Christ Church Studies

All around us, people feel lonely and isolated, which they seek to cure by surrounding themselves with more people and more activity. Foster suggests a different solution. What we really need, he claims, is solitude and silence, and this week we examine how cultivating this discipline changes us.

Soren Kierkegaard once said, "Purity of heart is to will one thing." But when so many desires compete for our attention, how can we possibly will one thing? To this end, Foster invites us to the discipline of simplicity, and in this session, we discuss what simplicity is and how to cultivate it in our lives.

Soren Kierkegaard once said, “Purity of heart is to will one thing.” But when so many desires compete for our attention, how can we possibly will one thing? To this end, Foster invites us to the discipline of simplicity, and in this session, we discuss what simplicity is and how to cultivate it in our lives.

Study is not something we think of as essential to the spiritual life. Yet Foster includes it in his list of spiritual disciplines, saying that without study, "we will not be free." In this session, we explore what Foster means and what study is good for the well-being of our soul.

Study is not something we think of as essential to the spiritual life. Yet Foster includes it in his list of spiritual disciplines, saying that without study, “we will not be free.” In this session, we explore what Foster means and what study is good for the well-being of our soul.

Jesus tells his disciples, "And when you fast...." The phrase makes clear an expectation that his disciples would fast as a regular habit, yet for many Christians today, fasting plays little role in our spiritual life. In this session, we discuss what Foster says about fasting and its importance to our life in Christ.

Jesus tells his disciples, “And when you fast….” The phrase makes clear an expectation that his disciples would fast as a regular habit, yet for many Christians today, fasting plays little role in our spiritual life. In this session, we discuss what Foster says about fasting and its importance to our life in Christ.

A Christian, the Bible tells us, is one who has the Spirit of Christ, one who now addresses God as "Abba, Father." And so the life of every saint is invariably founded upon a habit of prayer. But for many, prayer remains difficult and discouraging. In this session, we discuss how to grow in this vital discipline.

A Christian, the Bible tells us, is one who has the Spirit of Christ, one who now addresses God as “Abba, Father.” And so the life of every saint is invariably founded upon a habit of prayer. But for many, prayer remains difficult and discouraging. In this session, we discuss how to grow in this vital discipline.

Spiritual disciplines are not a program for self-improvement or a means to take control of our spiritual growth. Rather, the disciplines make us available to the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. In this session, we discuss the discipline of meditation: the ability to hear God's voice and obey his word.