Product ReviewsCelebration of Discipline, the Rev Ed : Revised and Expanded Edition by Richard J. Foster (1988, Hardcover, Annotated edition,Revised edition)

Compelling Christianity

The copy I read is the 20th anniversary edition that has been revised and expanded. I read the original but don't remember what was in it.

This book is for those who wish to have a deep relationship with Christ. Fair warning: you will have many of your preconceptions about a relationship with God challenged. You will need personal discipline to continue after reading the introduction. It is a little deep (some would say a whole lot deep). But when you do continue on have an open mind for ways to enhance your relationship with the Father then you will find it there.

The only real difficulty that I had with the book was that at times the author made statements like: "New Testament writers clearly state..." and Jesus himself taught..." but did not give any references from the Bible to back up these assertions. I would really like to read them for myself.

If you plan on reading this book, and you should, then don't plan to read it straight through like you might a novel. Instead take one to three sections of a chapter at a time. Underline, highlight and in your own way mark things that explain the idea or speak to you. Write notes in the margins so that you can come back and find it later. I would suggest you use those brief sections as a part of you time with God. Don't just read but think about what you have read. Then pick an idea or two out that you can run around in you mind throughout the day. Ask the Father to help you understand it and make it clear to you. Ask Him to show you Scripture that enhances the concept (s).

The first chapter on meditation is worth the price of the book alone. But then the other chapters are as well.Read full review...

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Some good, some misconceptions

Well, lots of very good stuff, but the author comes from his Quaker background very strongly which is in contradiction of my and many others understanding of many important Bible truths. The author's conception of some Bible passages are just wrong.Read full review...

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The title exhumes hope and joy plus advice for daily spiritual renewal.

The product (the book, Celebration of Discipline) is quite a classic. Author Richard J. Foster took time to research Modern Christian and to explore the path leading to living a richer spiritual life. The book examines three areas: The Inward Disciplines, the Outward Disciplines, and the Corporate Disciplines. Foster provides keys to integrating the spiritual disciplines within our lives for greater balance and holistic living.Read full review...

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My Favorite Book

This book looks kind of boring from the outside. However, it is (probably the most important)one of the three books that have changed my life the most. It is a book describing some of the different,very basic ways you can connect with God on a very personal level. (Fresh and Simple approaches to Prayer, Christian Meditation, Fasting, Community, Solitude, and more.) In this contact, God changes you. Richard Foster has a very unique, easy to read writing style. He is very easy-going, and uses humor. I actually got this book for a neighbor, because I already have one. It is one of my most treasured possessions; I could read it over and over.Read full review...

Celebration of Discipline, by Richard J. Foster

The classic work on the subject of Spiritual Disciplines, Richard Foster's volume has stood the test of time, and remains in print. Later editions feature updated blurbs on the cover, but the main text remains the same.

The disciplines examined include fasting, simplicity, study, and prayer.

A note included with one copy I purchased said, "This book changed my life..." That's about all you need to know about this book to know what a great work it is. The chapter on simplicity alone is worth the cost of the entire book, given the complicated world in which we live... I highly recommend this book.Read full review...

Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster

This is a classic book about living the Christian life, written by a Quaker ,and first published in 1978. The spiritual disciplines which include, meditation, prayer, study, worship, and service, are not meant to be religious duties or rules to follow, but instead are meant to bring the blessings of God into our lives. We can walk in the Blessing and receive all God has for us if we are open to a deeper relationship with Him. This book is for every Christian. Thomas Merton said, "We do not want to be beginners. But let us be convinced of the fact that we will never be anything else but beginners, all our life!"
The apostle Paul writes in Philippians 3:12-14 about not having achieved perfection, but of his desire to press on towards what lies ahead. I think this book will help towards the goal of pressing on. We are on a journey. We haven't arrived, but we have left.
I had been looking for this book online and found a beautiful, like new, 20th anniversary edition on e-bay for a fraction of the retail price. This edition includes an introduction by Richard Foster that tells the story of how the book came about, which is very interesting.Read full review...

Great Book for Small Group or Individual Study

Celebration of Discipline walks you through simple but effective steps towards a closer walk with Christ. Nuts and bolts: Easy tools that work. Learn to hear from God more often, to be changed from the inside out! Includes scripture references at the end of each chapter, to look up and apply. Completely biblical. Stresses the importance of being changed by God's Holy Spirit; anything we've accomplished through self-will alone will not hold up in the end. Great book.Read full review...

Practical and Essential

I bought this book to teach a bible study I lead, of High School Senior Guys, what things are going to be essential to their spiritual growth when they head off to college; it has worked absolutely wonderfully!

Foster's practical insights to "common" Christian Spiritual Disciplines are biblically based and inspiring. The ease at which he explains and shows our need for spiritual discipline allows any reader (who is teachable and open) to grasp the absolute necessity of such disciplines as they function to sustain one's heart, life, and long-term spiritual health and growth.

An essential classic that practically shows the need for and applys the foundational spiritual disciplines of the Christian faith.Read full review...

Great Soul Searching!

I really gained a lot of great ideas about living a life closer to God. Not your usual superficial Christian living, this really makes you dig deeper into your heart and your intentions. I bought the book because my Bible Study group had thought about doing a review of the book but decided not to. I thought the title sounded like something I would be interested in and I was. It was everything I was hoping for and much more.Read full review...

WOW, and God is there

This is considered a 20th century religious classic; I agree. The book offers very practical, and theological, insights for making the spiritual practices more personal, more meaningful, more God centric. I bought my first copy 22 years ago, this one is a gift to a friend.Read full review...

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Celebration of Disciplines

I bought it because I was going to a college study that was covering this book. There are a lot of things that I like that the author says, but a few things that I disagree with; however, that is going to be the case based on one's own personal beliefs. Overall, I've enjoyed it since it has made me examine the way I live my life. Would I want to pass it on to a friend? Probably, if I knew that they were serious about wanting to have a closer relationship with GodRead full review...