Soul Feast

Athletes, musicians, writers, scientists and others progress in their field because they are well-disciplined people. Unfortunately, there is a tendency to think that in matters of faith we should pray, meditate, and engage in other spiritual disciplines only when we feel like it. (William O. Paulsell)

Strange, I know, to begin a book review with a quote by someone other than the author of the book one is reviewing. Marjorie Thompson uses this quote in the final chapter of Soul Feast in hopes of encouraging the reader to see the importance of not reading this book and setting it on the shelf, having found it interesting and little else. Thompson closes this book with the hopes that the reader will develop a 'rule of life', a plan to invest time and energy into the soul in hopes of growing as a Christian.

In the book, Thompson explores different spiritual disciplines: spiritual reading, prayer, worship, fasting, self-examination, spiritual direction and hospitality. Each chapter is well-written and offers an in depth exploration of what the discipline might look like in the believer's life. I appreciate how Thompson acknowledges that different demands weigh on us all, and so prayer in my life and prayer in your life might not be the same, but the hope is that each of us will delve into prayer in the hope of growing in Christ.

Thompson has done her homework in this superb exploration of the spiritual life. It's well worth your time and will offer some insights into the spiritual life, as well as being packed full of ideas about how to grow closer to Christ in all things.