Faith & Growth

If you want one book on the spiritual disciplines, start with Donald S. Whitney’s Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life for a Bible-centred, practical guide, or Richard J. Foster’s Celebration of Discipline for the classic overview. If you are busy and tired, John Mark Comer’s The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry is the easiest way in. The rest of this guide explains what each of eight well-known books does best, who it suits, and how to read any of them so that it changes your habits and not just your bookshelf.

Paul told Timothy to “exercise yourself toward godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7–8). Books on the disciplines are coaching manuals for that exercise. None of them replaces Scripture, and the best ones keep pointing you back to it and to Jesus, who practised these habits first (see What Spiritual Disciplines Did Jesus Practice?).

Quick picks: which book fits you?

• New to the idea, want Scripture front and centre: Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life.
• Want the classic that shaped the modern conversation: Foster, Celebration of Discipline.
• Want to understand why disciplines work: Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines.
• Want a reference to dip into: Calhoun, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook.
• Want a gentle, structured rhythm: Barton, Sacred Rhythms.
• Overloaded schedule, phone always in hand: Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.
• Want disciplines practised with others: Bonhoeffer, Life Together.
• Want something short and free: Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God.

Eight books on the spiritual disciplines worth reading

1. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life – Donald S. Whitney

First published 1991; revised and updated edition 2014 (NavPress), with a foreword by J. I. Packer.

Whitney writes as a pastor and seminary professor, and every chapter begins with the Bible. He covers Bible intake, prayer, worship, evangelism, serving, stewardship, fasting, silence and solitude, journaling and learning, and he keeps returning to one aim: godliness, not busyness. Each chapter ends with application questions, which makes it easy to use in a small group.

Its strength is clarity. You will finish a chapter knowing what the discipline is, where it appears in Scripture and what to do tomorrow morning. Readers who want mystical or contemplative depth may find it plain, but for most people plain is exactly what helps.

Best for: beginners, small groups and anyone who wants every practice anchored in a Bible passage.

2. Celebration of Discipline – Richard J. Foster

First published 1978; still in print in anniversary editions.

Foster’s book is the one most others respond to. He arranges twelve disciplines in three groups: the inward disciplines (meditation, prayer, fasting and study), the outward disciplines (simplicity, solitude, submission and service) and the corporate disciplines (confession, worship, guidance and celebration). His opening line, that superficiality is the curse of our age, still lands.

Foster draws on a wide range of Christian writers across the centuries, including Catholic and Quaker voices. Many readers value that breadth; others prefer to read some chapters, especially on meditation, with care and test them against Scripture (Acts 17:11). Either way, it is the best single map of the territory.

Best for: readers who want a broad, warm overview and a framework for seeing how the disciplines fit together.

3. The Spirit of the Disciplines – Dallas Willard

First published 1988.

Willard asks the question the other books assume: why should practices change us at all? His answer is that we become like Christ by arranging our whole life around the activities Jesus himself practised, much as an athlete trains off the field so they can perform on it. He sorts the disciplines into disciplines of abstinence, such as solitude, silence and fasting, and disciplines of engagement, such as study, worship, service, prayer and fellowship.

It is denser than the others, more theology than how-to. Read it second, after a practical book has given you something to reflect on.

Best for: thoughtful readers, pastors and anyone who has tried disciplines before and wondered why they did not stick.

4. Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices That Transform Us – Adele Ahlberg Calhoun

InterVarsity Press; revised and expanded edition 2015 with 75 disciplines.

This is a reference book rather than a cover-to-cover read. Calhoun groups the practices around the desires they meet, such as the desire to rest, to pray, to serve or to grow in community, and gives each one a short definition, key Scripture, ways to practise it and questions for reflection.

Use it when you know what you need but not how to start, for example when grief makes prayer hard or when you want to bring a habit like gratitude into the family. It pairs well with any of the narrative books here.

Best for: people who like to browse, small-group leaders planning a series, and anyone building a personal rule of life.

5. Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation – Ruth Haley Barton

InterVarsity Press, 2006.

