We are starting an exciting new series on the disciplines and rhythms of the Christian life this Sunday. The goal is to help people discover beautiful and rich disciplines that lead to our joy and the deep experience of grace through depth of relationship with our Creator and Savior. But to experience these riches we have to “train yourself for godliness.” (1 Timothy 4:7) Just like a good fitness plan, a plan for spiritual growth and depth takes work and the building of habits into our lives. But these habits cannot become a legalistic law, but a pathway to grace.
Wanted to give a list of resources for this series to encourage
further reading. We will be giving our people the first resource listed below on praying the Bible. The rest are books that we recommend on this topic and encourage further reading.
Praying the Bible by Don Whitney – A great little how-to book designed to deeply enrichen our prayer life by connecting our prayers to the Bible.
Books on the Disciplines
Spiritual Disciplines of the Christian Life by Don Whitney – The best book on the disciplines and highly recommended reading for all believers.
Spiritual Disciplines Within the Church by Don Whitney – This book is the companion of the previous one, and focuses on the corporate disciplines, the rhythms we should have together as a church.
Simplify Your Spiritual Life: Spiritual Disciplines for the Overwhelmed by Don Whitney – So you our first four books are from the same author, so you might be figuring out that this man is a very good source on the topic. Dr. Whitney teaches Spiritual Disciplines and Spiritual Formation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville and is a speaker and leader on this subject within evangelicalism. Take time to check out his website at BiblicalSpirituality.org.
Five Things Every Christian Needs to Grow by R. C. Sproul – This book is a short, easy to read primer on the core disciplines of Bible intake, prayer, worship, service, and stewardship. So worth the read!
Habits of Grace by David Mathis – An excellent new book from Desiring God that carefully connects the disciplines to the reality that they must be grace based or they will become an undue version. The PDF is free here or you can find links to find the printed and electronic versions.
Books on the Discipline of Prayer
Here are a couple newer books specifically on prayer that I recommend.
Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy by Tim Keller
A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World by Paul Miller
