FOREWORD
Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the Law of the Lord,
And on His Law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season,
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers. (Psalm 1:1-3 NASB)
This is the genesis of a book – a book about a spiritual journey – mine. But hopefully, this is also a book that gives you an idea of what focused discipleship can accomplish. Perhaps, you will find it useful in your own spiritual journey. I don’t know if this will ever get published as a book, but for now, I am presenting the material as a blog with regular entries as I finish them.
I became a believer in Jesus when I was eight years old; I will finish this book when I’m in my seventies – seven decades with Jesus. I haven’t had a hard life, but I have experienced some challenges. Along the way, I’ve learned some things about following Jesus. I want to share them with you.
This is a book about discipling others and spiritual disciplines, also known as spiritual practices, sometimes called holy habits. It is a book about the practices that aided my spiritual journey and about the discipline that it takes to finish strong.
Many books have been written about discipling and spiritual practices or disciplines, and I will draw from some of them. However, the main purpose of this book is to show you how spiritual practices can become a part of everything you do every day of the week – not just Sunday. It is possible to live a spiritual life 24/7.
Some books about spiritual disciplines are difficult for the non-academic Christian to comprehend, let alone practice and attain. Such books feel like they exist in the atmosphere, somewhere in the clouds. The contents and approaches of such books feel like they are the opposite of the regular, day-to-day activities of an ordinary believer. Some books seem like they are written for ancient monks living on the top of a distant mountain drinking fresh snow-melted water and eating locusts and honey. Some of these books are as dry as moondust. Some spiritual practices feel threatening to Christians who have only been exposed to the practices of Western Christianity. They feel like the more mystical, spiritual practices reek of new-agism or eastern religions. The practices feel heretical.
However, many readers love these books, grasp them, dive into them, and revel in them. They take their teaching to heart and actually practice the disciplines. And their spiritual lives are better for it.
Let’s face it, for most Christians these books about spirituality get their obligatory reading, and then they are placed on a shelf where they reside until spiritual disciplines get trendy again. They get dusted off, read again, and returned to the shelf or end up in some box donated to the local thrift store. Hopefully, this book is not one of those.
This book is not a “how-to” book. There is no “how-to” about following Jesus. While the spiritual practices within are things one needs to live a complete spiritual life, I am not attempting to give you a recipe for spiritual success. (If someone promises this, run away!) Some spiritual practices take years to attain, and some may never be fully attained on this side of heaven (but if you try to practice them, you will be farther along in your journey with Jesus than you were when you started this book.)
This book is not a checklist. You cannot read a chapter and say to yourself, “All right! That one’s done. Onto the next.” The chapters are not necessarily linear. You can skip around. The practices contained in this book will not happen with one reading. Spiritual disciplines, spiritual practices, or spiritual habits (for habits they must become) take a lifetime to accomplish – and they are never perfected (not in this part of your life.)
It is beyond the scope of this book to provide an argument for spiritual disciplines in spite of their abuses and outlier practices. Many books provide a defense for them and outline their misuse that, if performed today, would border on self-abuse or abuse of others. Some practices have indeed bordered on heresy. But I will not address those issues in this book.
The people who journey with Jesus, who practice discipleship and spiritual disciplines are like trees. Trees begin with a seed. They sprout and break through the soil. Their roots deepen and flourish. They bud and bloom. Every year, they become stronger. They tap into a supply of water and take in nourishment from both earth and sun. And then they blossom and bear fruit – sweet fruit for all around to enjoy. In the same way that a strong tree takes years to mature, spiritual disciplines cannot be hurried. They cannot be rushed. There are no timelines to follow or lists to accomplish other than this:
By the end of your life, these practices should be a part of your spiritual walk so that when your life in its present form has ended and you meet Jesus face-to-face, you will be ready for the next chapter.
It’s my aim for the reader to become the tree of Psalm 1 – a tree firmly planted by streams of water. If you practice them, you will bear fruit.
Occasionally, I will follow a rabbit trail about various general topics, theological issues, areas that need clarification for new believers, and maybe offer a sporadic opinion about church and church life.
Hopefully, this book will be read and reviewed often – a reference guide, a yearly check to see one’s progress. The practices outlined in this book are practices that must become habits, and these habits will take a lifetime to accomplish. The spiritual practices in this book cannot be attained in one year, five years, or ten years.
From the time you were born into the kingdom of God, your new life with the Almighty God began. Life with God is an eternal journey, a journey that will last forever. The things in this book will last forever because the things in this book are the things of God, found in the Word of God.
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35)
It is my desire that this book helps you find the words of God – the truth of God, helps you act on them, and helps you form a lifetime of practicing discipleship and spiritual disciplines.
That’s enough introduction. Onward, forward!