Spiritual Disciplines: What should we expect?

Ah, those spiritual disciplines. What are they? What do they accomplish? Which ones are most important? What are we to expect from the spiritual disciplines?

Barry Jones just might capture the whole picture in these words from his book Dwell: Life with God for the World, and I have reformatted these into “teaching points” (pp. 102-103):

Whether we live in a remote monastery, the heart of a large city or anywhere in between, we need a set of practices and patterns for living—a rule of life—

1. that will shape and sustain our life with God for the world.

2. We need practices that nurture our souls and enable us to increasingly inhabit the vision of God in the places where we dwell to live into the story of the Bible, the story of God’s personal presence, just reign and perfect peace.

3. These will be practices that demand things of us. They will require our disciplined attention and engagement.

4. These will be practices that connect us to one another. They will help us live life together as a contrast community, against the world for the sake of the world.

5. These practices will connect us to a tradition. They will have a rich heritage from the Christian past, having shaped and sustained the people of God for a long time.

6. Finally, these will be practices that orient us toward the future. They will help us inhabit the vision of God in the particular places where we dwell.

Is it fair to say that most discussions of spiritual disciplines focus on #2? (That is, on the inner personal development? Not on the church body or the world?)

What would you add or subtract from this list? What do you expect from spiritual disciplines?

And Barry Jones sees five elements of the saints and sinners who have done spiritual disciplines well:

1. Attentiveness.
2. Receptivity
3. Embodiment
4. Community
5. Rhythm