Prayer is more than thoughts and feelings expressed in words. It is the opening of mind and heart - our whole being to God our Abba Father. It is Divine Union. Richard J. Foster More Quotes by Richard J. Foster More Quotes From Richard J. Foster Pride is one of the socially acceptable sins in some corners of the evangelical culture. Its just straight-out ego gratification - how important I am; whether my name gets on the building or on the TV program or in the magazine article. Richard J. Foster ego pride names What is urgently needed is a bold new move from a consumer economy to a conserver economy in all of the developed countries, and particularly in the United States. Richard J. Foster environmental country moving In spiritual direction there is absolutely no domination or control. Richard J. Foster spiritual-direction domination spiritual I think of Pope Gregory the Great. He wanted the cloister. He wanted to pray and study, and yet he was thrust into this administrative job, and he submitted to that. And in that submission, he became a great leader. You could say that the only person who is safe to lead is the person who is free to submit. Richard J. Foster leader jobs thinking Spiritual direction is an interpersonal relationship in which we learn how to grow, live, and love in the spiritual life. Richard J. Foster grows and-love spiritual Fasting reminds us that we are sustained by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4). Food does not sustain us; God sustains us. Richard J. Foster fasting mouths doe There is an old proverb to the effect that 'all those who open their mouths, close their eyes!' The purpose of silence and solitude is to be able to see and hear. Control rather than no noise is the key to silence. James saw clearly that the person who could control his tounge is perfect (James 3:1-12). Under the Discipline of silence and solitude we learn when to speak and when to refrain from speaking. Richard J. Foster eye keys perfect If we are silent when we should speak, we are not living the Discipline of silence. If we speak when we should be silent, we again miss the mark. Richard J. Foster discipline silence missing Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. Richard J. Foster satisfaction spiritual age The Bible is teh means through which we are introduced to Jesus and invited to follow Him in the life of humility and service. Secured by the knowledge that in Christ, our origin... and destination is God, we will yield the fruit of service to God. This is the "so what" of our Bible reading. Does it shape our spirits in love and humility? Does it lead us more fully into life with God? (Life with God, p. 34-35) Richard J. Foster reading mean jesus The Spiritual Disciplines are things that we do. We must never lose sight of this fact. It is one thing to talk piously about 'the solitude of the heart,' but if that does not somehow work its way into our experience, then we have missed the point of the Disciplines. We are dealing with actions, not merely states of mind. Richard J. Foster spiritual sight heart Giving with glad and generous hearts has a way of routing out the tough old miser within us. Even the poor need to know that they can give. Just the very act of letting go of money, or some other treasure, does something within us. It destroys the demon greed. Richard J. Foster letting-go heart giving In the chapter on study we considered the importance of observing ourselves to see how often our speech is a frantic attempt to explain and justify our actions. Having seen this in ourselves, let's experiment with doing deeds without any words of explanation whatever. We note our sense of fear that people will misunderstand why we have done what we have done. We seek to allow God to be our justifier. Richard J. Foster deeds done people Go another step. Try to live one entire day without words at all. Do it not as a law, but as an experiment. Note your feelings of helplessness and excessive dependence upon words to communicate. Try to find new ways to relate to tohers that are not dependent upon words. Enjoy, savor the day. Learn from it. Richard J. Foster law feelings trying Four times a year withdraw for three to four hours for the purpose of reorienting your life goals Richard J. Foster four goal years The Prayer of Examine produces within us the priceless grace of self-knowledge. I wish I could adequately explain to you how great a grace this truly is. Unfortunately, contemporary men and women simply do not value self-knowledge in the same way that all preceding generations have. For us technocratic knowledge reigns supreme. Even when we pursue self-knowledge, we all too often reduce it to a hedonistic search for personal peace and prosperity. How poor we are! Even the pagan philosophers were wiser than this generation. They knew that an unexamined life was not worth living. Richard J. Foster self prayer men Conversion does not make us perfect, but it does catapult us into a total experience of discipleship that affects - and infects - every sphere of our living. Richard J. Foster spheres perfect doe If we truly love people, we will desire for them far more than it is within our power to give them, and this leads us to prayer. Richard J. Foster prayer giving people Simplicity enables us to live lives of integrity in the face of the terrible realities of our global village. Richard J. Foster live-life integrity reality And so I urge you: carry on an ongoing conversation with God about the daily stuff of life, a little like Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. For now, do not worry about "proper" praying, just talk to God. Richard J. Foster ongoing prayer worry
