Spirituality is lived belief. When we pray, worship, or reach out to our neighbors, we live out our beliefs. Our beliefs structure our spirituality like skin stretched over the bones of our bodies.
These beliefs start with faith in God the Father through Jesus Christ as revealed through the Holy Spirit in scripture, in the church, and in daily life. Our Trinitarian theology orders our beliefs. Without a coherent theology, we lose our identity in space and time having no map or compass to guide us on our way. In the end, we focus on ourselves, not God.
Christian spirituality starts with God, not with us.
A Christian Guide to Spirituality takes the form of 50 daily devotions. Each topic is treated with a scriptural reference, reflection, prayer, and questions for discussion. Occasionally, references are provided for further study. The first four chapters (Introduction, Apostle's Creed, Lord's Prayer, and Ten Commandments) cover 40 days making them suitable as a Lenten study. Ten additional days focus on the spiritual disciplines and a short conclusion.
Reading A Christian Guide to Spirituality will help readers understand Christian spirituality better and nurture their faith. There is no such thing as quality time with the Lord; there is only time. The living God speaks to us in many ways, but especially through scripture. These three sources cited (Apostle's Creed, Lord's Prayer, and Ten Commandments) are commonly called the rule of faith (regula fidei) and were utilized for nearly two millennia as a means to apprentice the faith. These sources are the heart of the confessions of most Christian faith communities and denominations.
Hear the words; walk the steps; experience the joy!
Author Stephen W. Hiemstra (MDiv, PhD) is a slave of Christ, husband, father, tentmaker, economist, and writer. He lives with Maryam, his wife of 30 years, in Centreville, VA and they have three grown children. The foreword is written by Neal D. Presa.
This book might be classified appropriately in spirituality, Christian living, devotion, faith, religion, and theology.
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What people are saying...
You have my blessing. It's a book that needed to be written. It will do a lot of good.
- Peter John Kreeft, Boston College
Stephen provides a helpful, accessible guide using the classic catechetical structure of the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the Ten Commandments.
- David A. Currie, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
This is a book for those who want to understand how best to have a living faith and an ever deepening devotional and experiential knowledge of God.
- Stephen Macchia, Pierce Center for Disciple-Building
Hiemstra, Stephen W.: - Author Stephen W. Hiemstra (MDiv, PhD) is a slave of Christ, husband, father, tentmaker, writer, speaker . . . He lives with Maryam, his wife of thirty years, in Centreville, VA and they have three grown children. Stephen has been an active writer throughout his career; both as an economist, and as a pastor. As an economist of 27 years in 5 federal agencies, he published numerous government studies, magazine articles, and book reviews. A Christian Guide to Spirituality is, however, his first published book. Stephen is currently a second career tentmaker dividing his time equally between Hispanic ministry and blogging with an online pastor theme-this online ministry normally takes the form of offering bible studies, writing commentaries on helpful books, and reflecting on spiritual topics. As a hospital chaplain intern, he worked in the emergency department, a psychiatric unit, and an Alzheimer's unit. He is an elder in Centreville Presbyterian Church. He has a masters of divinity (MDiv, 2013) from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC. His doctorate (PhD, 1985) is in agricultural economics from Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI. Although a U.S. citizen, Stephen lived and studied both in Puerto Rico and Germany, and is conversational in both Spanish and German. Please correspond with Stephen at: T2Pneuma@gmail.com or follow him on social media. Stephen blogs (T2Pneuma.net) and Tweets (@T2Pneuma) actively. His author site is: StephenWHiemstra.net ISNI: 0000-0000-2902-8171
Neal, Presa D.: - Rev. Neal D. Presa, Ph.D. was Moderator of the 220th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) from 2012-2014 and was chair of the General Assembly Special Committee on the Heidelberg Catechism from 2010-2012. He is associate pastor of the Village Community Presbyterian Church in Rancho Santa Fe, CA, and a distance faculty member as Extraordinary Associate Professor of Practical Theology of the North-West University in Potchestroom, South Africa. He previously served as a solo pastor in Middlesex, NJ and on the faculty of New Brunswick Theological Seminary, where he taught preaching, worship, and Presbyterian studies. http: //www.villagechurch.org/pastoral-staff/369-rev-dr-neal-d-presa
Satterfield, Reid: - Reid Satterfield was a missionary for African Inland Mission and currently serves as the Coordinator of Discipleship and Spiritual Formation at St. Patrick's Anglican Mission, Charlotte, NC. He also lecturers for Perspectives that provides churches with educational resources for engaging in world missions and provide spiritual direction to church leaders in and around the Charlotte Metro area.
