Week 1: Introduction — The Spiritual Disciplines

1.Foster famously begins by writing, 'Superficiality is the curse of our age.' What do you think he means by that? Where do you see superficiality most clearly in your own spiritual life or in the church culture around you?

2.Foster distinguishes between 'trying' and 'training' in the spiritual life — he argues that we cannot transform ourselves by willpower alone, but we can train ourselves to be available for God's transforming work. How does that distinction land for you? Does it feel freeing, confusing, or challenging?

3.He describes the disciplines as a 'path' rather than a 'destination.' What is the difference, practically speaking, between treating a spiritual practice as a path toward God and treating it as a goal or achievement in itself?