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Below you will find my recommended selections which can be obtained by simply clicking the book
Willard refutes this "fire escape" mentality by exploring the true nature of the teachings of Jesus, who intended that His followers become His disciples, and taught that we have access now to the life we are only too eager to relegate to the hereafter. The author calls us into a more authentic faith and offers a practical plan by which we can become Christ-like. He encourages faith by embracing the true meaning of Christian discipleship. In the same way, the freedom to grow in godliness---to naturally express Christ's character through your own personality---is in large part dependent on a deliberate cultivation of the spiritual disciplines. Far from being legalistic, restrictive, or binding, as they are often perceived, the spiritual disciplines are actually the means to unparalleled spiritual liberty. So if you'd like to embark on a lifelong quest for godliness, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life will help you on your way. Based on the rich heritage left us by the early church fathers, the Puritan writers, and Jesus Christ Himself, Whitney takes you through a carefully selected array of disciplines that includes Scripture reading, prayer, worship, Scripture meditation, evangelism, serving, stewardship, Scripture application, fasting, silence and solitude, journaling, and learning.
By illustrating why the disciplines are important, showing how each one will help you grow in godliness, and offering practical suggestions for cultivating them on a long-term basis, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life will provide you with a refreshing opportunity to embrace life's greatest pursuit---the pursuit of holiness---through a lifelong delight in the disciplines. M. Robert Mulholland
covers. You will be taken to Christian Book Distributor's Bookstore (CBD Booksellers) and can decide
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The Divine Conspiracy
By Dallas Willard / Harpersanfrancisco
In The Divine Conspiracy, Willard gracefully weaves biblical teaching, popular culture, science, scholarship, and spiritual practice into a tour de force that shows the necessity of profound changes in how we view our lives and faith.
This book receives one of my highest recommendations for must reading. In my usual practice of underlining significant and insightful passages as I read, this book experienced a bath of ink. --NC
Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God
By Dallas Willard / Inter-varsity Press
In life, you make thousands of decisions, big and small. You want these decisions grounded in "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" and you lift your petitions to God in prayer, but communication with God is a two-way street. Are you listening to Him? In Hearing God, you'll learn how the other half of the conversation works in practice. At its end, you'll have a biblically-based portrait of what intimacy with God looks like and a vision of life enriched by hearing God's voice. Originally published as In Search of Guidance.
I found Willard's treatment of this subject to be one of the best I've ever encountered. Willard provides us with an accessible, serious and sane treatment of a subject that is all too often exaggerated or rejected. Willard's treatment of the Christian's capacity and invitation to hear God is thoroughly rooted in the Scripture and treated with wonderful balance. The only weakness I see in this book, as with many others writing on this subject, is that it gives few clues as to how one knows they are "hearing" God. The experiential aspect is assumed and affirmed but not explained in as much detail as one could hope. --NC
The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives
By Dallas Willard / Harpersanfrancisco
Believers long for personal purity and power to live as our hearts tell us we should. But how does God change us? Willard reminds us that we can be like Christ if we follow his style of life: solitude and silence, prayer, simple and sacrificial living, meditation on God's Word, and service to others. The practice of these disciplines is how God guides us into a constant interaction with his kingdom. "Few books have challenged me like this one. I would urge every serious minded Christian to read it...at your own risk."---Bill Hybels, author of Honest to God?.
Donald S. Whitney
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life
By Donald S. Whitney / Nav Press
It's not uncommon for an accomplished musician to be able to sit down in front of a new piece of music and play it through without a hitch. To make it seem easy, as if it required no effort. Yet the "freedom" to play with such skill comes only after years of disciplined practice.
I highly recommend this book! Whitney's work is an excellent primer on the disciplines for new Christians, but it is also a great book for those of us who have walked with Jesus a while longer. Whitney's use of illustrations from the great evangelical writers and teachers of the past and present is a real encouragement, reminding us that the practice of the disciplines was not just the possession of mystics but of everyday believers who were engaging and changing their world as they walked with Christ. --NC
Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation
By M. Robert Mulholland / Inter-varsity Press
Mulholland helps Christians new and old to understand that we become like Christ gradually, not instantly. Not every personality is suited to an early morning quiet time, so Mulholland faces different personality types to express their piety differently. He reviews the classical spiritual disciplines and demonstrates the importance of undertaking our spiritual journey with (and for the sake of) others. This road map for spiritual formation is profoundly biblical and down to earth-in the finest tradition of spiritual literature, it is a vital help to Christians at any stage of the journey.
