Twelve Disciples . . . ah, Disciplines

The twelve Spiritual Disciplines are neatly arranged into groupings of four, into three categories:

Inner disciplines:

• Meditation
• Prayer
• Fasting 
• Study

Outward Disciplines:

• Simplicity
• Solitude
• Submission
• Service

Corporate Disciplines

• Confession
• Worship
• Guidance
• Celebration

It's a daunting list, isn't it? I have to fit all of this somewhere in my already packed life? 

In his book Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster contends that these classic Spiritual Disciplines invite us into a deeper life, one that takes us beneath the superficiality that so often characterizes our existence and society. He also says that we ought not to think that they are just for 'spiritual giants', but they are actually for ordinary people like you and me, and that they are best exercised among our spouses, kids, grandkids, siblings, fellow workers, neighbors and friends. 

Hmmm...could it be that these disciplines have some rubber-meets-the-road benefit? Maybe we can debunk the oft-held myth that entering a relationship with God is impractical - a sort of 'separate life' from the ordinary, everyday goings on.