STREAMS OF LIVING WATER
Written by Richard J. Foster
Narrated by Richard J. Foster
4/5
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About this audiobook
Richard J. Foster has touched countless lives with his spiritual classic, Celebration of Discipline, which has sold over one million copies since it was first published twenty years ago. Now, with Streams of Living Water, Foster again strengthens and enriches the spiritual lives of listeners everywhere with this unique exploration of the major traditions at the core of Christian practice.
In this landmark work, Foster examines these streams of living water - the six dimensions of faith and practice that define Christian tradition. He lifts up the enduring character of each tradition in the midst of constantly evolving faith and shows how a variety of practices, from individual study and retreat to disciplines of service and community, are all essential elements of growth and maturity.
Each of these great historical movements emphasizes a different aspect of life and faith. The six streams Foster presents are: the Contemplative, or prayer-filled life; the life of Holiness, or the virtuous life; the Charismatic, or Spirit-empowered life; the life of Social Justice, or the compassionate life; the Evangelical, or Word-centered life; and finally, the Incarnational, or sacramental life.
Foster examines the unique contributions of each of these traditions, and offers as examples the inspiring stories of faithful people whose own lives defined these streams.
In Streams of Living Water, Foster seeks a balanced path to a renewal of the spirit. He identifies the strengths and the weaknesses of each stream and offers practical ways to incorporate each of these spiritual dimensions into our daily lives - offering a clear and tangible path to authentic Christian experience. He reveals that while each stream is capable of providing spiritual growth, the most complete renewal can only come from combining the best from each tradition.
Read by the author.
Richard J. Foster
Richard J. Foster is the author of several bestselling books, including Celebration of Discipline, Streams of Living Water, Life with God, and Prayer, which was Christianity Today's Book of the Year and the winner of the Gold Medallion Award from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. He is the founder of Renovaré, an organization and a movement committed to the renewal of the church of Jesus Christ in all its multifaceted expressions, and the editor of The Life with God Bible.
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Reviews for STREAMS OF LIVING WATER
122 ratings11 reviews
What our readers think
Readers find this title to be an excellent book on several aspects of the Christian Faith. It is a beautifully written rich narrative that explores the convergence of different streams. The adaptation of the print version is good, although some sections were skipped in the audio version. The book offers interesting divisions and explanations of spiritual 'attitudes'. Overall, it is a recommended read, although there are other books with similar content.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Interesting division and explanations of spiritual 'attitudes'. God read, although there are many other books with similar content.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Good adaptation of the print version, though the section on the perils of the evangelical tradition was skipped when the audio was produced.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Excellent book on several aspects of the Christian Faith. Foster crossed many denominational boundaries to pull together a beautifully written rich narrative of many streams converging.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I have been blessed by reading this book. Foster spoke about Phoebe Worrall Palmer (1807-1874) who was a well known teacher, humanitarian and theologian. Her influence and impact was far reaching during that time. Phoebe’s third child, Eliza, died a tragic death. Her maid accidentally dropped a lit oil lamp on the gauze curtain covering the baby’s crib. Little Eliza died in her infancy in the flash fire.Can you imagine the inexpressible pain, the anguish, the despair and agony Phoebe must have felt? Through the book, Foster showed the pain in Phoebe’s heart when she related:“In the agony of my soul I had exclaimed, “'O, what shall I do!'"God reached out to the inner recesses of Phoebe's heart in those trying and difficult time. She found solace and strength from God. She allowed the word of God to nurse her back to health and wholeness. She allowed God to walk her through her immense grief and pain. To cut the long story short, she picked herself up and emerged stronger and more determined to love and serve God with every ounce of her energy.How many people can be like Phoebe Palmer? How many of us can remain strong in the face of life’s harshest storm? strongly believe she overcame because her relationship with God was so strong. She was deeply rooted in the love of God and this led her on in spite of her pain and suffering. She did not allow the trial to destroy her life and ministry; on the contrary, she thrived and persevered to pursue God in greater intensity. She left behind a godly model and example for millions of Christians to follow after.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Honestly, I was really disappointed with this book. First off, Foster doesn't offer much to this book. He talks about different "streams" of Christianity, but the whole concept feels contrived. Secondly, the book was too long. Each chapter could have been only a few pages rather than 40. Third, the appendices were too long and not very helpful. The mini biographies did not enlighten the various "streams." If you are looking for a book on Spiritual Formation, this is not it.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Richard Foster is one of my favorite writers on spiritual matters. I read this book in small snippets daily at devotion time, loved it and was greatly blessed by it. Foster examines six streams of Christianity - the Contemplative, Holiness, Charismatic, Social Justice, Evangelical, and Incarnational Traditions. He defines each, gives a historical example, a Biblical example, and a contemporary example - an embodied example - of each, and discusses the strengths and dangers of each tradition, and how they interact with each other. He writes beautifully. He has written a beautiful, significant, and inspiring book once again. He has also included a lot of auxiliary material in two appendixes (with Linda Graybeal) on critical turning points in church history, other notable figures and important movements in church history, and includes many endnotes for a more academic approach to church tradition and history..This is a book well worth reading for information, inspiration, and spiritual formation. Highly recommended.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It took me over a year to complete this book (I set it down for a while in the middle) so it is hard to give a review of the material, as I do not necessarily remember details from the beginning.
However, I sincerely appreciated Richard's attempt to summarize the great traditions of the Christian faith. He did this by telling the story of three notable figures within that tradition: one from Scripture, one "historical", and one "modern". He also, then, explains the tradition, what we can learn from it and apply to our lives, and the positives and negatives that come along with it.
I found the book to be extremely exciting and convicting at times, as well as informative to the point of dryness at other times. However, due to the nature of the book both should be expected and both were appreciated and well done in their own rite. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An excellent overview of the ways which people have approached living out their Christian faith. Each section has examples of people who exemplify that particular tradition.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Foster goes through different Christian movements (i.e. Social justice, evangelical, charismatic), telling the story of key people from each one. He also goes over methods for following in these traditions, pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of each. An excellent overview, but be sure to allow for some time to read it, it requires some thought and brainpower on the part of the reader to really absorb what he is saying.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5An excellent examination of the differing faith-traditions of the Christian church throughout history, and their inherent value to each other. For each faith-tradition, Foster examines three people who fit each tradition: one from history, one from Biblical history, and one from contemporary history. Foster suggests that the time is coming when these various tradtions will once again reconverge after hundreds of years of separation, and revitalize and refuel the future of the church.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5One of the best books to give a comprehesive understanding of traditional Chistian backgrounds. Our spiritual heritage is rich and diverse and Foster gives more than adequate treatment of each one.