The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives Audiobook (Unabridged)

" Theology of how God uses spiritual disciplines to mature us in our walks. Very good chapter on Christianity and wealth. "

" Challenging. Heady. Willard is a philosopher, so you will find all the reason and logic/arguments behind 'why' questions. 'Why' should we do the spiritual disciplines. He offers a 'theology of the disciplines', etc. Willard also offers a lot of great thoughts on other topics such as poverty & holiness, and how to create true & lasting change in culture, society, political & global structures, etc. But, if you want a practical, 'how-to' book on spiritual disciplines, this is not the book. Willard even says so himself, he puts in a plug for Richard Foster's 'Celebration of Discipline' for a practical 'how-to' guide. That's definitely high on my reading list right now. I'm almost salivating. But, Willard does offer a great understanding as to the reasons 'why' for the spiritual disciplines, and a call to their diligent practice. If I was a philosopher, I would probably have rated it a 4 star instead of 3. Just a little heady for my taste at times. "

" Seeing the disciplines as a yoke that makes the living of the spiritual life easy. "

" insightful, intelligent, practical...yet still well written "

" The Spirit of the Disciplines was a ground-breaking and important work, reminding Protestant Christians that a life of discipleship could not be lived entirely in the spiritual realm. It is a theoretical book, that delves occasionally into history and practice, but at its center is the important argument about habit and the body. For that role of awakening these concerns and supporting them theoretically it deserves five stars. But as I listened to this again I found it tedious and repetitive and not especially well organized (the actor reading it might be to blame, but I think it is mainly Willard's text). I did not need so much convincing, so much theory about the material world and practices (It is much easier to skip ahead when reading Willard than when listening to someone read every single word). Willard advocates for the individual and the kingdom, but the church is entirely lacking in all its material problems and joys. I also found his critical comments about monasticism, Wesley, and voluntary poverty fairly unhistorical, unimaginative, and unprophetic. As a historian I am interested in the book's place in the larger argument, especially within evangelicalism, about discipleship. As a Christian seeking to make some use of the book it inspires at times, but its overlong arguments and some dubious conclusions make it something less than a classic. "

" Worked closely with Richard Foster, was a philosophy prof and offers a justification for the disciplines. "

" A great book on why the "easy yoke of Christ" is practically hard for many of us to bear. Lots of philosophical discussion on how our humanity works in conjunction with our spiritual lives, and how redemption can be practically worked out. "

" This book is amazing. It is not a quick read. Willard's philosophical, yet practical and challenging approach to the disciplines will cut you to the quick. Take your time when you this book. It is a steak worth savoring. "

" Willard has some great insights and thought provoking material. This was probably my least favorite of his books. I just found it a very slow read. Real gems are there if you're able to stick with it. "

" A great interpretation on WHY the traditional disciplines are essential... the premise is basically laid out in the first chapter or two, the middle gets a little slow, but all in all a potentially life-changing book if you are up for the challenge of really practicing the disciplines as Jesus did. "

" What's our part; what's God's part. Profoundly helpful and practical. Much that I want to put into practice. I may just start the book over immediately. So dense and rich. "

" This book changed my life! "

" "How to live as Jesus lived." Willard reveals how the key to self-transformation resides in the practice of the spiritual disciplines (which are solitude and silence, prayer, simple and sacrificial living, meditation upon God's word and ways, and service to others). "

" Hard to rate as read for study. "

" Great book on the purpose of the spiritual disciplines! A dense read though. Be ready to think. "

" It's Willard/it's excellent. "

" Deep thinker "

" An engaging book that sparked interesting conversation for our book group. It was interesting to see how passages dealing with materialism made comfortable people squirm. "

" I love Dallas Willard - have learned so much from him! "

" A very good look at the importance of spiritual disciplines/practices in the Christian faith. At times he strays to the very academic level and there are a few chapters that could be edited out for length, but I definitely think this is a critical book for ministry and for individuals as well. "

" More like a text book (Has a lot of different indexes in the back). The history of the disciplines and how we now view it in a bad light - as works. And then at the end of book how the author sees that living an authentic real Christian life can affect the world. B "

" Great content, difficult (for me) to read. "

" A must read for those looking to deepen their relationship with Jesus. "

" good, though a little ethereal. "

" I'm reading this now and then because I'm reading this from the library at my job. "

" Hard to rate as read for study. "

" I love Dallas Willard - have learned so much from him! "

" this book profoundly affected my view of God and his transformation in us "

" Of course its a great concept and subject matter, but I found this book incredibly dry, lacking no heart. Read if your just looking for the flat facts. No real inspiration here. "

" Great reading alongside Foster's Celebration of Discipline. "