Supporting the Journey of Spiritual Formation
Christian Practices Resources
The Christian Practices Initiative provides resources designed to support believers as they grow in the historic rhythms of the Christian life. Throughout the centuries, followers of Jesus have relied on trusted teachings, writings, and spiritual guides to help them cultivate practices that deepen their relationship with God.
These resources draw from the shared heritage of the Church and include classic Christian writings, practical guides, and learning tools that help believers engage more fully in practices such as prayer, Scripture meditation, silence, community, and faithful stewardship.
The goal of these resources is not simply to provide information but to encourage participation in the rhythms that form a life of faithful discipleship. By exploring these materials, believers can discover wisdom that has shaped generations of Christians and apply these practices in ways that nurture spiritual maturity and strengthen daily faithfulness.
The Prayers of the Daily Office
Christian Practices Devotionals
The Holy Rule of Saint Benedict
The Holy Rule of Saint Benedict is one of the most influential guides to Christian spiritual life ever written. Composed in the sixth century, it provides practical wisdom for cultivating a life centered on prayer, humility, obedience, and faithful daily work. The Rule established a rhythm of life in which prayer and Scripture are woven throughout the day, helping believers develop attentiveness to God in both worship and ordinary activities.
Within the Christian Practices Initiative, The Holy Rule of Saint Benedict serves as one of the course texts for the Daily Office course. Its teachings help students understand the historic roots of structured daily prayer and the rhythms of devotion that have shaped Christian communities for centuries. By engaging this classic work, participants gain insight into how a disciplined life of prayer can nurture spiritual maturity and faithful discipleship.
The Confessions of Saint Augustine
The Confessions of Saint Augustine is one of the most profound and enduring works in the history of Christian spirituality. Written in the fourth century, it is both a personal testimony and a theological reflection, tracing Augustine’s journey from restless searching to a life transformed by the grace of God. Through honest prayer and reflection, Augustine explores themes of repentance, desire, memory, and the deep longing of the human heart for God.
Within the Christian Practices Initiative, the Confessions serves as a foundational resource for understanding the inner life of spiritual formation. It invites participants into a deeper awareness of their own journey with God, encouraging practices of reflection, repentance, and attentiveness to His presence. By engaging this classic work, students gain insight into the process of transformation that unfolds as the heart is gradually turned toward God and anchored in His love.
Daily Strength Training (Praying Well)
Daily Strength Training (Praying Well) is a devotional guide designed to help believers develop a consistent rhythm of prayer through the historic practice of the Daily Office. The book provides a thirty-day introduction to structured daily prayer, incorporating Scripture readings, psalms, and traditional prayers that help shape a life of attentiveness to God.
Within the Christian Practices Initiative, Daily Strength Training serves as one of the course books for the Daily Office course, offering both teaching and practical guidance for believers who want to establish sustainable habits of prayer and Scripture reading in their daily lives.
The Daily Office Workbook
The Daily Office Workbook is a guided resource designed to help believers move beyond simply learning about prayer and into establishing a steady, lived rhythm of daily prayer. Rooted in the historic practice of the Daily Office, the workbook leads participants through a structured journey that integrates Scripture, reflection, and simple prayer practices, helping cultivate a life of attentiveness to God throughout the day.
Within the Christian Practices Initiative, the Daily Office Workbook is offered as a self-guided resource for those who desire to grow in spiritual formation outside of a formal course setting. It provides a complete and accessible pathway for individuals who prefer to move at their own pace. Through guided exercises, reflection questions, and Rule of Life integration, the workbook supports believers in developing sustainable rhythms of prayer, Scripture engagement, and spiritual formation in everyday life.
The Ladder of Monks - Guigo II
The Ladder of Monks is a classic work of Christian spiritual formation written by Guigo II, a Carthusian monk, in the twelfth century. Presented as a letter on the contemplative life, the text describes a simple yet profound pathway of engaging Scripture through four movements: reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation. These movements form a “ladder” by which the soul is gradually lifted from attentive reading into a deeper experience of God’s presence, where the Word is not only understood but tasted and lived .
Within the Christian Practices Initiative, The Ladder of Monks serves as a foundational text for the Lectio Divina course, providing both theological clarity and practical guidance for engaging Scripture in a slow, attentive, and receptive way. Through its clear and enduring framework, the book invites believers to move beyond surface reading and to develop a sustained rhythm of encountering God through His Word.
The Conferences of John Cassian
The Conferences of John Cassian is a foundational work of early Christian spirituality, written in the fifth century as a collection of teachings from the Desert Fathers. Through a series of conversations with experienced monks, Cassian explores the inner life of the believer, focusing on themes such as purity of heart, prayer, self-denial, and the pursuit of continual awareness of God. These writings provide a window into the wisdom of the early monastic tradition and the practical outworking of a life fully devoted to God .
Within the Christian Practices Initiative, The Conferences of John Cassian serves as a companion text for the Lectio Divina course, offering depth and insight into the formation of the heart as believers engage Scripture. While The Ladder of Monks provides the structure of Lectio Divina, Cassian helps illuminate the inner transformation that takes place through these practices, guiding participants toward a life marked by attentiveness, humility, and sustained communion with God.
Daily Sage Intake
Daily Sage Intake is a devotional guide designed to help believers cultivate wisdom for everyday life through consistent engagement with the book of Proverbs. Structured around morning and evening readings, this resource leads participants through the entire book of Proverbs twice each month, creating a steady rhythm of reflection that shapes both thinking and behavior. Rooted in the words of Jesus’ call to be “the light of the world,” the devotional emphasizes practical obedience and the pursuit of wisdom in the midst of daily life.
Within the Christian Practices Initiative, Daily Sage Intake serves as a companion to the Daily Office and other Scripture-based practices by focusing on the formation of wise living. While the Psalms help shape our prayer life, the Proverbs guide how we walk that life out in a broken world. Through brief, consistent readings and reflection, participants are invited to grow in discernment, integrity, and the habit of choosing the next right thing, allowing the wisdom of Scripture to take root in both heart and action.