An Introduction to Spiritual Disciplines
Dear Church Family,
It is hard to put into words how excited I am for our church to embark on this journey of practicing specific spiritual habits together through this season of Lent.
This idea was not born out of a theoretical brainstorming session - “here is something good for our body to do together”. That does happen from time to time. But this one was more personal than that.
About a month ago, with some friends, I began practicing (with renewed intentionality) some of the same habits that we are going to invite you to join in on. And it has been nothing short of amazing. It hasn’t been easy. But it has greatly deepened my intimacy with God and those around me. I feel more alive to Him, engaged in kingdom work, present with people, convicted of sin, and conscious of the things that distract me from Him. The Spirit has been transforming me bit by bit and using some of these spiritual practices to get me in the place where He can go to work..
I want to invite you to join me on this wonderful journey through Lent. Our goal is intimacy with God, through Jesus, and in the power of the Spirit.
Let’s allow the following spiritual practices to make us more reliant on Him and His grace.
Journeying with you,
Jonny
It is hard to put into words how excited I am for our church to embark on this journey of practicing specific spiritual habits together through this season of Lent.
This idea was not born out of a theoretical brainstorming session - “here is something good for our body to do together”. That does happen from time to time. But this one was more personal than that.
About a month ago, with some friends, I began practicing (with renewed intentionality) some of the same habits that we are going to invite you to join in on. And it has been nothing short of amazing. It hasn’t been easy. But it has greatly deepened my intimacy with God and those around me. I feel more alive to Him, engaged in kingdom work, present with people, convicted of sin, and conscious of the things that distract me from Him. The Spirit has been transforming me bit by bit and using some of these spiritual practices to get me in the place where He can go to work..
I want to invite you to join me on this wonderful journey through Lent. Our goal is intimacy with God, through Jesus, and in the power of the Spirit.
Let’s allow the following spiritual practices to make us more reliant on Him and His grace.
Journeying with you,
Jonny
Throughout church history, Lent has been a season of reflection, repentance, and renewal. It is a time to draw near to God, preparing our hearts to fully embrace the hope of the Resurrection on Easter. One of the most powerful ways to engage with Lent is through the practice of the Spiritual Disciplines. “Spiritual Disciplines” can sound intimidating and daunting - but what we’re talking about is adopting the spiritual habits of Jesus into our daily lives. Jesus invited people to follow him. This meant spending time together and growing in a relationship but it also meant patterning one’s life after His in every way. We, as his followers today, still do this: we walk with Jesus and adopt his spiritual practices into our lives. Jesus taught about and lived a life grounded in a real, experiential, relationship with God. For each week of Lent, our desire is to practice a different Spiritual Discipline as a community.
What are the Spiritual Disciplines? Richard Foster, in Celebration of Discipline, describes the Spiritual Disciplines as the “Door to Liberation.” We don’t tend to put discipline and liberation in the same sentence. We tend to think of freedom as that ability to do whatever we want, whenever we want, with whomever we want. A Christian vision of freedom is very different. Freedom is living in-line with how our loving Creator designed us to live, which first and foremost involves an intimate relationship with Him. These practices (habits)—which include, but are not limited to, sabbath, fasting, solitude, Scripture memory, worship, confession and generosity—are not burdensome tasks but pathways to freedom. They are not about earning God’s favor but about positioning ourselves to receive His transforming grace. Through them, we cultivate a life that is open to the movement of the Holy Spirit, breaking free from the patterns of sin and self-reliance that so easily entangle us.
The beauty of the Disciplines is that they create space for God to work within us. Just as a farmer does not force plants to grow but instead tends the soil to make growth possible, we engage in the Disciplines to create conditions where God’s grace can flourish in our lives. This is the heart of transformation into Christlikeness—cooperating with the Spirit so that Christ is formed in us (Galatians 4:19).
1 Timothy 4:7-8 “…Train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."
Just as an athlete undergoes rigorous training to develop strength, endurance, and skill, so too are we called to train ourselves for godliness through the practice of the Spiritual Disciplines. No athlete expects to succeed without discipline—without intentional effort, repetition, and perseverance. They push their bodies beyond comfort, knowing that true growth requires commitment. In the same way, the Disciplines shape our spiritual lives. Through prayer, fasting, Scripture meditation, worship, and other disciplines we train our hearts and minds to seek God above all else, deepening our love for Him and our dependence on His grace.
