Simplify Your Spiritual Life: Spiritual Disciplines for the Overwhelmed

by Donald S. Whitney, Richard A. Swenson (Foreword)

Jesus faced incredible challenges and suffered agonizing trials, but there was simplicity in His relationship with His Father that we can emulate. And in that simplicity, we can realize our greatest fulfillment as believers. If your Bible study seems tedious and your prayer life wearisome, stop and rediscover how rewarding the simple Christian life can be.

Genres: Christian Living, Christian, Christianity, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Discipleship, Faith

208 pages, Paperback

First published June 23, 2003

About the author

DON WHITNEY has been Professor of Biblical spirituality and Associate Dean at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, since 2005. Before that, he held a similar position (the first such position in the six Southern Baptist seminaries) at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, MO, for 10 years. He is the founder and president of The Center for Biblical Spirituality. Don is a frequent speaker in churches, retreats, and conferences in the U.S. and abroad.

Don grew up in Osceola, AR, where he came to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. After graduating from Arkansas State, Don planned to finish law school and pursue a career in sportscasting. While at the University of Arkansas School of Law, he sensed God's call to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. He then enrolled at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX, graduating with a Master of Divinity degree in 1979. In 1987, Don completed a Doctor of Ministry degree at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL. He earned a PhD in theology at the University of the Free State in Bloemfonteine, South Africa in 2013.

Prior to his ministry as a seminary professor, Don pastored Glenfield Baptist Church in Glen Ellyn, IL (a Chicago suburb), for almost 15 years. Altogether, he's served local churches in pastoral ministry for 24 years.

He is the author of Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, which has a companion Study Guide. He has also written How Can I Be Sure I'm a Christian?, Spiritual Disciplines Within the Church, Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health, Simplify Your Spiritual Life, and Family Worship. His hobby is restoring and using old fountain pens.

Don lives with his wife, Caffy, in their home near Louisville. She teaches classes for seminary wives and is an artist, muralist, and illustrator. The Whitneys are parents of Laurelen.

Don's website is www.BiblicalSpirituality.org. He's on Twitter @DonWhitney and on Facebook.

Reviews

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether it is in my daily life, my work, or my spiritual life, I am always drawn to ways to get organized, de-clutter, streamline, and be more effective. Thus, the title of this one caught my eye a while back. I enjoyed the author's earlier Spiritual Disciplines books so it was an easy decision to snag it.

Oddly enough, I was a little wary of 'simplifying' the spiritual life. If anything, I have had the impression that this is the one area that I needed to 'complicate' it more rather. But, the author is talking along a different line when it comes to all sorts of daily spiritual habits one should have. It's not a matter of removal so much as making what is there and should be there more effectual.

The book is broken down into topics with several short essay-like bits under each. He starts with the foundation topic of Principles (fundamentals of spirituality and knowing God-worshiping God being priority) and moves into Truth (scripture and meditation), Prayer, Journal, Mind, Heart, Time, and Others. Each topic has at least a half-dozen practical suggestions for honing each of these spiritual life elements and, in the process, encourages readers to see the importance of these elements. It might look overwhelming to work on all these things and defeat the purpose, but the author also encourages the reader to combine and slowly work these into habit plus, most take up little time at all once things get started.

I think the ones that left the deepest impression was not treating anything like a rote requirement or stinting on time spent meaningfully with others. I felt energized to look at my relationships and time spent in deep thought and consideration-spending time with God. I can see this being a re-read now and then to help when I lag.

All in all, it was easy and quick reading while being thought-provoking and action-driven. Well worth the read for those looking to incorporate spiritual elements into the daily life.

[Mark Nenadov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having previously read and enjoyed Whitney's "Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life", I decided to read through this one. I expected a fair amount of repetition, and while there certainly was a fair deal of a common ground, I was pleased to find it quite a bit that is fresh and new as well.

