discipline

Journaling -- Book & Discipline

Journaling.jpg

Beards make me want to journal!

Adam Feldman's new book, Journaling: Catalyzing Spiritual Growth Through Reflection, may be just what you need to spark a new discipline of journaling. Or maybe your love for journaling has grown cold and this book can be a refresher for you. Either way, Journaling is only $0.99 for Kindle right now and I want to encourage you to check it out. Simple with lots of tips and ideas and questions to prompt you on. 

I've found journaling difficult, but I'm eager to press on. I bought the book before it got this cheap! From the book...

You can expect journaling to be difficult for many reasons. For instance, journaling takes a chunk of time, so you may initially resist letting go of something in order to start journaling. Journaling is also highly reflective, and this may bring up some difficult or disturbing thoughts that you have previously been afraid to acknowledge. Journaling is also a means to catalyze spiritual growth, so you can expect the enemy, Satan and his emissaries, to throw every kind of distraction at you and to whisper every sort of “reasonable” excuse for why you “cannot” journal today.

Just sit down and start writing. 

Get Journaling

Spiritual Disciplines: Abstinence & Engagement

Willard Disciplines

In Dallas Willard's classic book, The Spirit of the Disciplines (Kindle), he gives two lists of "main disciplines." I find it helpful for me to review some of my favorite books on the disciplines when I need spiritual renewal. Not all books and teaching on the disciplines float my boat, but this one adds some interesting insight to disciplines I tend to ignore. I don't agree with everything he says in the book, but this is worth checking out. I'm reading through his explanation of each of the disciplines below.

Disciplines of Abstinence

  • Solitude
  • Silence
  • Fasting
  • Frugality
  • Chastity
  • Secrecy
  • Sacrifice

Disciplines of Engagement 

  • Study
  • Worship
  • Celebration
  • Service
  • Prayer
  • Fellowship
  • Confession
  • Submission

Dallas Willard in The Spirit of the Disciplines, p158. I have a 1988 copy and the one linked is newer. 

What are your thoughts on the disciplines? Helpful books? Unhelpful or helpful disciplines listed here or ignored here? Would love your feedback. Also feel free to engage with me on Twitter: @SteveKMcCoy.