As a moral philosopher, I ask practical questions: What kind of person am I becoming? What kind of life will I live? What loves, hopes, and fears drive my choices and shape my relationships? Character formation moves us from vice to virtue. It starts with self-reflection and moves toward intentional practice. Over time, those practices shape us and add up to a way of life. You will be formedābut how? Glittering Vices, like my job, combines my passions for character development and wise teaching. Enduring the fiery furnace of cancer treatment made formation an urgent, life-changing topic for me. I hope these books open your life to renewal too.
I wrote
Glittering Vices: A New Look at the Seven Deadly Sins and Their Remedies
Humility, joy, gratitude, hope, contrition, and peace are virtuous emotions of Christian characterāshaping how we see and feel and respond to the world, to God, and to each other. This gem of a book deserves to be widely read. Roberts offers mature Christian reflections on patterns in our emotional life. A Christian perspective offers a distinctive spin on each of these virtuous responses. When I was going through the most difficult time of my life, the chapters on gratitude and hope reframed everything for me.Ā
Robertsā work at the intersection of philosophy and psychology is insightful and spiritually rich. It has also catalyzed a new generation of Christians thinking about virtue ethics and character formation.
An expert in moral and philosophical psychology, Robert C. Roberts here develops an original, up-to-date understanding of human emotions in relation to spirituality and as a basic part of Christian moral character. With an eye on pertinent Biblical texts, Roberts explores emotions as nonsensory perceptions that arise from personal caring and concern. His study culminates with an in-depth examination of six "fruit of the Holy Spirit" emotion-virtues: contrition, joy, gratitude, hope, peace, and compassion.
Though Spiritual Emotions is rigorous in its focus on the inner structure of Christian character, it is nonetheless readable and is laced with many narrative examples.ā¦
I love Bartonās personal and practical approach to a key cluster of spiritual disciplines in this accessible overview. She explores how to encounter God in Scripture and in prayer, how to practice solitude, self-examination and discernment, how to honor the body and keep sabbath. Individual chapters are framed by an introduction to spiritual formation and book-ended by combining them into a single rule of life. Think of this book as a fresh update of Richard Fosterās classic, Celebration of Discipline. (See her Transforming Center website for more.)
Do you long for a deep, fundamental change in your life with God? Do you desire a greater intimacy with God? Do you wonder how you might truly live your life as God created you to live it? Spiritual disciplines are activities that open us to God's transforming love and the changes that only God can bring about in our lives. Picking up on the monastic tradition of creating a "rule of life" that allows for regular space for the practice of spiritual disciplines, Ruth Haley Barton takes you more deeply into understanding seven key disciplines along with practical ideasā¦
Broken Boots, Redeemed Soul: A Veteranās War with Sin and Salvation
by
Brian Lofton,
Broken Boots, Redeemed Soul: A Veteranās War with Sin and Salvation, is a raw and faith-centered memoir about life after military serviceāand the internal battles many never see. Brian Lofton shares his journey through addiction, shame, identity loss, and spiritual distance, revealing how the hardest struggles often begin afterā¦
This book on spiritual formation is introductory but still rich enough to reread again and again. Mulholland seamlessly weaves together pastoral theology and psychological insight, but he keeps things accessible and focused on practice. You will see yourself clearly in the mirror with the guided reflection-and-practice exercise at the end of each chapter. Follow this up withA Deeper Journey, which peels away our performances and false pictures of ourselves to find a place of rest in the loving presence of God. Mulholland is a wise and gentle teacher who reveals what we need to know about ourselves to step into a better way to live.
M. Robert Mulholland Jr. defines spiritual formation as "the process of being formed in the image of Christ for the sake of others." Compact and solid, this definition encompasses the dynamics of a vital Christian life and counters our culture's tendency to make spirituality a trivial matter or reduce it to a private affair between "me and Jesus." In Invitation to a Journey, Mulholland helps Christians new and old understand that we become like Christ gradually, not instantly. Not every personality is suited to an early morning quiet time, so Mulholland frees different personality types to express their piety differently.ā¦
āDiscipleship is becoming who Jesus would be if he were you.ā This is Willardās classic map of areas of spiritual transformation. The second half of the book gives his signature āhow-toā guide for patterning your life and character after the life and character of Jesus Christ. The book tracks every aspect of our person and life: our will and choices, our thoughts and feelings, and our social relationships. A lifelong apprenticeship begins with intentional, practical steps. This book maps the terrain and guides each step forward, balancing grace and effort perfectly. See Johnsonās and Willardās follow-up text (Renovation of the Heart in Daily Practice: Experiments in Spiritual Transformation) for more practical wisdom from two seasoned spiritual masters.
Renovation of the Heart is an influential contribution from the late Dallas Willard that continues to break ground twenty years after its first release.
Helping us to understand how character is formed and where Jesus does his most significant work on our spiritual and emotional health, this book changed a generationās mind about what it means to follow Jesusānot a matter of sin management but a matter of drawing near and letting ourselves be shaped into the eternal people of God.
With reflections on the bookās impact over its life from family, friends, and admirers of Dallas, and supplemental resourcesā¦
"A rare combination of deep, clear, and accessible wisdom." -Tara Brach
Do you recall, as a child, being enthralled by a drifting cloud, a rain-soaked leaf, a wandering ladybug? Or suddenly having a sense of timelessness, contentment, and ease? If so, then you've already had a taste of natural awareness.
This is the most āhow-toā book on the list. Whether we are reflective about it or not, our character will be shaped and our lives transformed into somethingāthe only question is In what way? and For what end? John Stott once said that āSpirituality is not a condition into which we can drift.ā Steveās book teaches you how not to drift through life.Ā
Steveās ministry (Leadership Transformations) helps Christian leaders and laypeople live renewed and beautiful lives. This book walks you through a process of self-reflection and intentional choice to create a ārule of lifeāāan intentional rhythm or pattern of our days that primes us for spiritual growth and attentiveness to God.
Your personal rule of life is a holistic description of the Spirit-empowered rhythms and relationships that create, redeem, sustain and transform the life God invites you to humbly fulfill for Christ's glory. All of us have an unwritten personal rule of life. We wake at certain times, get ready for our days in particular ways, use our free time for assorted purposes and practice rhythms of work, hobbies, and worship. There is already a rule in place that you are following. Isn?t it time to give up your unwritten rule and prayerfully write one that more closely matches the heartbeatā¦
What do you see when you look in the mirror? Self-examination often reveals inner struggle. A wise tradition of philosophical virtue ethics and Christian spirituality offers us a powerful diagnosis of the human condition. With depth and accessible language, this study of the seven capital vices points to a healthier way of life. With analysis from Augustine and Aquinas, insights from everyday life, and examples from contemporary film, Glittering Vicesexplains why our hearts are captivated by glittery but false substitutes for true human goodness and flourishing.
The new edition includes discussion questions and a section on spiritual disciplinesāpractices that transform our life and character from vice to virtue.Glittering Vices is an insightful guide for college ethics classes, book groups, and spiritual retreats.
The Bible is the greatest mystery novel ever written. It begins in the Old Testament with seemingly random accounts of ancient people in far away places with strange customs. Thereās the prophecy of a coming Hero who will conquer the villain and restore peace to the land. The mystery reachesā¦
Radical Friend highlights the remarkable life of Amy Kirby Post, a nineteenth-century abolitionist and women's rights activist who created deep friendships across the color line to promote social justice. Her relationships with Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, Sojourner Truth, William C. Nell, and other Black activists from the 1840s to theā¦
