I find great value in reading books about spiritual disciplines. I need to read about the “means of grace” regularly, and I need to read a variety of voices. The latest book I’ve read about spiritual disciplines is Habits of Grace, by David Mathis. Here are a couple things I particularly liked about this book.

First, Mathis simplifies the topic of “spiritual disciplines” by gathering them into three broad categories: Word, Prayer, and Fellowship. Some books include a dozen or more disciplines, and at times the task can seem overwhelming. Mathis’ approach simplifies the question at hand, without being simplistic.

Second, I appreciate the fact that Mathis doesn’t give many “hard-and-fast” rules to follow. Instead, he stresses the primacy of the word, he emphasizes the necessity of prayer, and he focuses on the benefits of fellowship without being too specific about how you should practice the “means of grace.”