ACTING AND THE SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES
Eric Schansberg reflects on acting, identity, hypocrisy, and spiritual disciplines, considering when “pretending” deforms the soul—and when practice helps form Christlike character.
Spiritual Disciplines
Spiritual Disciplines helps Christians grow in Christlikeness through habits that shape the heart over time. Explore Bible-based articles on practices such as Scripture reading, prayer, fasting, solitude, Sabbath rest, confession, generosity, and worship. You’ll find practical guidance for building sustainable rhythms, resisting distraction, and pursuing spiritual formation in everyday life—personally and within the church. These resources aim to help disciples cultivate a deeper love for God and a more faithful life that reflects Jesus.
Rest for the Rest of Us
Once you get a true taste of the rhythms of rest, you will long for more. Stopping our relentless schedules creates a break from our culture of consumerism and productivity.
Rhythm of Rest
In Genesis 1, God created more than earth and the expansive universe. He created measured time, and a vital element of measured time is the rhythm of rest.
Sacred Rest: A Biblical Perspective
The Sabbath principle isn’t merely Mosaic legislation, but Edenic design—not just a command delivered at Sinai, but a rhythm woven into creation’s very fabric.
The Slow Club
The Slow Club sounds like a great place to just “be” who we claim to be. And while we might try to schedule sabbaticals or study breaks, the Slow Club is waiting for us every day.
Stillness
The psalmist offered a remedy for the kind of busyness that keeps us from drawing near to our heavenly Father. He wrote, “Be still, and know that I am God."
The Slow Work of God: Why Spiritual Growth Takes Time
Spiritual growth is not a checklist—it’s a journey. And journeys take time.
Moving Beyond Spiritual Disciplines
Spiritual disciplines, by themselves, do not bring about the spiritual transformation God seeks in our hearts.
Reading Scripture and the Transformation of the Soul
Our educational system and culture train us in a way of reading literature that works against the way the Scriptures were designed to be read and experienced. Our information culture resists embracing a text written primarily for transformation rather than information.
Church Follows John’s Pathway to Easter
By Jim Nieman Greenwood (Ind.) Christian Church has been building up to Easter through a 21-day study of the book of John, including four sermons, daily Bible readings of one chapter of the Gospel each day with companion devotions—both written and video—shared via Facebook, and an emphasis on prayer. GCC’s approach with “Pray 21” has been both simple and surprisingly comprehensive. It’s a series capable of being carried out by much smaller churches, says Matt Giebler, senior minister of Greenwood, which averages about 1,200 for worship each week. “We’ve all been pleased with the overall level of engagement,” Giebler says.
Gateway Planning
By Michael C. Mack Spending time with God is your priority as a leader. But it doesn”t just happen. Use the following strategy questions to help you plan a time of solitude with God: How often will I get away alone with God? (Weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually?) How long will I spend alone with God? When will I get away to be alone with God? (Be specific!) Where will I go? What provisions do I need to make for getting away? (Asking for permission, lining up childcare, making financial arrangements, lining up a place to stay, etc.) On my getaways
Redeeming Lent
By T.R. Robertson Some ignore it. Some condemn it. But others have found ways to redeem this 40-day observance with values both biblical and missional. I didn”t grow up with Lent as part of my life. My church, as well as most other congregations in the Restoration Movement of the 1960s and “70s, didn”t observe Lent at all. It was considered a nonbiblical invention of the Catholic Church. We not only looked down on Lent, we mostly ignored it. I don”t remember Lent ever being mentioned in Sunday school or in sermons. My first exposure to Lent came when I was a safety patrol guard
September 18, 2014
Go Away to Get Inside
By Michael C. Mack One way to know you have an intimate relationship with the Father is when you hear and recognize his voice (John 10:1-5). The only way to do that is to spend time alone with him. But that”s not easy in our fast-paced lives. In ministry we tend to spend a lot of time with other people in community, and that”s good! But as Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, solitude and community go hand in hand for spiritually healthy people. Jesus modeled this for us. Luke 5:16 says, “Jesus often withdrew [from crowds of people] to lonely places and
The Spirituality of Shutting Up
By Casey Tygrett We may hear those who speak to us from different theological platforms. But have we really learned to listen to them? If not, we may be missing the most spiritual thing we can do when confronted by those with whom we disagree. The conductor steps to the platform. His back is firm and straight, posture perfect, and he lifts the baton gently into the air. The musicians with their instruments wait for the moment and the motion to begin the performance. The musician”s score contains different parts, but all the performers are pointed toward one pinnacle””the sweeping moment
Training for Godliness
By Danny R. Von Kanel Approaching the last lap, Allen”s third-place position was typical. We had crossed the countryside to watch him run races, but in the end, there was little drama. Allen, it seemed, finished each two-mile run in third place. But this race would be different. Rounding the curve, Allen pulled even with the second runner. Halfway through the last lap, Allen pulled even with the first-place runner. Then a sprint ensued to the finish line . . . but Allen lost by a nose. Running has application to the Christian life. First Timothy 4:8 says, “For physical
Abundant Solitude
By Tony Twist He saw strangers coming toward his home. Years of persecutions had sensitized him to the schemes and seductions of the enemy, and alarm bells were ringing in his head. He quickly put his most precious possessions, his wife and two young daughters, in the hiding place. Sure enough, the men burst into the house looking for his girls (ages 9 and 11). Their intention was to gang rape, traumatize, and dishonor them so they would never have Christian children. For the radical Muslim leaders fighting “infidels,” this was a calculation of war. For our student, it would have been a devastation of his family. We now have almost 100
Spiritual Disciplines Are Not About YOU
By Jan Johnson When people ask about the college classes I teach, I hesitate to name this one: Developing Spiritual Disciplines. Why? Because they usually look at me as if I”d just asked to give them a flu shot. So I quickly add, “But we have a wonderful time! Students do interesting experiments and report encounters with God that make me cry when I grade their papers.” Then their faces soften. The idea of spiritual disciplines is frequently misunderstood. The crux of a person”s misunderstanding is in thinking that disciplines are about them. No, spiritual disciplines are about God. So
Rhythms and the Word
By Glen Elliott Healthy people and healthy churches understand rhythms. The teacher was spot-on when he said, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). There are times for long hours and intense work. There are times for rest and relaxation. If you stop and observe, almost anything that”s healthy in life has a rhythm. There are growing seasons and seasons where we let things lie fallow. We exercise our muscles intensely and then we must rest. Too much of one or the other can be detrimental. Every church has a
Reading the Book Rarely Opened
Diane Stortz reflects on learning to read the whole Bible not merely for lessons or answers, but to know God more deeply and hear his Word.
Under Conviction
Tony Twist reflects on how shared Bible reading and prayer with Suzanne became a sustaining spiritual rhythm through decades of marriage, ministry, and change.