Yet, there is a key difference. While an athlete’s success is ultimately measured by personal achievement—speed, strength, or victory—our spiritual growth is not about self-improvement or performance. Rather, it is about surrender. The Spiritual Disciplines are not a means to control our own transformation but a way to yield ourselves to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. We do not train to become more self-sufficient; we train to become more reliant on Christ. Our “success” is not in our effort alone but in the work God does in us as we make ourselves available to Him.
One practical tip: don’t try this on your own. This journey is meant to be travelled together. Consider asking another (i.e. a friend, spouse, child, mentor, mentee, etc.) to go through these Lent practices with you. Why? For encouragement, prayer, support, and sharing. These practices won’t be easy - adopting a new habit never is. But every journey is better when travelled together.
Below is the schedule of the disciplines we’ll practice. More information, insights, and practical tips about each discipline can be found in the following pages.
As we journey through Lent, we invite you to embrace a different Discipline each week as a gift, not an obligation. Let us enter into each discipline with expectant hearts, knowing that through them, God is drawing us into deeper joy and freedom in Him.
What are the Spiritual Disciplines? Richard Foster, in Celebration of Discipline, describes the Spiritual Disciplines as the “Door to Liberation.” We don’t tend to put discipline and liberation in the same sentence. We tend to think of freedom as that ability to do whatever we want, whenever we want, with whomever we want. A Christian vision of freedom is very different. Freedom is living in-line with how our loving Creator designed us to live, which first and foremost involves an intimate relationship with Him. These practices (habits)—which include, but are not limited to, sabbath, fasting, solitude, Scripture memory, worship, confession and generosity—are not burdensome tasks but pathways to freedom. They are not about earning God’s favor but about positioning ourselves to receive His transforming grace. Through them, we cultivate a life that is open to the movement of the Holy Spirit, breaking free from the patterns of sin and self-reliance that so easily entangle us.
The beauty of the Disciplines is that they create space for God to work within us. Just as a farmer does not force plants to grow but instead tends the soil to make growth possible, we engage in the Disciplines to create conditions where God’s grace can flourish in our lives. This is the heart of transformation into Christlikeness—cooperating with the Spirit so that Christ is formed in us (Galatians 4:19).
1 Timothy 4:7-8 “…Train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."
Just as an athlete undergoes rigorous training to develop strength, endurance, and skill, so too are we called to train ourselves for godliness through the practice of the Spiritual Disciplines. No athlete expects to succeed without discipline—without intentional effort, repetition, and perseverance. They push their bodies beyond comfort, knowing that true growth requires commitment. In the same way, the Disciplines shape our spiritual lives. Through prayer, fasting, Scripture meditation, worship, and other disciplines we train our hearts and minds to seek God above all else, deepening our love for Him and our dependence on His grace.
Yet, there is a key difference. While an athlete’s success is ultimately measured by personal achievement—speed, strength, or victory—our spiritual growth is not about self-improvement or performance. Rather, it is about surrender. The Spiritual Disciplines are not a means to control our own transformation but a way to yield ourselves to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. We do not train to become more self-sufficient; we train to become more reliant on Christ. Our “success” is not in our effort alone but in the work God does in us as we make ourselves available to Him.
One practical tip: don’t try this on your own. This journey is meant to be travelled together. Consider asking another (i.e. a friend, spouse, child, mentor, mentee, etc.) to go through these Lent practices with you. Why? For encouragement, prayer, support, and sharing. These practices won’t be easy - adopting a new habit never is. But every journey is better when travelled together.
Below is the schedule of the disciplines we’ll practice. More information, insights, and practical tips about each discipline can be found in the following pages.
- Week 1 - (March 3-8) - Fasting
- Week 2 - (March 10-15) - Scripture Memory and Meditation
- Week 3 - (March 17-22) - Worship
- Week 4 - (March 24-29) - Solitude
- Week 5 - (March 31-April 5) - Generosity
- Week 6 - (April 7 - 12) - Sabbath
- Week 7 - (April 14-19) - Confession
As we journey through Lent, we invite you to embrace a different Discipline each week as a gift, not an obligation. Let us enter into each discipline with expectant hearts, knowing that through them, God is drawing us into deeper joy and freedom in Him.