Going deeper… with practices
/‘Who am I becoming?’ was the subject of our recent sermon series and you can still hear the talks on our talks page. As part of that series we produced a booklet which explores different practices which Christians have used down the ages to grow in their discipleship and become more like Jesus. Topics covered include prayer, scripture, Sabbath, silence and solitude, simplicity, fasting and community, along with advice for thinking through how to develop a pattern for your life.
If you wish to explore such practices more widely then Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth is his classic work which explores the different ‘disciplines’ or habits which Christians have exercised down the ages to draw closer to God and his love. Dallas Willard’s Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the character of Christ is a very highly recommended book by many– looking at the issue of our growth to be like Jesus, starting not from the practices but from the spiritual need to change.
If you want to get straight down to get your hands dirty, two websites might be really helpful. The first is Pattern from KXC church in London. Their practices podcast is an excellent place to find resources about countless different practices which help us spend time with Jesus, become like Jesus or do like Jesus.
The second is practicing the way from Bridgetown Church in Portland, Oregon. This follows the same three themes but is a set of small group courses looking at different areas of spiritual practices. Alongside the resources there are video/audio talks on aspects of the different practices. They also provide suggestions of books to read to give the background to the different practices.