On Spiritual Resources

TTF Staff

We have a deep hunger for “spirituality,” but often little idea of how to meet it. Fortunately, the Christian faith has a deep tradition that addresses the need. The earliest versions of the curriculum now called Entrepreneurs of Life had a section on “Our Spiritual Resources” that dealt with the spiritual disciplines and practical advice for following Jesus. This list includes some of those selections as well as other related recommendations for moving deeper in your faith. These resources can help you direct your hunger toward constructive ends by focusing on the resources of the spiritual disciplines (like study, prayer, silence, and solitude) and the ways we can use them to become disciples of Jesus.

The introduction to that section included these comments, and the list below is assembled in this spirit:

Anyone who knows the modern world and discovers the compelling power of answering the call of Christ soon confronts the need for more than ordinary resources. As G. K. Chesterton quipped, the Christian life is not difficult, it is impossible. . . .

How then can we develop a spiritual life that leads toward spiritual maturity yet can be simple, practical, and regular? The readings in this session open up a view of the spiritual disciplines that is straightforward for those who are just setting out on the pilgrimage of faith, yet offers many possibilities of deeper growth for those who have been on the pilgrimage longer.

Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ (NavPress 2002). Also available in an edition for younger readers with simplified language.
Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God (Harper San Francisco, 1998)
Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives (Harper San Francisco, 1988, 1991)
Dallas Willard, Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship With God (InterVarsity 1999)
Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth
Henri J. M. Nouwen, The Way of the Heart (Harper San Francisco 1991 or Ballantine 2003). Helpful meditations on solitude and silence.
Luder G. Whitlock, Jr., The Spiritual Quest: Pursuing Christian Maturity (Baker 2000)
Eugene Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society (InterVarsity 2000)
N. T. Wright, Reflecting the Glory: Meditations for Living Christ’s Life in the World (Augsburg Fortress 1998)
N. T. Wright, Following Jesus: Biblical Reflections on Discipleship (Eerdmans 1997)
Peter L. Berger, A Rumor of Angels: Modern Society and the Rediscovery of the Supernatural (Anchor 1970). A discussion of the place of the transcendent in modern Western Culture.

The new Renovare Spiritual Formation Bible (New Revised Standard Version, HarperSanFrancisco 2005) is co-edited by Senior Fellow Dallas Willard and features contributions from several scholars and theologians that we recommend. It attempts to draw from the resources of several Christian traditions.

The Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible (New International Version, Zondervan 2003) is an excellent edition from the Reformed Christian tradition. TF Executive Director Luder Whitlock directed this book project.

A different approach to studying the Bible can be found in N. T. (Tom) Wright’s For Everyone series of annotated translations. These are highly accessible with original translations and commentary from one of the foremost New Testament scholars of the present time. He has completed volumes on all the Gospels (including Mark For Everyone, Westminster/John Knox 2004) and most of the letters of Paul, including Paul for Everyone: 1 Corinthians (Westminster/John Knox 2004). His approach will help introduce you to Jesus in a fresh way that is faithful to Christian tradition and draws out many of the necessary public consequences of becoming his disciples.