A Christian Guide to Spirituality
Foundations for Disciples
- A Christian Guide to Spirituality
- Life in Tension
- Called Along the Way
- Simple Faith
- Living in Christ
- Image and Illumination
Size: 6.00 x 9.00 in
Pages: 236
Pages: 236
Pages: 236
Spirituality is lived belief.
When we pray, worship, or reach out to our neighbors, we live out our beliefs. Our beliefs structure our spirituality like skin stretched over the bones of our bodies.
These beliefs start with faith in God the Father through Jesus Christ as revealed through the Holy Spirit in scripture, in the church, and in daily life. Our Trinitarian theology orders our beliefs. Without a coherent theology, we lose our identity in space and time having no map or compass to guide us on our way. In the end, we focus on ourselves, not God.
Christian spirituality starts with God, not with us.
A Christian Guide to Spirituality takes the form of 50 daily devotions. Each topic is treated with a scriptural reference, reflection, prayer, and questions for discussion. Occasionally, references are provided for further study. The first four chapters (Introduction, Apostle’s Creed, Lord’s Prayer, and Ten Commandments) cover 40 days making them suitable as a Lenten study. Ten additional days focus on the spiritual disciplines and a short conclusion. Fifty days of study allow an Easter study running through Pentecost.
Reading A Christian Guide to Spirituality will help readers understand Christian spirituality better and nurture their faith. There is no such thing as quality time with the Lord; there is only time. The living God speaks to us in many ways, but especially through scripture. These three sources cited (Apostle’s Creed, Lord’s Prayer, and Ten Commandments) are commonly called the “rule of faith” (regula fidei) and were utilized for nearly two millennia as a means to apprentice the faith. These sources are the heart of the confessions of most Christian faith communities and denominations.
Hear the words; walk the steps; experience the joy!
Categories: Spirituality and Devotional
Rev. David A. Currie, Ph.D. Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program and Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary wrote:You have my blessing. It's a book that needed to be written. It will do a lot of good.
Dr. Stephen Macchia Founder and president of Leadership Transformations and director of the Pierce Center for Disciple-Building at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary wrote:Spirituality can seem like anamorphous, impractical, and un-Presbyterian pursuit. But historically nothing could be farther from the truth. For anyone seeking to explore the 'how's' of the Christian life, Stephen Hiemstra has provided a helpful, accessible guide using the classic catechetical structure of the the Apostles' Creed (how Christians should believe), the Lord's Prayer (how Christians should pray), and Ten Commandments (how Christians should live).
With the rule of faith--Apostles Creed, Lord's Prayer and 10 Commandments--as his backdrop, Hiemstra opens up the subject of Christian spirituality with theological acumen and practical application. This is a book for those who want to understand how best to have a living faith and an ever deepening devotional and experiential knowledge of God.
Forward written by Neal D. Presa, past Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
This book might be classified appropriately in spirituality, Christian living, devotion, faith, religion, and theology.