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I started with an appreciative shout-out to authors who have become popular in the last 25 years, especially in more mainline denominational circles, authors who we are proud to stock, such as Henri Nouwen, Tilden Edwards, Joyce Rupp, Richard Rohr, Basil Pennington, (and so many more) who have much to offer those who care about their interior lives. These authors are among our biggest sellers when we set up book displays for UCC clergy, for Episcopal priests, for Lutheran folks.<\/span><\/p>\n I did say, though \u2013 and I hope you give it a fair read if you didn\u2019t \u2013 that I worry about the lack of robust, Trinitarian theology and Christ-centered substance in some contemplative literature. Some tend towards a vague sort of pantheism and others are mostly about one\u2019s true self and less about God and Christ\u2019s Kingdom. I am no rationalist and don\u2019t fear creation-based theology (a term Matthew Fox coined back in his less eccentric days) but, still, I believe that those of us who read widely and ecumenically should stand firmly in a firm orthodox center.\u00a0 On Christ the solid rock we stand<\/i>, I was taught to sing.\u00a0\u00a0All other ground is sinking sand. <\/i>\u00a0The new book, Reading the Spiritual Classics: A Guide\u2026<\/i><\/b> is a bit deep and demanding, and it covers a very broad range of writings from throughout church history and from throughout the wide Body of Christ.\u00a0 It is a very, very important reminder to read discerningly, and apply insights faithfully.\u00a0 Although it offers a uniquely evangelical vocabulary and offers a few warnings, it is not the least bit mean, and it does not foster fear or a critical spirit (it is not even what I would call parochial) but is inviting and informative.\u00a0 It is an example of ecumenical discourse at its finest, useful for evangelicals and others, who want to have a balanced view of this important body of literature.<\/span><\/p>\n DAVID WELLS AND RENEWING THE EVANGELICAL MISSION<\/p>\n In that column I tossed off a phrase stolen from the old Oldsmobile ads \u2014 hinting\u00a0 at a bit of SPIRITUAL HUNGER Two stories from yesterday: <\/span>After my review of Reading the Spiritual Classics<\/i><\/b> the other day a mainline denominational pastor friend wrote an noted a benediction he recently heard at a gathering somewhere. It invoked a trinity of self, others, and Mystery.\u00a0 Well, that is just fine \u2013 who doesn\u2019t know that these three mysteriously go together, that all selves, alone and together, swim in what singer Bruce Cockburn once called \u201cthe ocean of love.\u201d\u00a0 But to replace traditional One-God-in-Three-Persons language in our liturgy for this clever truism?\u00a0 Puh \u2013 lease.\u00a0 And mainline folk wonder why their numbers are dwindling\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n And then, while I\u2019m thinking about this, recommending these good books to our astute readers on line \u2013 and our tribe here at BookNotes is mostly pretty sophisticated, I\u2019d say \u2013 a smart young customer came in to the shop.\u00a0 He was forthright with us: his intellectual life is rich and full; his relational and social life is good.\u00a0 Then he held up his forefinger and thumb, making a circle the size of a pea and said \u201cmy spiritual life is like this \u2013 virtually nothing.\u201d\u00a0 Or maybe he was making that universal sign of a zero.<\/span>We have these conversations from time to time.\u00a0 Often, such folks \u2014 often baby boomers, but sometimes sharp young adults \u2014 are not interested in religion, per se, and in a few quick comments back and forth (as those of us trained to hand sell books do) we learn whether they are interested firstly in proofs for the faith and apologetics.\u00a0 Sometimes skeptics and seekers warm up to The Case for Christ<\/i><\/b> by Lee Strobel, Mere Christianity<\/i><\/b> by C.S. Lewis, The Reason for God<\/i><\/b> by Tim Keller, or any number of books by the eloquent Ravi Zacharias, or the grand and practical survey of world religious options, The Long Journey Home<\/i><\/b> by Os Guinness.