First Line Friday #33: Streams of Living Water by Richard J. Foster

Thanks to Carrie at
Reading is My Superpower
for the Link-up

 

 

Title:  Streams of Living Water
Author:  Richard J. Foster
Genre:  Religion/Spirituality

  〰First Line〰

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As Jesus walked the earth, living and working among all kinds and classes of people, he gave us the divine paradigm for conjugating all the verbs of our living.
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Synopsis:  (From Goodreads) 

The author of the bestselling Celebration of Discipline explores the great traditions of Christian spirituality and their role in spiritual renewal today. In this landmark work, Foster examines the "streams of living water" –– the six dimensions of faith and practice that define Christian tradition. He lifts up the enduring character of each tradition and shows how a variety of practices, from individual study and retreat to disciplines of service and community, are all essential elements of growth and maturity. Foster examines the unique contributions of each of these traditions and offers as examples the inspiring stories of faithful people whose lives defined each of these "streams."

   〰First Thoughts〰

This volume is the second of three books that are part of our undergraduate level Spiritual Formation class at the university.  I was offered and accepted a contract, so I will be teaching the course this summer.  Like the previous volume I mentioned, my goals for this book are not purely academic.  While many mistakenly believe that Jesus was against all tradition, the author's application of spiritual traditions do not seem to be presented as Jesus described as those that "...cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition..." (Mark 7:13, NLT). 

Unfortunately, I've taught many students who were anti tradition, anti corporate worship, and who thought they could facilitate their own spiritual growth in isolation.  Sorry, but it doesn't work that way.  Along with the academic requirements of studying this work, I am hopeful that my students will see the benefits of applying the content to dispel these myths.

One worry I do have about the book is that it will be a retooling of Foster's famous work Celebration of Discipline.  Hopefully, the author has done more research and is much more savvy than that.

So, what's the first line of the book you're currently reading?