Ron recommends the following books to follow up on our Spiritual Wellness series:
The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives
by Dallas Willard
Believers long for personal purity and power to live as our hearts tell us we should. But how does God change us?
To perform appropriately in the moment when you’re “on the spot” you must be preparing when you’re “off the spot.” We understand this principle when we think of great athletes or musicians, but rarely see it’s application in our own efforts to be a “good Christian.” The Spirit of the Disciplines presents a way of living that enables ordinary men and women to join with God and realize their highest aspirations of well-being and -doing. The key to this self-transformation resides in the practice of the spiritual disciplines. Readers will learn why the disciplines work and how their practice affirms human life to the fullest.
The Spirit of the Disciplines places solitude and silence, prayer, simple and sacrificial living, meditation upon God’s word and ways, and service to others at the heart of the gospel. “We can increasingly resemble Christ in character and in power by following him in his overall style of life … This was the method of his earliest disciples, and it is as valid today as it was then.” After all, if Jesus regularly engaged in these activities, how is it that we simple humans expect to get by without them? To enter into the spirit and practice of the disciplines is to move toward the authentic life of faith in Christ and active participation in the Kingdom of God around us.
If it’s your desire to become the kind of person who can live in the fulness of the life God has for you, the observation of the disciplines is your first step. It sounds challenging and, besides, where will you find the time? But take note of the word “easy” in the title of chapter one: It really will be easy — once you get the hang of it.
The Spirit of the Disciplines is a thoughtful guide to an enriched spiritual life, a book about how to live as Christ lived, directed to those who hope to be his disciples in deed as well as intention. It details why the disciplines are essential to our deliverance from the concrete power of sin, and outlines the ways that they can help each of us achieve the blessings of the companionship of Christ.
275 pages, softcover from HarperCollins.
Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ
by Dallas Willard
Take on the character of Christ through the transformation of your spirit.
We aren’t born again to stay the way we are. But how many times have we looked around us in dismay at the lack of spiritual maturity in fellow believers? It is evident in the rising rate of divorces among Christian couples. We find it in the high percentages of Christians, even pastors, who regularly view pornography. And we face it each time a well-known leader in the Christian community is found in sexual sin or handling finances dishonestly. Perhaps you have struggled with your own character issues for years, even decades, to little avail.
There’s good news. You CAN experience significant growth in your Christian walk, shed sinful habits, and take on the character of Christ. In Renovation of the Heart, Dallas Willard calls it “the transformation of the spirit”—a divine process that “brings every element in our being, working from inside out, into harmony with the will of God”. As we become apprentices of Jesus our spirits are transformed.
But just what is this transformation? Dr. Willard explains that its ideal end is when “all of the essential parts of the human self are effectively organized around God, as they are restored and sustained by him. Spiritual transformation in Christ is the process leading to that ideal end, and its result is love of God with all of the heart, soul, mind, and strength, and of the neighbor as oneself.”
Although you may acknowledge this as the ideal, you may still wonder: “How do I get there”? Renovation of the Heart is a realistic guide to discipleship and the real challenges of Christian formation that helps to answer that inquiry. It lays a foundation for understanding the ruin and restoration of humanity, by discussing human nature and its components, how they operate, and how they are renewed. It describes common misunderstandings about our human nature, and the discipleship process. Most importantly, it outlines the general pattern of personal transformation—not as a formula, but as a systematic process that we have the responsibility to undertake as intentional apprentices of Jesus. Only then will our transformation be accomplished, through interaction with the grace of God in Christ, the presence of the Holy Spirit, and spiritual treasures stored in the body of Christ.
272 pages, hardcover from NavPress.
Deliver Us From Me-Ville
by David A. Zimmerman
Welcome to Me-Ville, where you’re surrounded by a culture that celebrates and elevates the individual.
The You Utopia where your home, place of work, and even your place of worship, is customized to your discerning tastes. A super-exclusive club where Self and Pride party, and Sacrifice and Humility can’t get past the velvet ropes. A place where it’s all about you.
But is life supposed to be this way?
Author David Zimmerman takes us on a hilarious and honest trip through Me-Ville, while sharing the escape routes that lead out. David traces our self-loving lineage and examines prideful people in scripture that were changed through God’s power. Throughout, you’ll encounter the powerful, progressive redemption from self that only Christ can offer.
So discover the freedom in shifting from Me to We, and encounter the joy found in a selfless life in pursuit of Him.