Whitney shares great, practical advice. The advice is delivered in wonderfully short two page "chapter" segments that can be easily digested in a very short reading. There area lot of good tidbits here. Whitney both encourages the reader to simplify in a number of different ways but also warns the reader against simplifying. The book covers life more broadly then you might think, and the discussion is not limited to a few isolated, stereotypically "spiritual" segments of life, it really covers life quite broadly.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

First sentence (from the introduction): The world is more complex than ever, and it becomes more so by the nanosecond. As a result, almost everyone eventually feels the need to simplify. For many people, simplifying means nothing more than "doing less." But simplifying is not so much about doing fewer things as it is about doing the right things.

First sentence from chapter one: Does your spiritual life sometimes seem more like a burden than a blessing? Does your spirituality seem to exhaust you as often as it refreshes you? Have your spiritual practices become "just another thing to do" in an already overcrowded, stress-filled schedule? If so, then you need to simplify your spiritual life.

To be completely honest, I'm conflicted about this one.

On the one hand, I do think the title isn't well-matched with the contents. This book isn't going to exactly "simplify" your spiritual life. If anything, I think the book would complicate your spiritual life. In other words, instead of "doing" two to three things as spiritual discipline--which I would say is a LOT for most people if we're being completely honest--it would be like here do these ten things to "simplify" your spiritual life. Are ALL the things beneficial to the spiritual life? Probably. Maybe. Mostly. Are all the things necessary to the spiritual life? Maybe. Maybe not. Truly grace and mercy covers all. One can't embrace the idea of "God doesn't love you more if you read your Bible AND God doesn't love you less if you don't read your Bible" and then stack up dozens of musts that are necessary to "being a Christian."

The book reminds me of a FEW iconic I Love Lucy moments. One episode that this book brings to mind is the episode where Lucy (and Ethel) are working in the chocolate [candy] factory. The second episode this book brings to mind is the episode where Lucy (who wants to be in Ricky's show, of course) is "refreshing" her ballet skills so she can audition as a professional ballerina.

Simplify this one does not. It just doesn't. It is authoritatively and practically giving you a dozen things to keep in mind if you want to grow spiritually. But it also feels like you've been thrown overboard in stormy seas with no life preserver.

One must always always always keep in mind that there are no short cuts in the spiritual life. If one picks up this book expecting to find short cuts, this is NOT that book.

On the other hand, this one offers SHORT, super-practical chapters that are organized by topic. Probably a good third if not a good half are super-obvious as well. Like read your Bible. Read your Bible with a plan. Create a Bible-reading routine--a time, a place. Or don't watch television at all. Avoid the internet if you can help it. [Neither one of those would be easy advice to follow. Well-intentioned or not.] When it comes to prayer, pray without filler, pray through your plans for the day at the start of the day, pray Scripture, pray when walking, etc. Take your sin seriously. Don't be comfortable with sins--big or small. No sin is harmless to the soul. SING OFTEN. Be prepared to evangelize.

There is genuinely good advice. Whitney is a big advocate of both PRAYING the psalms and SINGING the psalms. He also argues that you should be MEDITATING in addition to reading Scripture. Reading is the "exposure" to Scripture and meditating is the "absorption" of Scripture. He does give two different sets of questions to aid in meditation.

Here is his "Philippians 4:8" questions:
What is true about this, or what truth does it exemplify?
What is honorable about this?
What is right about this?
What is pure about this, or how does it exemplify pruity?
What is lovely about this?
What is admirable, commendable, or reputation-strengthening about this?
What is excellent about this (in other words, excels others of this kind)?
What is praiseworthy about this?

And the "Joseph Hall" questions:

What is it (define and/or describe what it is) you are meditating upon?
What are its divisions or parts?
What causes it?
What does it cause, that is, what are its fruits and effects?
What is its place, location, or use?
What are its qualities and attachments?
What is contrary to, contradictory of, or different from it?
What compares to it?
What are its titles or names?
What are the testimonies or examples of Scripture about it?