\u00a0 I have several lists of books I can share with you if you want\u00a0 apologetics and books for smart skeptics. These folks are often eager to know that there are intellectually plausible reasons for Christian faith and they ask about faith and science; we start off suggesting stuff like The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief<\/i><\/b> by Francis Collins (Free Press; $15.99) or the fantastic reader he put together as an anthology of important essays and chapters from books that he could easily offer to his scholarly friends. That is called Belief: Readings on the Reasons for Faith\u00a0<\/b><\/i>(HarperOne; $19.99.) \u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Or they want to know if the Bible\u2019s central teaching about Christ and his resurrection are reliably true. Or are authors like Reza Aslan, citing those same tired sources and outmoded conjectures correct after all, insisting that we can\u2019t really trust the New Testament documents?<\/span>But earnest conversations with such inquirers often reveal that they aren\u2019t really skeptics, <\/i>they might be glad to know there are intellectually sounds reasons to hold to conventional, historic orthodoxy, but, really they are seekers<\/i>.\u00a0 They aren\u2019t needing answers, but insights, not apologetics but spirituality. They are like our new friend from the other day, hungering to deepen their grasp of spiritual things. Such folks often are keenly aware that we all have this looming hole in our hearts. To use Buber\u2019s language they want an I-Thou relationship.<\/span> One book that helps us understand this, and is perfect for somebody pondering their heart\u2019s\u00a0 deepest longings is Yearning for More: What Our Longings Tell us About God and Ourselves<\/b><\/i> by Barry Morrow (IVP; $15.00.) There is hardly a book out that is just like this, and I adore it \u2014 very highly recommended because it shows how our daily sense of things, our yearnings, are themselves avenues through which we can come to deeper spiritual insights.\u00a0 Morrow, as Kenneth Boa writes in the foreword, \u201chas a penchant for leveraging culture to illuminate timeless spiritual issues.\u201d\u00a0 He does more, though: he helps us turn our longings for God into ways to enter His very presence.Listen to what John Wilkinson (author of the cleverly titles No Argument for God<\/i>) says:<\/span>Yearning for More<\/i><\/b> uncovers the reality of God in the most unexpected places. Barry Morrow cleverly identifies \u2018signals of the transcendent\u2019 in our hatred of death, our desire for heaven and even the humdrum of daily living. So often we are told to \u2018go with your gut.\u2019 Morrow takes this to a whole new level.<\/p>\n Many people who visit our store and people that I suspect who talk to you are looking for Something, something akin to what Tozer called (in his book by this name) The Pursuit of God: The Human Thirst for the Divine<\/i><\/b> (Wing Spread Publishers; $12.99.)\u00a0 We have more books on the intellectual plausibility of the gospels and stuff on apologetics than any store we know of.\u00a0 Yet, it is not common to come across open minded skeptics who need such resources.\u00a0 Rather, folks hunger for and experience of God.\u00a0They are yearning.<\/p>\n USE BOOKS OF ALL SORTS TO HELP OTHERS<\/p>\n And so, as if you didn\u2019t know it, I say again that this stuff about spirituality and knowing the classic devotional literature is so, so important.\u00a0 There is goofy mystical literature out there and some that are less than Biblical and there are books solid as steel, theologically speaking. But some of that is off putting, dry or harsh. But, of course, we can have both. Lots of books are mysterious and mature, creative and classic, interesting and orthodox, beautiful and Biblical. (Come on, somebody stop me. \u00a0You get the point \u2014 haha.)Those of us who care about these kinds of conversations about our yearnings, and helping others with theirs, and who want to use books wisely will realize that there are a whole lot of varying styles and tones and approaches that work well for this person or that, depending on her or his interests, temperament, needs at the moment.