Richard J. Foster

• Overview
• Bio
• Books
• Articles
• Audio & Video
• Podcast Episodes

Articles & Essays by Richard J. Foster

Book Excerpt from Sanctuary of the Soul

Heart Transformation and Friendship with Jesus

Published December, 2010 • Featured January 31, 2020

Can there be progress forward in our life with God? From Sanctuary of the Soul, Richard Foster looks at what changes we can expect to happen as we follow Jesus and keep asking, listening, and obeying.

Article

Becoming Like Christ

Published February, 1996 • Featured January 12, 2020

For Christians, heaven is not the goal. The goal is for Christ to be formed in us. Richard Foster shows how that forming happens through experiential, formal, and instrumental means.

Journal/Magazine Article

Getting the Big Picture

Published April, 1986 • Featured November 5, 2019

In this classic article from Christianity Today, Richard Foster encourages Christians to embrace the authority and wisdom God has invested in his witnesses — Bible writers and examples in scripture, as well as saints and followers of Christ down through the ages.

Book Excerpt from Streams of Living Water

Defining the Social Justice Tradition: The Compassionate Life

Published October, 1998 • Featured October 17, 2019

Social justice is where love meets the road. From Streams of Living Water, Richard Foster opens up three great themes of the Social Justice Tradition that are wonderfully summed up in the Hebrew words mishpat, hesed, and shalom.

Book Excerpt

The Danger of Spiritual Disciplines

Published February, 1983 • Featured October 1, 2019

Disciplines of the spiritual life put us in a place where we can experience inner transformation as a gift. Richard Foster warns of pitfalls that can hinder our way.

Article

Intro to John Wimber's Book _Power Healing_

Published September, 1987 • Featured September 19, 2019

Power Healing by John Wimber and Kevin Springer, first published in 1987, continues to provide valuable insight for Christians into the Why, What, and How of seeking healing from God. Richard Foster penned the intro.

Letter

Sitting with Suffering

Published April, 1992 • Featured September 17, 2019

How do we address the suffering of others? What can we say or do to alleviate their pain? Richard Foster offers some wise words on the spiritual practice of presence that will help fill their seasons of grief and tragedy with healing and grace.

Book Excerpt from Streams of Living Water

Defining the Charismatic Tradition: The Spirit-Empowered Life

Published October, 1998 • Featured September 3, 2019

“Frankly, there are no ​‘noncharismatic Christians.” In this excerpt from Streams of Living Water, Richard Foster validates supernatural spiritual gifts and reminds us that in exercising them the end goal must always be love and unity.

Journal/Magazine Article

A Life of Prayer and Holy Obedience in a War-Wracked World

Published February, 1983 • Featured August 29, 2019

In this substantial piece by Richard Foster on the relationship between prayer and holy obedience in fighting spiritual warfare, he reminds us of Edward Payson words, ​“Prayer is the first thing, the second thing, the third thing necessary to a minister. Pray, then, pray, pray, pray.”

Book Excerpt from Streams of Living Water

Defining the Holiness Tradition: The Virtuous Life

Published October, 1998 • Featured August 6, 2019

In this excerpt from Streams of Living Water, Richard Foster reveals the beauty of a virtuous life by laying out what holiness is and is not.

Article

Five Misconceptions that Hinder Prayer

Published February, 1994 • Featured July 30, 2019

There are common misconceptions that hinder a rich and fulfilling prayer life. Richard Foster looks at five of them.

Book Excerpt

How to Start a Prayer Journal

Published May, 1994 • Featured July 25, 2019

Richard Foster invites us to follow the lead of disciples such as St. Augustine, Julian of Norwich, and Blaise Pascal in the practice of journaling our prayers.

Book Excerpt from Streams of Living Water

Defining The Contemplative Tradition: The Prayer-Filled Life

Published October, 1998 • Featured July 9, 2019

“The two most common words used to describe the contemplative way of life are fire and love. Purging, purifying fire. Enveloping, comforting love.” In this excerpt from Streams of Living Water, Richard Foster introduces us to the contemplative life.

Book Excerpt from Streams of Living Water

Practical Ways to Live All of Life With God

Published October, 1998 • Featured June 26, 2019

In this excerpt from Streams of Living Water, Richard Foster provides very practical ways to live all of life — everyday home and family and work life — with God.

Book Excerpt from Streams of Living Water

Defining The Incarnational Tradition: The Sacramental Life

Published October, 1998 • Featured June 5, 2019

God likes matter and uses it ​“to make present and visible the invisible realm of the spirit”. In this excerpt from Streams of Living Water, Richard Foster invites us to live sacramentally in all of life.

Book Excerpt from Streams of Living Water

Defining The Evangelical Tradition: The Word-Centered Life

Published October, 1998 • Featured May 30, 2019

From Streams of Living Water, Richard Foster defines the three themes of the Evangelical Tradition: the faithful proclamation of the gospel, the centrality of Scripture, and the confessional witness of the early Christian community.

Journal/Magazine Article

The Day God Died

Published March, 1977 • Featured April 3, 2019

Richard Foster digs deeply into the meaning of Jesus’ death on the cross and the healing it makes available.

Letter

Maturing the Spiritual Formation Movement

Published August, 2010 • Featured March 19, 2019

Some of us have been at this spiritual formation work for a while now, long enough to see quite a mixture of helpful and decidedly unhelpful things set forth. Richard Foster assesses where we are and proposes a way forward.

Book Excerpt from Celebration of Discipline

The Path to Joy

Published March, 1976 • Featured February 12, 2019

In the spiritual life, the only thing that will produce genuine joy is obedience. Richard Foster explains why in this piece from Celebration of Discipline.

Book Excerpt from The Making Of An Ordinary Saint

Understanding Celebration

Published October, 2014 • Featured February 6, 2019

Richard Foster shares how celebration prevents the spiritual disciplines from deteriorating into soul-killing legalisms and saves us from taking ourselves too seriously.