Celebration of Discipline Stories

We’ve been really enjoying working our way through Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. Here are some stories of how people have been getting involved and their experiences so far:

Mackenzie
Gap year student, Watford

My name is Mackenzie and I’m 18. I’m currently spending a gap year with Soul Survivor in Watford. As part of my gap year, we are already starting to read the book, so it was fantastic to see on Instagram that Onelife were looking at it too. My favourite discipline has been prayer, I think. I’ve never asked too many questions about prayer and I think that’s very common among Christians, as there is so much teaching on it. So, I loved Richard Foster’s thought on prayers, as I think he did such a great job looking at so many different perspectives, and covered so much ground in great detail. It covered questions I didn’t even know I had. 

I have probably found meditation the hardest to engage with. Meditation has always been a mystery to me. It has been a bit of a taboo subject in my life, but the way that Foster puts it has made it so much easier to understand and then put into practice. 

The practical teaching tools in each chapter of this book are definitely something I am going to keep as they have helped me to just sit with God and enjoy his presence. It has actually inspired me to get up earlier in the morning and spend a little bit of time with him before reaching for my phone.  

Eva
Student, Leeds

I’m Eva and I’m a second year student in Leeds. With the extra time I have recently gained, I decided to join the journey through Celebration of Discipline. I have found it so helpful to intentionally consider and practise each discipline week by week and have loved finding new practices to pursue relationship with Jesus! 

My favourite discipline so far would have to be simplicity. I was really challenged by Chris’ thoughts on the ability of technology to rule our lives, and so ditched my phone during my working day for the week. The space to breathe, reflect and invest time in my relationship with Jesus and those around me was so special. I was also way more productive in my work while I was at it! This is something I want to try and persevere with – I would challenge you all to give it a go too. 

The discipline I have found most challenging was study. At university I read history and spend pretty much all day every day studying historical texts. It was really challenging to realise that I should be treating the Bible in the same way: seeking to understand what the author is saying, to interpret their motivation, and to evaluate their argument. 

I have also particularly loved how Foster has continually placed great importance upon the memorisation of scripture to create ‘habits of thought’ that affect our behaviour and world-view. I will definitely be continuing to get the post-it notes out and put verses up on my wall so that God can speak through scripture at any moment!

Rob
Pastor, Stirling

My name is Rob and I’m part of the ministry team at Stirling Baptist Church, mainly heading up the 0-25s ministry. At the beginning of this season of lockdown and uncertainty, my wife and I were just weeks away from welcoming a new member into our family. I knew this meant that my usual ‘spiritual routines’ were about to change. It was at this time that Onelife announced their Celebration of Discipline series. This seemed like the perfect time to explore some new disciplines for my spiritual life. 

Mediation is definitely a beautiful discipline – taking the time to stop and focus on God’s word can fill you for the rest of your day. Fasting was one of the most challenging, but maybe not for the reasons I would have thought. I was interested to read that while it is traditional to fast from food, in this day and age the challenge to fast from other major life distractors can be seen as a form of fasting. I’ve been challenged to intentionally take the time (even when it’s really hard) to stop and give God space in my life. 

The main thing that I am going to be taking away is the discipline of using my time, no matter how small, to pray and focus on my relationship with God.