Barton focuses on a small set of core practices, including solitude, Scripture, prayer, self-examination, discernment and Sabbath, and shows how to weave them into a sustainable weekly rhythm. Her tone is gentle and personal, and she writes honestly about exhaustion and spiritual dryness.

The closing idea of a written “rule of life” is one of the most practical tools in this whole list: a simple page describing how you will make room for God in a normal week.

Best for: readers who feel worn out and want a slower, structured pattern rather than a long list.

6. The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry – John Mark Comer

WaterBrook, 2019.

Comer’s argument is that hurry is one of the great enemies of spiritual life today. After diagnosing the problem, he offers four practices drawn from the life of Jesus: silence and solitude, Sabbath, simplicity and slowing. The chapters are short, the style is conversational and the advice on phones and screens is unusually concrete.

It is the most accessible book on this list. If you want to go further afterwards, his 2024 follow-up, Practicing the Way, frames the disciplines as an apprenticeship to Jesus.

Best for: busy professionals, students and parents, and anyone whose quiet time keeps getting squeezed out (pair it with our guide to spiritual disciplines for busy lives).

7. Life Together – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Written in 1938 and published in German in 1939, from the life of an underground seminary community.

Most books treat disciplines as private habits. Bonhoeffer shows them inside Christian community: reading Scripture and praying together, the day alone and the day with others, meditation on the Word, intercession, service and confession to one another. It is short and searching, and it is a useful corrective to an individualistic faith.

Best for: house churches, small groups and families who want to practise faith together (see also biblical community in a digital age).

8. The Practice of the Presence of God – Brother Lawrence

Conversations and letters of a seventeenth-century lay brother in Paris, gathered and published after his death in 1691.

Brother Lawrence worked for years in a monastery kitchen, and his short book is about turning ordinary work into continual, simple conversation with God. There are no programmes or lists, only the habit of returning your attention to God again and again through the day.

Because it is centuries old, it is in the public domain, and you can read it free at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library.

Best for: anyone who thinks they have no time for the disciplines, and people whose days are full of routine work.

How to read a book on the disciplines (so it changes you)

• Read one chapter, then practise it for a week. These books are meant to be done, not finished. Ten minutes of practice is worth more than fifty pages of reading.
• Keep your Bible open beside it. Look up every reference. The disciplines are means of grace, not a new law, and Scripture keeps them in that place (Ephesians 2:8–10).
• Read with a friend or group. A weekly conversation turns good intentions into habits and guards against both legalism and drifting.
• Start where Jesus started. Solitude and prayer were his most frequent habits (Mark 1:35, Luke 5:16). Build from there, and see prayer that moves mountains for help with prayer itself.
• Pass it on. Simple versions of these practices work for children too; our guide to spiritual practices for kids shows how.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best book on spiritual disciplines for beginners?

For most beginners, Donald Whitney’s Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life is the clearest starting point because it is practical and rooted in Scripture. If you find long books hard to finish, start with Comer’s The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry or Brother Lawrence’s short classic.

What is the difference between Foster and Whitney?

Foster offers a broad map of twelve disciplines and draws on many Christian traditions. Whitney focuses on the disciplines he sees taught or modelled most directly in the Bible and grounds each chapter in specific passages. Many readers find it helpful to read Whitney first and Foster second.

Do I need a book to practise spiritual disciplines?

No. The Bible and a regular time and place to meet God are enough to begin. A good book simply helps you avoid common mistakes, gives you ideas when you feel stuck and reminds you why the effort is worth it.

How many books should I read at once?

One. Pick the book that matches your season, read it slowly and put one practice into your week before moving on to the next title.

Where to start this week

Choose one book from the quick picks above, read the first chapter and set aside one regular time this week to practise what it describes. The goal is not to know more about the disciplines but to know God better through them, as Jesus did: “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28–30).

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (public domain). Linked passages open on Bible Gateway. Publication details are taken from each book’s publisher and edition information; no links on this page are paid or affiliate links.