Honestly, I'm not sure how helpful/beneficial these questions are. The first seems like you are asking the same question eight times. The second seems like you'd need a doctoral degree and two decades of pastoral experience to make head or tails of it.

He's not done yet, it's not enough to read and meditate on Scripture. One must read, meditate, and STUDY.

He covers these basic categories a) personal Bible reading b) personal prayer c) family worship d) corporate worship e) journaling f) in-depth study (file folders and file cabinets are mentioned).

His advice in journaling includes asking yourself these questions before you start:

Have I been fervent in prayer?
Have I after or before every deliberate conversation or action, considered how it might tend to God's glory?
Have I after any pleasure, immediately given thanks?
Have I planned business for the day?
Have I been simple and recollected in everything?
Have I been meek, cheerful, affable in everything I said or did?
Have I been proud, vain, unchaste, or enviable of others?
Have recollected in eating and drinking? Thankful? Temperate in sleep?
Have I thought or spoken unkindly of anyone?
Have I confessed all sins?

A few of those sound potentially beneficial. Others are more puzzling. The list comes from George Whitefield who lived in the eighteenth century which might explain why some of the questions are so confusing.

He has a list of thirty-one journal prompts. [Not enough to tempt me to try journaling]

But here is his second list of TEN questions to help journal-writing:
1. What was the most important thing that happened today?
2. What did I learn today?
3. Where did I see God at work today?
4. What was the most significant thing that someone said to me today?
5. When was I most aware of the Lord today?
6. What was the most helpful thing I read today?
7. What should I have done differently today?
8. How can I simplify my life tomorrow?
9. What could I do to glorify God the most tomorrow?
10. What difference can I make in someone's life tomorrow?

The good news is that he does count nap-taking as a spiritual discipline or spiritual activity.

[Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I went through this book as a daily devotion, taking one "chapter" per day. Much of the content is pretty obvious stuff, some good reminders, etc. Nothing earth-shattering. I found the journaling section really helpful, though, because I'm often stuck on "what" to put in my spiritual journal. The author provides some good prompts.

[Joel Rockey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is divided into nice little "bite-sized" chapters. Each chapter gives a practical (gospel motivated) way to simplify your spiritual life. I have enjoyed all of Donald Whitney's books, and this one is no exception. There are high and low points, which can be expected when an author is tackling such a broad topic. However, the high points in this book are awesome! Recommended.

[Caleb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soothing for the busy soul.

Full time job, my wife stays home to care for our 3 kids under 5, with responsibilities in local ministry and part time work as well, this book was incredibly helpful. He made a healthy relationship with the Lord seem not only possible but imminent.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Loved the format and the material. Highly recommend!

[Jason Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Christian, there are always going to be struggles with how best to grow closer to Christ. My number 1 recommendation for any Christian in this (outside of faithfully reading the Bible) is Donald Whitney's book The Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. That book simply transformed my intentional efforts to be a better follower of Christ.

This book, Simplify Your Spiritual Life, is a great addition as well. There is some overlap, so if you start here, there is still a tremendous amount of coverage of the spiritual disciplines as well. But this book is directed at and fully acknowledges the challenges of our 21st century western lives and all of the distractions that may make it difficult to follow through.

The format of this one is interesting in that each "chapter" is 1-2 pages. You could almost use it as a nightly read, just reading 1-2 of the topics and seeing how they apply to your situation. Much like Spiritual Disciplines, I think this is a book I'll come back to from time to time. I've dog-eared several sections that I think would be great for discussion in small group settings as well.

Highly recommended for anyone who wants to grow their relationship to Christ.

[Lyvita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m encouraging everyone to read this book because it will equip and encourage you to use spiritual disciplines to grow in Christ and commune with God. When I find a book like that, well I’ve got to share it.

