by Nathan Foster
Three brief moments of disclosure before I begin:
1) This book took me months to read. That was all on me. I slowly and carefully digested each word. I'm certain it could have been read faster, but I couldn't do it.
2) I haven't read Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. Still, I have my preconceived notions about the spiritual disciplines and Richard Foster's beautiful (and comical) use of antonyms in his title.
3) One of my dearest friends edited this book. She knows me well enough to know that means nothing as to my liking this book.
Now. On to the review.
Nathan Foster is the son of Richard Foster, whom I have always referred to as "The Disciplines Guy." Richard's famous book Celebration of Discipline was published when I was one year old and has always felt like a daunting, "must-do" task for me if I want to be a true Christian. I'm not sure anyone put that on me besides me, but it has always sat there nonetheless. So, when my editor friend told me what she was working on, I was skeptical and intrigued. Then I got my hands on the book. And I spent the next three months eating, chewing, laughing, wiping away tears, nodding my head, and shaking my head in amazement.
For starters, I was glad to find out I wasn't the only one who found the concept of the spiritual disciplines as a formidable but essential checklist in order to reach true Christian status. Richard Foster's own son felt that way too! And, in much the same words my own pastor father would use, Richard gently explained to his son (and to the reader--in a coup we get "The Spiritual Disciplines Guy" AND his "Skeptical About the Disciplines Son"!): "This isn't supposed to hurt. It's not supposed to be a checklist about succeeding or failing. It's supposed to be about choosing God."
With candid honesty, vulnerable humility, and well-sprinkled humor, Nathan Foster details his four-year journey with the spiritual disciplines. It's a journey from fear, trepidation, and duty to freedom, love, and joy. Through his journey, Foster makes approachable what has long felt daunting. And he helps his reader see the secret Richard Foster tried to share with us all along:
It isn't about twelve rigid practices; in fact, as I go about each day, there are so many simple ways I can intentionally direct my will and actions toward God. While the categories are helpful, they are only constructed to enable us to frame our experiences. In a sense there is only one discipline: an active response to a loving God. (p191)
And, in that learning to actively respond to a loving God, through Richard Foster's introductions to each chapter, Nathan Foster's prosaic explanations of his practical implementation of each discipline (sometimes accidental, always simple, and never with mundane results), and a brief essay on a "mother or father" of the faith who lived that discipline daily, we see that this really is practical. It really is about responding actively to a loving God. It really is about choosing joy and choosing love and seeing God and needing Him and wanting Him more than anything else.
I'll read this book again. Next time it won't be for an assignment or with a deadline I already missed. It will be with a journal and a plan to actively and intentionally walk this journey on my own.
Disclosure: I received this book free from Baker Books through the Baker Books Bloggers (www.bakerbooks.com/bakerbooksbloggers) program. The opinions I have expressed are my won, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 (http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html).
No comments:
Post a Comment