A Pastor friend recommended this book to me on a recent conference tour. I read it and have found this to be a very valuable book. I hope to read more from this brother and see what else he may say as well and useful as this. --NC
DEVOTIONAL BOOKS I'VE USED WITH MUCH PROFIT:
Yes, I am a huge fan of John Piper. I greatly benefit from reading his meditations in my devotional time with the Lord:
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Desiring God, Revised & Expanded By John Piper / Multnomah Scripture reveals that the great business of life is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever. Now revised and expanded, Desiring God reveals how delighting in God can motivate us to glorify Him through worship, stewardship, loving our neighbor, rejoicing in suffering, and other "duties." John Piper reveals that the debate between duty and delight doesn't truly exist: Delight is our duty. Discover how to lay a biblical foundation for a life of celebration by truly desiring the Lord. |
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The Pleasures Of God By John Piper / Multnomah Introducing the expanded re-release of Piper's classic! Here's your chance to be among the thousands of believers who are more passionate about God than ever before---because they've discovered what God is passionate about. As Piper reveals the reasons for the Lord's abundant joy, he draws you ever closer to God's self-replenishing, all-encompassing grace. 400 pages, softcover from Multnomah. I found this book started off slowly and then supernovas into a breathtaking view of God's pleasure in being God and how we are lifted and immeasurably ennobled by making God the chief end of our joy-seeking. Piper is spot on when he explains that a man or woman's character is defined and shaped by what they take pleasure in. These meditations are wonderfully suited for taking as a daily devotional on a chapter-by-chapter dose. --NC |
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Taste and See By John Piper / Multnomah This update to the second volume of Piper's popular devotional, A Godward Life, features 20 new articles, which address controversies such as partial-birth abortion and gay marriage. With three indexes and 120 brief biblically based essays, it also provides pastors and lay leaders with illustrations as sound as Scripture and as current as tomorrow's Internet news. 432 pages, softcover from Multnomah. I am currently reading this in my morning devotional time. The thoughts expressed, here, are scripturally formed and are a great blessing to any who want to "think God's thoughts after Him." --NC |
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Pierced by the Word: 31 Meditations for Your Soul By John Piper / Multnomah Pierced by the Word takes up thirty-one subjects as unique as "How to Be a Refuge for Your Children," "How to Drink Orange Juice to the Glory of God," and "Embracing the Pain of Shame." Some are longer, some shorter, like the real-world conversations they so closely resemble, and each comes from the fertile mind of John Piper and is written in his own inimitable style. Together, the readings will lead to a deeper understanding of God and a cleaner, clearer relationship with Him. Most of all, Piper's approach shows how meditating on God's powerful Word can affect every aspect of our lives. |
Henry Blackaby
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Experiencing God Day-by-Day: The Devotional and Journal By Henry T. Blackaby & Richard Blackaby / B & H Publishing Group Grow closer to God every day! Building on the concepts in Henry Blackaby's best-selling Experiencing God and companion workbook, this devotional includes a Bible verse, an insightful meditation from Blackaby's writings, and plenty of space to record your personal reflections each day! A great way to track your spiritual growth! 384 pages, hardcover from B&H. I highly recommend picking this devotional for a year's excercises. Very readable. Much to challenge and encourage your walk with God! --NC |
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Experiencing God Workbook: Knowing and Doing the Will of God, Member Book, Updated By Henry T Blackaby, Richard Blackaby, Claude V. King / Lifeway For more than 15 years, God has used Experiencing God in His work, showing believers how to know Him intimately while encouraging them to step out in faith and join Him in His work with miraculous results. The revised Member Book has been updated with new illustration and testimonial content that demonstrates how this study contributed to some truly miraculous results. This Member Book is also included in the revised Leader Kit This workbook is an excellent study and 5-day a week devotional exercise. Extending over a period of 12 weeks, this resource is excellent for individual use but also for small group studies. Blackaby rightly shifts our focus from God's will for my life to how my life can fit into God's will. The priority of God's interests is a necessary shift. Some small groups do very well with this workbook, but it requires faithful work through the week by all participants to get the maximum benefit. Our church was greatly impacted for good by this workbook. Some of our small groups found it was easier to take two weeks for each week represented in the workbook. You'll need to find your own pace, but I recommend putting in the work to do it in the prescribed 5-day format. --NC . |
Oswald Chambers
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My Utmost for His Highest, Updated Edition in Today's English By Oswald Chambers / Discovery House Publishers This edition of Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest combines the readability of the modern NKJV edition of the Bible, with the timeless wisdom of Chamber's bestselling classic devotional in readable, easily understood, up-to-date English. Featuring daily insights on everything from adversity and assurance, to worry and worship, My Utmost for His Highest will help you to apply biblical truths in today's modern world. Includes complete subject and Scripture indexes, along with 366 timeless, inspirational devotions, and a forward from Charles Stanley. I highly recommend doing this for a year-long exercise. One word of caution: over time Chamber's theme can become burdensomely heavy and almost introduces a new legalism by unrelentingly hammering its main premise: all our life motives and deeds must flow out of our union with Christ. Given that Chamber's work was compiled by his wife, after Chamber's death, we do not get the benefit of his own voice and pacing. One needs to read this taking an occasional gulp of the fresh-air of God's grace along the way. This devotional is a classic and a real gem, but I'm not the only one who has occasionally admitted that the pacing of these devotions can be a bruising experience. Do read it! You will be blessed. --NC |