\u00a0 All kinds of books can be tools to help folk take one step at a time, closer to the Light. I\u2019m really not that fastidious, but I do hope that we ground ourselves in the deep gospel, that we take on the ways of Christ, the Kingdom-bringer promised in the Hebrew Scriptures, the incarnate human one who is the second person of the Holy Trinity, that we are guided by the Holy Spirit in Biblically-shaped ways. \u00a0<\/span>And I want to share some books that will help you on that very thing.<\/span>As we deepen our own worship of the Triune God of the Universe, we can effectively help<\/span> If that means using Joyce Rupp\u2019s liberal Catholic, poetic, image-rich, tender-hearted, evocative (feminist) spirituality or if it means slowing wading through amazing and often remarkably relevant Puritans like John Owen, Richard Baxter or Jonathan Edwards, or if it means studying together a contemporary, contemplative evangelical like Ruth Haley Barton or David Benner or Richard Foster\u00a0 \u2014 tolle legge<\/i>.\u00a0 Start big or small, but start reading about spirituality!\u00a0\u00a0 Share books, read them prayerfully, start a lectio<\/i> reading group, pray and talk and care and love. Worship daily by using prayer books and journals and be a part of a real church.\u00a0 There are so many resources on starting a lifestyle of spiritual practices and while there are some weird things it may be wise for some to avoid, I think reading widely in this every-expanding field of spirituality is not just healthy, but essential. FOR BEGINNERS F<\/span> \u00a0<\/p>\n Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life<\/i><\/b> Donald Whitney (NavPress) $15.99 We really like this as it is theologically clear, mature, with a heavy emphasis on Biblical truth as shaped by this wise Reformed leader.\u00a0 It may be a tad tedious for some, but I think it is pretty accessible, and helpful for those who don\u2019t trust medieval Catholic writers.\u00a0 And important for those that do.\u00a0 There is a fine forward by J.I. Packer where he suggests reading the book three times over!<\/span>\u00a0 He thinks it is that good, and that transforming.<\/p>\n S<\/i><\/b> Click for more mature resources for a deeper life!<\/em> Here are some other mostly deeper resources that are not inconsistent with my earlier remarks about the need for discernment about orthodoxy and maintain a theologically sane center.\u00a0 Some are new, some not, indication that there are very reliable books that combine meaty, mature, evangelical theology and experiential, wondrous, contemplative practices.\u00a0 These are all good to use in one\u2019s own formation practices, and they are good to share with others who need deeper, thoughtful texts.\u00a0 Taste and see.<\/p>\n The Mystery of God: Theology for Knowing the Unknowable<\/i><\/b>\u00a0 Steve Boyer & Chris Hall (Baker Academic) $19.99 \u00a0Some of our customers found this quite useful, especially on this vexing question of how we can talk reasonably and with theological rigor about some that is essentially ineffable.\u00a0I think it would be really worth having if one wants a profound rumination on the theology of mystery.\u00a0 Hall has written a lot on the church fathers and the liturgical year (he is an evangelical Episcopalian) and is the Chancellor of Eastern University.\u00a0 Boyer teaches theology at Eastern.<\/p>\n The Brazos Introduction to Christian Spirituality<\/i><\/b> Evan Howard (Brazos) $40.00\u00a0 This handsom<\/p>\n D<\/i><\/b> Four Views on Christian Spirituality<\/i><\/b> <\/i>general editor Bruce Demarest (Zondervan) $18.99\u00a0 This is such a helpful background for come to realize the differences of language, theology and perspectives which undergird the best spiritual practices.\u00a0 A fabulous back and forth from a Catholic, Orthodox, evangelical and progressive Protestant. \u00a0 Wow.<<\/p>\n S<\/i><\/b>![\"renewing](\"https:\/\/www.heartsandmindsbooks.com\/renewing%20-%20lints.jpg\")
