown author writes an unlikely book and inadvertently sparks an improbable global movement.

The manuscript was written longhand on a yellow pad in a small Oregon town by a Quaker pastor describing twelve ancient Christian disciplines (the very definition of the term "unlikely"). But publishers at Harper & Row saw something special in what Richard Foster had written and took a risk.

The movement kindled by the book developed slowly, almost imperceptibly. But once it caught hold, it exploded into flame.

Celebration of Discipline was conceived during a period in history that Charles Dickens might describe as being the best of times and the worst of times. From its inception, American culture had been linked to Christian faith and values. We were "one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." The 1950s and early '60s saw the peak years of American churchgoing, when 70 percent of citizens attended church. But as the decade of the '60s stretched on, values and perspectives that had long been accepted as foundational to American faith and life began to come into question.

When Celebration of Discipline spotlighted the superficiality that had come to characterize Christianity, it ignited the spiritual formation movement by prescribing the ancient spiritual practices as the necessary corrective. Michael Maudlin, religion publisher at HarperCollins, acknowledges, "People do not remember how Christians thought about spiritual formation in Christ before Celebration of Discipline was published. Most everybody now thinks it is natural for evangelicals to practice spiritual Disciplines. But it was not always so. Celebration of Discipline serves as a wonderful window into how a book can change a subculture."

This is the story of that book.

Review Quotes

"You can probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of Christian books that have outlived the life of their author. Celebration of Discipline will be one of them, and Worth Celebrating will tell you why."

James Catford, founding chair of The Center for Christianity and Public Life, literary advisor to the Dallas Willard Estate, and ministry team member of Renovaré

"Pull out your copy of Celebration of Discipline so that once you've read Worth Celebrating, it will be easily at hand. They are lovely companions on the way!"

Juanita Rasmus, founder of The Art Project-Houston, cofounder of Bread of Life, and author of Learning to Be: Finding Your Center After the Bottom Falls Out

"Celebration of Discipline, as Mimi observes, lit a fire in our world. I have a hunch that this book will fan this fire into even greater flame as it warms the hearts of readers into a deeper and more whole-hearted love for God and those around us."

Trevor Hudson, Methodist Church of Southern Africa and author of Seeking God: Finding Another Kind of Life with Saint Ignatius and Dallas Willard

"Who knew a book about a book could be a page-turner or that the story of a movement could be so moving? Mimi Dixon's ability to blend the keen insight of an analytical historian with the contagious passion of a transformed participant makes Worth Celebrating a captivating read."

Carolyn Arends, recording artist, author, and Renovaré Director of Education

"This is a thoroughly researched, insightful, delightful book. Those who have already read Celebration of Discipline will enjoy it, and those who haven't are handed a key to open the treasure chest that Celebration of Discipline contains."

Chris Hall, former Renovaré President, author of A Different Way and The Mystery of God