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Celebration of Discipline

May 21 and 23, 2020  ~ Pastor Ryan Emmons
Video sermon series based on the book Celebration of Discipline, by Richard Foster

“Of all the Spiritual Disciplines none has been more abused than the Discipline of Submission. … Every Discipline has its corresponding freedom. … What freedom corresponds to Submission? It is the ability to lay down the terrible burden of always needing to get our own way.”
~Celebration of Discipline, p. 110-111

“If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” ~ Jesus, in Mark 8:34

 

Video thumbnail photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash.com

 

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Celebration of Discipline

May 14, 16 and 19, 2020  ~ Pastor Ryan Emmons
Video sermon series based on the book Celebration of Discipline, by Richard Foster

“Jesus calls us from loneliness to solitude…We can cultivate an inner solitude and silence that sets us free from loneliness and fear. Loneliness is inner emptiness. Solitude is inner fulfillment.”
~Celebration of Discipline, p. 96

Jesus withdrew to the wilderness and prayed. ~ Luke 5:16

The spiritual disciplines of Solitude is closely linked to the disciplines of Meditation, Prayer, and Study.

 

Video thumbnail photo by Katerina Kerdi on Unsplash.com

 

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Celebration of Discipline

May 7 and 9, 2020  ~ Pastor Ryan Emmons
Video sermon series based on the book Celebration of Discipline, by Richard Foster
Simplicity is the first of the “Outward Disciplines”. When we live simply inwardly, it can’t help but affect our outward lives as well. Living simply  can be summed up in Jesus’ words:

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” ~Matthew 6:33 (NLT)

Video thumbnail photo by Paul Skorupskas on Unsplash.com

 

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Celebration of Discipline

April 30 and May 2, 2020  ~ Pastor Ryan Emmons
Video sermon series based on the book Celebration of Discipline, by Richard Foster

The purpose of the Spiritual Disciplines is the total transformation of the person. They aim at replacing old destructive habits of thought with new life-giving habits. Nowhere is this purpose more clearly seen than in the Discipline of study.
~ Celebration of Discipline, p. 62.

 

Video thumbnail photo by Bethany Laird on Unsplash.com

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Celebration of Discipline

April 23, 25, and 27, 2020  ~ Pastor Ryan Emmons
Video sermon series based on the book Celebration of Discipline, by Richard Foster

“Scripture has so much to say about fasting that we would do well to look once again at this ancient Discipline. The list of biblical personages who fasted reads like a “Who’s Who” of Scripture: Moses the lawgiver, David the king, Elijah the prophet, Esther the queen, Daniel the seer, Anna the prophetess, Paul the apostle, Jesus Christ the incarnate Son.”
~ Celebration of Discipline, p. 48.

Video thumbnail photo by Manu Schwendene on Unsplash.com

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Celebration of Discipline

April 16, 18, and 20, 2020  ~ Pastor Ryan Emmons
Video sermon series based on the book Celebration of Discipline, by Richard Foster

“Prayer catapults us onto the frontier of the spiritual life. Of all the Spiritual Disciplines prayer is the most central because it ushers us into perpetual communion with the Father. … To pray is to change. Prayer is the central avenue God uses to transform us.”
~ Celebration of Discipline, p. 33

Video thumbnail photos by Samuel Martin on Unsplash.com

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Celebration of Discipline

April 3, 6, and 8, 2020  ~ Pastor Ryan Emmons
Video sermon series based on the book Celebration of Discipline, by Richard Foster

“In contemporary society our Adversary majors in three things: noise, hurry, and crowds. … If we hope to move beyond the superficialities of our culture, including our religious culture, we must be willing to go down into the recreating silences, into the inner world of contemplation.”
~ Celebration of Discipline, p. 15

A second resource that is highly recommended on this topic is Ken Shigematsu’s book Survival Guide for the Soul.

Video thumbnail photos by Ben White on Unsplash.com

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Celebration of Discipline

March 28 and 31, 2020  ~ Pastor Ryan Emmons
Video series based on the book Celebration of Discipline, by Richard Foster

“Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people. The classical Disciplines of the spiritual life call us to move beyond surface living into the depths. They urge us to be the answer to a hollow world.”
~ Celebration of Discipline p. 1