\u00a0a concern \u2013 that some contemporary evangelicals are \u201cnot your father\u2019s evangelicals.\u201d\u00a0 In that big list of 50 books that I did on the webinar last month I mentioned a book called Renewing the Evangelical Mission<\/i><\/b>, edited by Richard Lints (Eerdmans; $34.00, but on sale at 20% off for BookNotes readers.) It is a collection of firm essays about the erosion of central truths and practices, that is, the distinctives of evangelicalism, and is important to mention here.\u00a0 Renewing\u2026 is a collection of pieces which interact with and bear witness to the critical work of David Wells, professor at Gordon Conwell, by authors such as Mark Noll, Os Guinness, Miroslov Volf, Michael Horton and other big picture, confessional thinkers.\u00a0 Wells is a dear, good man, a very rigorous scholar, and even when I do not agree with him or fully share his numerous anxieties about the shape of evangelicalism in our time, his work is extraordinarily important. If you only read a couple of serious theological books this year, this overview of Well\u2019s work by a wide range of scholars, pastors, theologians and cultural critics, is worthy of your consideration. (This is certainly true regardless of your own theological orientation and regardless of whether you know Well\u2019s quartet of books about these themes.) \u00a0<\/span>The concerns raised in the anthology edited by Lints about cultural accommodation, mushy theology, the idolatry of the self, the pragmatic marketing ethos of the mega-churches, the disconnect nearly everywhere with historic, classical Christian thinking, will remind you why the Reading the Spiritual Classics is so very important. We need, as Lewis reminded us years ago, old books. But we also need help in reading them afresh. Reading\u2026<\/i><\/b> and Renewing\u2026<\/i><\/b> are very different sorts of books, but both share a concern for the edification of God\u2019s people by standing within a robust, historic orthodoxy.
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others, sharing\u00a0 our favorite authors in fruitful and gracious, life-giving ways. Used with discernment, any number of kinds of books can work. We love helping people discover different kinds of resources that are \u201cjust right\u201d so give us a call if we can help you start conversations with good books.
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For instance, for real beginners, we often suggest a lovely book on setting priorities by Gordon MacDonald Ordering Your Private World<\/i><\/b> (Nelson; $15.99) There is a great chapter in there called \u201cThe Sadness of a Book Never Read\u201d which reminds us that to grow in life, one does need to read and study and learn to be reflective.\u00a0 The book isn\u2019t exactly about prayer or spirituality, but on attending to one\u2019s \u201cunder the waterline\u201d stuff. I guess one could say it is about discipline and priorities and being self-aware.\u00a0 Any of his fantastic books would be good to start with, by the way.<\/span>For those who think of spiritual disciplines as being mostly about prayer, there is much more to learn. But learning to pray is certainly basic, and we often tell people to start their prayer life with Too Busy Not to Pray<\/i><\/b> by Bill Hybels (IVP; $16.00) which is truly a fabulous starter book, enjoyable and inspiring, or Prayer<\/i><\/b> by O. Hallesby (Augsburg; $11.99) which is also a magnificent and very thorough overview of clear instruction.\u00a0 It might be a bit more heady, but the excellent Catholic priest, Ronald Rolheiser, has a very short (65 pages) new one coming the end of August (2013) simply called Prayer: Our Deepest Longing<\/i><\/b> (Franciscan Media; $8.99) and I am looking forward to it.\u00a0 Write to us if you want a longer list of books about prayer. I mentioned his classic The Holy Longing<\/i><\/b> in my previous post, and it is a masterpiece.
