Additional information
by Joe Barnard (Author)
Spiritual fitness for Christians whose growth has stagnated
Many of us feel like our spiritual growth has stalled. Our routines have hardened into ruts. Around us, we see other Christians with the same struggles and we start to think that treading water is the basic rhythm of the Christian life. Often the problem of stagnating faith is down to one simple fact - we all have a bias towards ease. Our spiritual routines involve passively reading our Bibles, not lingering long enough to comprehend or retain what was read, and a few distracted minutes spent in prayer.
This book of spiritual workouts is meant to push complacent souls back out into the space of exertion and discovery. It will engage and sharpen the faculties of the mind - memory, imagination, intellect, conscience and will.
Each workout, thematically grouped, features a hymn, richly steeped in scripture. There is a Bible passage to read, a list of the scripture references made in the hymn, and three reflection questions to meditate on.
The 100 exercises are grouped into these themes:
- The Holiness of God
- The Mystery of the Gospel
- Incarnation and Life
- Death
- Resurrection and Ascension
- Final Judgement and New Creation
- Spiritual Fellowship
- The Father
- The Son
- The Holy Spirit
- The Church
- Spiritual Transformation
- Inward Motivation
- Mature Character
- Spiritual Disciplines
- Bible Reading
- Prayer
- Repentance and Mortification
- Practicing the Presence of God
- Whole-Life Discipleship
- Spiritual Trials
- Suffering and Affliction
- Temptation and Spiritual Warfare
- Facing Death
Author Biography
Joe Barnard is the pastor of Holyrood Evangelical Church in Edinburgh and the executive director of Cross Training Ministries, a discipleship ministry focused on training men in spiritual fitness. He is also the author of 'The Way Forward: a Road Map of Spiritual Growth for Men in the 21st Century'. Joe is married to Anna. They have four children.
