Spiritual Disciplines Devotional: A Year of Readings
By, Valerie E. Hess
Avalable for purchase on Amazon.com!
Have you been longing to learn more about spiritual disciplines but haven’t known where to start? Through brief daily readings and simple ideas on spiritual practices, this book will introduce you to the core disciplines of the Christian faith.
The word discipline sends up a red flag for some of us. It may sound like a joyless routine that will add another burden to an already full schedule. The truth is that practicing spiritual disciplines will lead to the joyful, rich life God wants for us. We are not trying to earn our way into God’s favor, but rather we are trying to develop “holy habits” that will make us better at living the life Jesus invites us into. These habits teach us to respond to God first and then to the people around us in ways that begin to look more like the ways Jesus responded when he was on earth.
Each month, the focus will be on one of the twelve core disciplines of the Christian life. This will allow you to soak in the rich principles behind each practice in a brief daily format. Within each discipline, there are readings for five days of the week, providing “built in grace” should you need a day off. Each session contains a Bible verse, a short teaching on the discipline and a practical application called “Living It.” As a bonus, on the fifth day, there is an optional “Living It Together” idea that you can use with your family to help your children begin to understand and practice the discipline as well.
By devoting just ten minutes a day to reading and practice, you can set yourself on a journey full of lifetime riches. Make this the year you discover the disciplines and create holy habits in your walk with God.
Habits of a Child’s Heart: Raising Your Kids With the Spiritual Discipline
By, Valerie E. Hess and Marti Watson Garlett
Available for purchase on Amazon.com!
Gain the tools and specific ideas you need to intentionally develop the spiritual disciplines in your child’s life.
Everyone knows that children learn the most by watching their parents’ example—by doing what they do. Why would learning about spiritual things be any different?
The best time to learn anything—especially the spiritual disciplines—is as a child. In Habits of a Child’s Heart, parents not only learn the spiritual disciplines for themselves, but they also discover how to practice them with their kids and teens.
Broken down into bite-sized, age-specific exercises, the foundations of the Christian life will become lifetime habits. Practice the spiritual disciplines as a family by:
Serving others in a practical way
Fasting from TV or video games
Simplifying schedules and possessions
Developing new habits of worship
Meditating on specific Bible passages
These are essential skills your kids will take with them wherever they go—long after they grow up and teach the same lessons to their own children.