Simplify Your Spiritual Life: Spiritual Disciplines for the Overwhelmed by Donald S. Whitney presents many different disciplines that can be incorporated into your life without feeling overwhelmed or flustered. Each short chapter contains a rich wealth of knowledge that leads you to realizing “the goal of both our exposure to and absorption of scripture should be our application of scripture.” Don Whitney’s statement reminds me that if we don’t study, read, hear God’s Word (exposure), AND meditate on, practice the spiritual disciplines, speak God’s Word (Absorption) then we want be able to do, put into practice, live a righteous life according to God’s Word (Application). Scripture is clear that we are to be hearers and doers of God’s Word (James 1:22-25). How can you share or do what you don’t know?

[JLynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a series of short chapters containing different practices that can be incorporated into your spiritual life. Picking some of these practices may "simplify" your spiritual life. Though the author says that you will not do all of these practices (you pick and choose what would help you to simplify) I found the book overwhelming and I did not feel simpler or calmer after reading it. I gave it four stars because despite its not seeming to deliver on its title (for me) it does give a lot of great ideas for nurturing one's spiritual life.

[April Parman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every other book of Dr. Whitney I have given a 4.5 or 5 ⭐️ rating. This book had good information in a brief 1 to 2 pages. This briefness I think took away a lot of the warmth I usually feel in his writings. I think others would find this straight to the point with little to no personal stories or examples right up their alley.

[Amanda Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Donald Whitney offers ardent, practical advice that is not legalistic and always Biblical.

[Jon Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great ideas on how to get the most out of your time and relationship with your Father!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only aimed for slow progress though this one -- reading one a day -- and found it encouraging and relevant.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly practical. Easy to read. Has 90 short chapters...great for summer reading.

[Christopher Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covers many spiritual disciplines and encourages readers to just start.

[Dan Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some interesting suggestions.

[Kathy Penrod · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great follow-up to Whiney's book on the spiritual disciplines. It not only helps us to simplify our spiritual life but also to prioritise it as well. I Don't know about others, but I find myself feeling overwhelmed by the idea of practicing all the disciplines. This book shows how to avoid that. It also helps in simplifying other areas of life. Prioritising and simplifying are essential if we want to accomplish what we were created for. This book is a great tool in helping us achieve that. If you want to improve the quality of your spiritual walk, take time to practice the disciplines. If you need a place to start, I recommend beginning with Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life then following up with Simplify Your Spiritual Life.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is great book on Spiritual Disciplines. The title may sound light, but the content is not. The author takes many of the disciplines he discusses in his more comprehensive book "Spiritual Disciplines of the Christian Life" and puts them into bite sized, one or two page sections that can be read daily, or even weekly. For me, the reading on praying scripture was worth the price of the book.

[Natalya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't expect to like this, but it is fabulous. Full of insight and practical ways to grow your relationship with God. I was kind of turned off by the title especially the simplify part. However his version of simplify is getting rid of needles stuff and adding more prayer, bible reading and redirecting your focus.Awesome Stuff

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent adaptation of Whitney's best-known book, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life.

This breaks down the ideas of that book into short, easy-to-read chunks. Each "chapter" is no more than 2 pages and shouldn't take longer than 5 minutes to read. Great format to put the topics into application immediately.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simply organized in 200 brief (sometimes a page or less!) chapters, I learned many ways to approach spiritual disciplines for our times. With technology adding to life's stress, this book was timely in reminding me to focus on what really matters, and to avoid being overwhelmed in life to where I have no time for family, friends or let alone, God. Now if I can only apply what I learned!

[Mark Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10 (very good): A helpful read, and effectively a practical simplification of Whitney's other works, particularly Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life.

[Guy Lancour · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better books on spirituality. It is written in easily digested but powerful portions. He has taken the spiritual disciplines and connected the dots on how to not be overwhelmed but to simplify them in your life. Great book.

[Jerid Krulish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, refreshing and in short chapters. Nice to keep on the desk and read a page a day.

[Matt Mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sound, simple, devotional, often very practical. This book is pretty unique in the range of things it's speaks to. It offers much help toward living life on purpose.

[Susan Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practical help with spiritual disciplines.