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e two most popular books we\u2019ve sold in the last few years about prayer are a bit deeper, but still quite accessible.\u00a0 First, we must commend the very popular A Praying Life: Connecting With God in a Distracted World<\/i><\/b> by Paul Miller (NavPress; $14.99.) It is gospel-centered, full of anecdotes and Biblical exposition and is very, very popular these days. Another amazingly rich, insightful, and impeccable book is Kneeling with Giants: Learning to Pray with History\u2019s Best Teachers<\/i><\/b> by Gary Neal Hansen (IVP; $15.00) which draws deeply on the very best of a wide posse of oldsters, from Calvin to Luther to St. Teresa of Avila.\u00a0 You can learn from how to write prayers (by drawing on the Puritans) and how to pray for healing (drawing on Agnes Sanford) and how to use the Jesus Prayer by drawing upon the anonymous Pilgrim.<\/span> I have to say I am very, very fond of it, and intend to spend more quiet time learning from its historic riches. Gary is obviously ecumenically minded, but studied at Princeton and now teaches at a Presbyterian (USA) seminary in Dubuque, Iowa.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"life](\"https:\/\/www.heartsandmindsbooks.com\/life%20you%20always%20w.jpg\")
or those wanting to start a more focused and multi-dimensional spiritual life, after getting some of the above under one\u2019s belt we often recommend starting with The Life You Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People<\/i><\/b> by John Ortberg (Zondervan; $18.99) or the sequel, God Is Closer Than You Think<\/i><\/b> (Zondervan; $18.99.)\u00a0 Ortberg is conversational and upbeat, uses clear illustrations and is a fabulous guide and friend for entering this new world of deeper spirituality. (There are DVD curricula for each of these to and I can\u2019t say enough good about them. \u00a0Very well done! \u00a0Shoot us an email or call if you want more info.)We always suggest Ruth Haley Barton\u2019s fabulous titles. You may know how much we esteem her, and how proud we were to have her here in our community. Her books are among my favorites, and you should at least have Invitation to Solitude and Silence: Experiencing God\u2019s Transforming Presence <\/b>and Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation<\/b> (both IVP; $18.00 and $17.00) although her others (one specifically for women, one on the spirituality of leadership and one on communal discernment practices for church ministry leadership teams.) By the way, there is a very nice DVD study version of Sacred Rhythms<\/i><\/b>, too that we love to suggest. \u00a0Call us!<\/p>\n![\"soul](\"https:\/\/www.heartsandmindsbooks.com\/soul%20feast.jpg\")
S<\/i><\/b>oul Feast: An Invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life<\/i><\/b> Marjorie Thompson (WJK) $15.00 This is also quite nice, mature and thoughtful but still approachable for beginners. Many, many have found it very useful. She is a Presbyterian (USA) specialist in this field, and we take her book everywhere we go!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n![\"sacred](\"https:\/\/www.heartsandmindsbooks.com\/sacred%20pathways.jpg\")
acred Pathways: Discover Your Soul\u2019s Path to God<\/i><\/b> Gary Thomas (Zondervan) $14.99\u00a0 I am a huge, huge fan of anything Gary Thomas writes, and he is on my short list of those who I\u2019d read anything he does.\u00a0 His guide to the ancient classics will be listed below, but this one is so foundational, so helpful in a very basic way, that we often suggest it to those who feel a bit unsure of the next steps they should take as they deepen their \u201cheart and mind.\u201d In a nutshell, Thomas wisely shows how we are all \u201cwired\u201d differently, and that we tend to resonate with different sorts or style of spiritual communion.\u00a0 Love the out of doors? Like to sing? Are you rather intellectual and like to plumb the harder Scriptures or are you emotive, drawn to the Psalms? Does the very idea sitting still make you break out in sweat? Are you an introvert?\u00a0 You get the idea \u2014 and it is helpful to be self-aware and then apply that to the ways in which you are most likely to nurture your inner journey.\u00a0 There is a self-inventory inside as well.\u00a0 I love the playful quote on the back \u201cThou shalt not covet they neighbors spiritual walk.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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riting in the Margins: Connecting with God on the Pages of Your Bible<\/i><\/b> Lisa Nichols Hickman (Abingdon) $16.99\u00a0 I will tell you much more about this brand new book later (to which I wrote the foreword, the first time I ever had the privilege of doing that.) This is a splendidly interesting book, wonderfully designed, about knowing God by way of marking up one\u2019s own Bible.\u00a0 It is not quite about the quiet process of lectio divino <\/i>where one meditates over and over on a text.\u00a0 And it is more than inductive study.\u00a0 She shows how to draw on the spiritual discipline of using our imaginations to pay attention to the Bible and its connection with our lives.\u00a0 As Minister of Education at Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton NJ Joyce Mackichan Walker puts it, her \u201cinstructions lead to reflection and wonderment, encouragements that draw out our true and truer selves. Lisa Nichols Hickman shows us that in discovering ourselves, we discover God.\u201d\u00a0 One theologian noted that he thought the book was going to be about how to read the Bible, but learned it was really about how to pray, concluding that \u201cthose things go hand in hand.\u201d Exactly.
