Top Ten Quotes: Building Spiritual Habits in the Home
When I first picked up Building Spiritual Habits in the Home: Small Steps You Can Take Today, I did so based on two assumptions:
- Assumption #1: it was a book written by my friends Chris Pappalardo and Clayton Greene, and therefore it was going to be great.
- Assumption #2: it was a book aimed at moms and dads of young kids, and while it would be great, it wouldn’t necessarily be great for me.
I’m happy to report that I was right on Assumption #1, but wrong on Assumption #2. Yes, Building Spiritual Habits is for Moms and Dads, but also for Mimis and Pops, seasoned Christians and new believers, and for those who want to lead others well and those who want to lead themselves well.
In short, it’s a book for all of us.
Here are my top ten favorite quotes:
- What we say, what we do, where we live, who we invite into our homes, how we spend our money, what we do with our free time—all of it trains up our children in certain ways.
- From beginning to end, our spiritual lives dance along to the melody of amazing grace. Which means that God doesn’t just start; because of His grace, He promises to finish, too.
- If “practice” feels like pressure, “discipline” can feel like drudgery. A disciplined person works hard and expects results. But it’s easy to miss the God-initiated and Spirit-led element here.
- Growth is slower than we might like, but more certain than we can imagine.
- Jesus knew that we flesh-and-blood creatures would need tangible reminders of truth. So instead of a speech on salvation, He said, “Eat, drink, and remember.”
- …the place for your spiritual habits needs to have objects that nudge you toward those habits…You might choose a candle, or a soft blanket, or a beautifully designed Bible, or a special pen you only use when reading the Bible. Make it personal to you, and make sure it’s in the right spot.
- Why did God put all of these restarts into the world? Why have seasons like this at all? Because we are misty creatures, always in need of chances to begin again.
- Play isn’t just a product of humility; it seems to produce more of the humility we’re after. It’s a spiritually virtuous cycle.
- …we may live in a “go fast” world, but God prefers to work slowly. He lives in a “go far” world. We should, too.
- We resent failure. We resist failure. We do everything in our power to avoid failure. But when learning new habits, we actually need failures to help us grow.
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