Fresh air for the spirit

Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices That Transform Us Adele Ahlberg Calhoun. InterVarsity Press, 2005.

Learning to Pray Through the Psalms James W. Sire. InterVarsity Press, 2005.

Years ago, while on a quest to discover my spiritual gifts, these two books would have been of great help to me. Used together, they are good tools for beginners to further their spiritual growth.

Adele Ahlberg Calhoun uses the word “worship” as an acronym. Each letter points the reader towards a particular way of creating space for God: Worship God; Open myself to God; Relinquish the false self and idols of my heart; Share my life with others; Hear the word of God; Incarnate Christ’s love for the world; Pray to God.

Under each of these headings, then, she lists appropriate spiritual disciplines. The disciplines are presented in chart form with further subheadings, in which Calhoun gives short explanations, definitions, appropriate Scripture texts, and the outcome of practicing each discipline. She also suggests spiritual exercises and offers questions for reflection. The last 30 pages provide additional practical suggestions for developing spiritual disciplines.

In his introduction to Learning to Pray Through the Psalms, Sire states that the psalms have been the “answering speech” of God’s people (a term he borrows from Eugene Peterson). His goal in this book is to make more explicit this answering character: first, to learn what the psalms say about and do with prayer; second, to learn to pray by means of the psalmists’ words; and third, to develop a way of praying Psalms with others.

Sire chooses 10 psalms and takes the reader through five stages while working with each. A leader’s guide for small group study is included.

I realized as I read these books that in my own spiritual journey I had learned many of the things suggested by these authors simply by setting aside time and asking for the Holy Spirit’s guidance and direction. Two books I found helpful in my own study of Psalms are also recommended by Sire: C.S. Lewis’s Reflections on the Psalms and Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Das Gebetbuch der Bibel, published by Augsburg in English as Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible.

Calhoun’s book is an excellent, interactive resource, especially for those in the beginning stages of their Christian walk. Working through the handbook and using Sire’s suggestions for praying through Psalms at the same time could be as refreshing to the spiritual life as the invigoration the body receives when inhaling fresh mountain air.

Elfrieda Neufeld Schroeder teaches ESL at Rockway Mennonite School. She attends Kitchener (Ont.) MB Church.