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onderstruck: Awaken to the Nearness of God\u00a0<\/i><\/b> Margaret Feinberg (Worthy) $14.99\u00a0 I exclaimed about this when it came out.\u00a0 You may know Margaret\u2019s other good books \u2013The Organic God<\/i><\/b> is now out in paperback! \u2013 and her upbeat presence at conferences and young adult gatherings makes her a bit of a rock star. She seems exceptionally comfortable talking about the role of the Holy Spirit in her life, and clearly believes in the power of God.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nThis may be her best book yet, a wonderfully candid story of her awakening to the goodness of God and God\u2019s creation, explaining in colorful prose how to stand in awe.\u00a0 It is certainly not \u201cdeep\u201d or heady but it is passionate. She reminds us to be attentive, and gives wise advice about practices of rest and friendship and nurturing attitudes about gratitude and grace and mercy.\u00a0 There is a chapter on prayer, a chapter on forgiveness, a chapter called \u201cthe wonder of restoration.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Never wanting to only inspire with beautiful writing or good stories, Ms Feinberg has a 30-day study guide in the back of Wonderstuck<\/i><\/b> which she calls \u201cThirty Days of Wonder: A Challenge to Experience God More.\u201d\u00a0 She thanks me in it, too, but I\u2019m just braggin\u2019 now.\u00a0 It is a delight to have acquaintances like her, to offer feedback on manuscripts as they are coming to their fullest fruition.\u00a0 Buy her book \u2013 give it to somebody who wants deeper awareness of the Holy Presence, but who isn\u2019t going to wade through the Puritans or Richard Foster.\u00a0 I love Ann Voskamp\u2019s lovely endorsement: \u201cWith eyes on the heavens and His Word in hand, Margaret Feinberg tells the wonders of God\u2019s love in ways you\u2019ve never known. Who in the world doesn\u2019t need joy like this?<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0\n
\nMORE MATURE RESOURCES FOR A DEEPER LIFE<\/p>\n![\"brazos-introduction-to-christian-spirituality-21492462.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/www.heartsandmindsbooks.com\/brazos-introduction-to-christian-spirituality-21492462.jpg\")
e, over-sized hardback is truly amazing \u2014 very, very interesting.\u00a0 It is remarkably fluent in a wide range of authors and traditions and so is happily very ecumenical while rooted in a broad, evangelical tradition. Brazos is very strong in this kind of serious work in the Great Tradition, and this author is perfect to compile such a fine work. It is excellent, useful and the kind of book you\u2019ll refer to for a lifetime.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"dictionary](\"https:\/\/www.heartsandmindsbooks.com\/dictionary%20of%20christian%20sp.jpg\")
ictionary of Christian Spirituality<\/i><\/b> <\/i>general editor Glen G. Scorgie\u00a0 (consulting editors Simon Chan, Gordon Smith, James D Smith (Zondervan) $39.99 I think this is a must-have for anyone serious about studying deeply, teaching, or working in this field. It is large (pushing 900 large pages), very well researched and reliable handbook\/dictionary.\u00a0 The contributing authors are like a \u201cwho\u2019s who\u201d of evangelical scholars who work in this arena. Remarkable in its breadth and scope.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"satisfy](\"https:\/\/www.heartsandmindsbooks.com\/satisfy%20your%20soul.jpg\")
