In my four years at seminary I read a lot about God. But reading a profound truth in Scripture or a great Christian book did not cause me to appropriate it into the daily patterns of my life. I needed to encounter God’s truth in a transforming way. As I struggled with this, I discovered spiritual disciplines, such as solitude, silence, fasting and meditation. While not means of achieving salvation, these disciplines do promote spiritual growth in Jesus Christ. The term “spiritual disciplines” may