{"quotes":[{"text":"The secret to extraordinary faith is fully engaging our MINDS, as well as our hearts, because DYNAMIC FAITH REQUIRES A HEALTHY BALANCE OF BOTH.","author":"Patty Houser","tags":["belief","beliefs","christianity","christianity-and-faith","faith","faith","inspiration","inspirational","spiritual-disciplines","spiritual-formation"],"id":6050,"author_id":"Patty+Houser"},{"text":"When we speak with others about our experience in Christ, it sharpens our attentiveness to the voice and will of the Father. Sharing our stories helps us clarify the intentions of our hearts toward the fulfillment of his divine will. A small circle of friends also reminds us of the presence, power and protection of the Holy Spirit. Confiding in one another instills a sense of hope for the future as children who are dearly loved by their Father.","author":"Stephen A. Macchia","tags":["spiritual-direction","spiritual-disciplines","spiritual-friendship","storytelling"],"id":9446,"author_id":"Stephen+A.+Macchia"},{"text":"The flesh resists this daily humiliation, first by a frontal attack, and later by hiding itself under the words of the spirit (I.E. In the name of 'evangelical liberty'). We claim liberty from all legal compulsion, from self-martyrdom and mortification, and play this off against the proper evangelical use of discipline and asceticism; we thus excuse our self-indulgence and irregularity in prayer, in meditation and in our bodily life. But the contrast between our behavior and the word of Jesus is all too painfully evident. We forget that discipleship means estrangement from the world, and we forget the real joy and freedom which are the outcome of a devout rule of life. As soon as a Christian recognizes that he has failed in his service, that his readiness has become feeble, and that he has sinned against another's life and become guilty of another's guilt, that all his joy in God has vanished and that his capacity for prayer has quite gone, it is high time for him to launch an assault upon the flesh, and prepare for better service by fasting and prayer (Luke 2:37; 4:2: Mark 9:29; 1 Cor. 7:5).","author":"Dietrich Bonhoeffer","tags":["christianity","fasting","god","prayer","rule-of-life","self-discipline","sin","spiritual-disciplines","spiritual-exercises","the-flesh"],"id":24818,"author_id":"Dietrich+Bonhoeffer"},{"text":"In the afternoon the digestion of the meal deprives me of the incomparable lightness which characterizes the fast days.","author":"Adalbert de Vogüé","tags":["catholic","christianity","fasting","spiritual-disciplines"],"id":28407,"author_id":"Adalbert+de+Vog%C3%BC%C3%A9"},{"text":"Jews are obligated to fulfill the particularities of Mosaic law. They don't light Sabbath candles simply because candles make them feel close to God, but because God commanded the lighting of candles: Closeness might be a nice by-product, but it is not the point. Christians will understand candle-lighting a little differently. Spiritual practices don't justify us. They don't save us. Rather, they refine our Christianity; they make the inheritance Christ gives us on the Cross more fully our own... Practicing the spiritual disciplines does not make us Christians. Instead, the practicing teaches us what it means to live as Christians.","author":"Lauren F. Winner","tags":["christianity","faith","grace","spiritual-disciplines"],"id":30721,"author_id":"Lauren+F.+Winner"},{"text":"A Spiritual Discipline is an intentionally directed action which places us in a position to receive from God the power to do what we cannot accomplish on our own....The deep waters of God's life are already flowing. We simply learn the strokes that will enable us more and more to be at home in them....The human body is our power-pack of mind-body-spirit -- we discipline it in order to practice cooperation with God. (Life with God, p. 135-137).","author":"Richard Foster","tags":["christian","mind-body-spirit","spiritual-disciplines"],"id":79588,"author_id":"Richard+Foster"},{"text":"In the words of Jewish liturgical scholar Lawrence Hoffman, 'Jews do offer freely composed prayers... But overall, it is the fixed order and content of Jewish prayer that gives it its distinctiveness and that demands the personal commitment to prayer as a discipline.","author":"Lauren F. Winner","tags":["jewish-tradition","prayer","spiritual-disciplines"],"id":80168,"author_id":"Lauren+F.+Winner"},{"text":"As we mature in faith, our willingness is tested, expanded, and refined. We become more conscious of our limitations and turn to God. The necessity of God's grace becomes clearer as we become more attuned and accurate in our recognition of our dependence on God and less sure of anything that causes us to describe ourselves self-righteously. At times, when confronted by the less-than-ideal behavior of others, we may recognize that we are capable of similar actions and give thankds to God for helping us avoid unwelcome pitfalls. Scripture instructs us to be holy as God is holy, yet we increasingly realize the impossibility of holy behavior unless it is brought about by the Spirit's empowerment and our willing responsiveness and cooperation. Many people use spiritual direction as a window through which to notice and attend to their own expectations of willingness and willfulness.","author":"Jeannette A. Bakke","tags":["holy-spirit","spiritual-direction","spiritual-disciplines"],"id":103806,"author_id":"Jeannette+A.+Bakke"},{"text":"Ask and you shall receive; everyone that asks receives.  This is the fixed eternal law of the kingdom:  If you ask and receive not, it must be because there is something amiss or wanting in the prayer. Hold on; let the Word and Spirit teach you to prat aright, but do not let go the confidence he seeks to waken:  Everyone who asks receives....Let every learner in the school of Christ therefore take the Master's word in all simplicity....Let us beware of weakening the word with our human wisdom.","author":"Andrew Murray","tags":["christianity","spiritual-disciplines"],"id":118230,"author_id":"Andrew+Murray"},{"text":"But if roteness is a danger, it is also the way liturgy works. When you don't have to think all the time about what words you are going to say next, you are free to fully enter into the act of praying; you are free to participate in the life of God.","author":"Lauren F. Winner","tags":["jewish-tradition","liturgy","prayer","spiritual-disciplines"],"id":122272,"author_id":"Lauren+F.+Winner"}],"pagination":{"page":1,"page_size":10,"total":25,"pages":3,"next":"?page=2\u0026page_size=10"}}