atisfy Your Soul: Restoring the Heart of Christian Spirituality<\/i><\/b> Bruce Demarest (NavPress) $16.99\u00a0 I remember how enthused we were \u2013 that is putting it mildly -when the straight-arrow evangelical publisher at NavPress announced over 20 years ago a line of books curated by Dallas Willard, inspired by Galatians 4:19.\u00a0 They had a little floor display with their lovely oak tree logo, and we showed it off proudly.\u00a0 Conservative Protestants were waking up to the wise beauty of Henri Nouwen, reading Richard Foster, learning about Merton, going gaga over Brennen Manning, eventually reading Kathleen Norris and Parker Palmer.\u00a0 But to see a clear-headed, Bible-based, Christ-centered guide to help us attend to the presence of God, to sense God directing us, to move us towards greater intimacy with God without goofy sentimentalism or weird mysticisms, was a great grace.\u00a0 This was one of the books in that series that has endured and we think it is, as Presbyterian pastor (and former President of Eastern University) Roberta Hestenes\u00a0put it, \u201cespecially helpful in its sensitivity to evangelical issues and concerns, along with practical suggestions for implementation.\u201d\u00a0 What a great guide to spiritual growth! Let\u2019s face it: Biblically-shaped spiritual formation will be Christ-centered and Christ-like.\u00a0 This is well-rooted, flourishing discipleship.\u00a0 Very highly recommended.\u00a0 <\/span>See also his very useful one about the stages of spiritual development called Seasons of the Soul <\/i><\/b>(IVP; $16.00.)<\/p>\n
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Prayer: Finding the Hearts True Home<\/b><\/i>\u00a0 Richard Foster (HarperOne) $24.95\u00a0 It should almost go without saying that we are all greatly indebted to Richard Foster and his classic \u2014\u00a0 and I don\u2019t use the term loosely, it is surely in the top ten most important religious books of the 20th century, in part for the huge shift that it caused towards contemplative spirituality, sparking a renaissance of such literature \u2014 Celebration of Discipline <\/b><\/i>(HarperOne; $25.99) I trust you know that we are fans of Richard and that we carry all the books he has written.\u00a0 His Renovare ministry is certainly worth following, and if you are drawn to that sort of thing, know we have whatever resources you may need. I list Prayer, though, as I believe it is vastly under-appreciated. There are more than 15 different sorts of praying he so eloquently describes, and some include thing you don\u2019t often find in traditional books about prayer.\u00a0 He talks about lament, about sorrow, about protest.\u00a0 Of course praise and adoration, confession and intercession, and he is wise in all of these kinds.\u00a0 I highly recommend this, perhaps to read before wading into the depths of Celebration of Discipline. It isn\u2019t simple or quick, but it is one of the most helpful, illuminating and important books I\u2019ve ever read.<\/p>\n![\"yours](\"https:\/\/www.heartsandmindsbooks.com\/yours%20is%20the%20day%20lord.jpg\")
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ncient Paths: Discover Christian Formation the Benedictine Way<\/b><\/i> David Robenson (Paraclete) $16.95 There is a huge interest these days in monastic customs and the spirituality that emerges from those settings.\u00a0 Most popular, it seems, are books by and about Benedict. Benedictine spirituality affirms the daily and celebrates human work of all sorts \u2014 in the world, quite generally, but also, literally, in the Earth.\u00a0 High-tech culture-makers and backyard gardeners are all finding new ways to deepen their faith and spiritual experiences by hearing well the insights from this historic tradition.\u00a0 I myself have a bit of a love\/hate relationship with the monastic way, and, for me, Benedictine faith makes most sense.\u00a0 Which is a long way of saying that I think this is the best book on the subject, a fine and wonderful introduction to this stream of monastic spirituality.\u00a0 I learned so much about the history of the order, and its good applications in the world of ordinary living. It is written by a Presbyterian pastor, too.\u00a0 Ha.\u00a0 Perfect!<\/p>\n![\"formed](\"https:\/\/www.heartsandmindsbooks.com\/formed%20for%20the%20glory%20of%20G.jpg\")
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