Book Review: Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth

I just completed a 13-week small group study of Richard J. Foster's book: Celebration of Discipline: The Path To Spiritual Growth. Foster's premise in Celebration is that we live in a culture that is marked by superficiality and materialism and which teaches a doctrine of instant satisfaction. These influences impede our ability to experience a life of relationship and intimacy with God. Therefore, in order to experience a life of relationship and intimacy with God, we need liberation from these cultural influences and our ingrained habits.

Celebration teaches 12 spiritual disciplines that we can exercise to help us draw nearer to God. These include:

The inward disciplines: meditation; prayer; fasting; study;

The outward disciplines: simplicity; solitude; submission; service; and
The corporate disciplines: confession; worship; guidance; celebration.

Celebration was originally published in 1978 and is now in its third edition. It is one of those rare works that has maintained its freshness and relevance for decade after decade. Beyond being a well written book, the longevity of Celebration may be credited to three primary factors: (1) Foster has recovered practices for growing closer to God that have been proven to be effective for centuries, but which to one degree or another have been lost in contemporary Christianity, and has communicated these practices through a practical guide; (2) many Christians continue to desire a closer relationship with God; and (3) Celebration is accessible to ordinary Christians: people who have jobs, raise children, etc.; for incorporation into ordinary life.

I highly recommend this book. I foresee personally rereading Celebration annually. Although an easy read, Celebration is packed full of relevant biblical references, insightful quotations, and great advice. Celebration is based on sound biblical teaching.

Celebration is a great book for use with a small group. If you are interested in using Celebration for a small group study, available are a very well done DVD and study guide based on the book. However, the study guide does not overlap substantially with the book, so I recommend purchasing the book and the study guide.