Encountering God - Bible Study Book with Video Access: Cultivating Habits of Faith Through Spiritual Disciplines

by Kelly Minter

Spiritual disciplines are essential to a more vibrant spiritual life and knowing God more intimately.

Join Kelly Minter in this 7-session Bible study as she unpacks the biblical foundation for these sacred habits along with approachable ways to practice disciplines like prayer, study, worship, rest, simplicity, generosity, celebration, and many more. Instead of being just one more thing on your to-do list, you’ll find that these habits of faith can actually create more margin in your life—providing peace and rest as you walk closer with Jesus.
 
  Video

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

224 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2023

About the author

Kelly Minter is passionate about God’s Word and believes it permeates all of life. The personal healing and steadfast hope she’s found in the pages of Scripture fuel her passion to connect God’s Word to our everyday lives. When she’s not writing or teaching, you can find her tending her garden, taking a walk with friends, cooking for her nieces and nephews, riding a boat down the Amazon River, or walking through a Moldovan village with Justice & Mercy International. Kelly holds a master’s degree in Biblical and Theological Studies from Denver Seminary.

A few of Kelly’s past Bible studies and books include: Esther: Daring Faith for Such a Time as This; Encountering God: Cultivating Habits of Faith through the Spiritual Disciplines; and The Blessed Life: A 90-Day Devotional through the Miracles and Teachings of Jesus. To see a full list of Kelly’s Bible studies and books, visit kellyminter.com/store.

Reviews

[Mandi]

This was the perfect study for where I am right now in life. Pretty in-depth with quite a bit of homework. Lots of scripture reference and not as many “how have you seen this in your own life” questions which I always kind of struggle to answer. 😝 mostly just pointing you back to Christ and His word which was great! I also learned a few new things which is always nice.

[Danna]

This has been an excellent Bible study for our very diverse small group, from seasoned Christian's to those just finding the Lord. I love Kelly Minter's teaching style. Fresh and Bible based

[Sheri]

Highly recommend this study, for women or men.

[Melody]

Basic, but good reminders.

[Melanie]

This was a good bible study. It does have a video component that comes in handy but wasn't part of the book that we went through (the leader of the bible study had to purchase it separately).

[Shana OkieCozyReader]

I really love Kelly Minter and her summer online Bible studies have warmed my heart. She is one of my favorite people to listen to teach.

This is a study looking at different spiritual disciplines (prayer, fasting, worship, simplicity, Sabbath, etc) with about 30 minute videos each week. I did this study with Lifeway’s Online Bible Study site.

I maybe prefer some of her other studies on specific Bible passages, as opposed to this style, which pulls a bunch of passages each day. But like always, she makes lots of great observations.

She begins each day with a quote from Bible teachers from NT Wright, John Stott, John Mark Comer, etc that I found super interesting. She also begins the week with an introduction to the week, separate from the study day. There are 7 weeks, with 5 days of study guide questions for each week. A couple of my favorite quotes:

Prayer does not fit us for the greater works; prayer is the greater work.”1 [Kelly Minter (2021). (p. 44).

But we mostly practice it because it is through prayer that we commune with the living God, and He changes us. [Kelly Minter (2021). (p. 51).

He does not need us to worship Him; rather, He delights in our worship because He knows we need to worship! [Kelly Minter (2021). (p. 81)

consider these words from the extraordinary prayer warrior Madame Guyon, “If you read quickly, it will benefit you little. You will be like a bee that merely skims the surface of a flower. Instead . . . you must become as the bee who penetrates into the depths of the flower. You plunge deeply within to remove its deepest nectar.”12 [Kelly Minter (2021). (p. 121).

Christ is the ultimate provision of rest for us in places of solitude. The desert place is no longer aloneness in its strictest sense. It is time communing with Jesus. [Kelly Minter (2021). (p. 131).

Hence, we will practice these disciplines that, little by little, grace upon grace, will lead us into what Jesus described as the abundant life. [Kelly Minter (2021). (p. 145).

[Jennifer Dreier]

Another excellent study by Kelly Minter! I love that the whole premise of this study is that we develop spiritual disciplines in our lives not because we “should” or to be “good Christians” but because practicing these disciplines leads us into a deeper, richer, more intimate relationship with our beloved Savior Jesus!
I liked the format of this study, with an intro each week written by Kelly and then 5 days of study, examining scriptures for each topic, followed by a video session where she sums up what we had studied each week. Sometimes I wished she had gone a little deeper into the scriptures in the daily homework, some of the questions felt a little bit basic, but overall we were getting into God’s Word together and I loved that.
Kelly’s writing is engaging and fun, authentic and relatable. As I’m reading through the study I honestly feel like I am having a conversation with a good friend.
Highly recommend for anyone to do on their own or in a small group.

[Amy]

We worked through this study as a family with two teenage daughters. (There is also a teen girl version of the book). We wanted to introduce them to the spiritual disciplines without overwhelming them. We opted for this rather than reading aloud Whitney, Foster, or Comer’s books (which are fabulous, btw).

Though this is published for women, the content is by no means gender specific. The accompanying teaching videos are filmed in a pretty setting, but again, anyone can learn from them. I think because Kelly Minter’s a single woman, Lifeway doesn’t allow her to “teach” men.

Overall, we found it a nicely paced introduction to the disciplines and super grounded in Scripture. We watched the videos and enjoyed discussion as a family on Sunday evenings, and my oldest daughter and I worked through the workbooks throughout the week (separately). My husband worked through some of the workbook, but opted to prioritize his own Bible reading/quiet time routine most days.

Highly recommend!

[Jane]

Fantastic Bible Study! I really liked getting back to the basics about spiritual disciplines. This study challenged me to seek Jesus on a regular, daily basis and gave reminders and clarity regarding what that means. The author also did a fantastic job putting the disciplines in a meaningful order and exploring how the spiritual disciplines were faithfully observed in ancient Hebrew times and how we can apply that to our lives now. I would highly recommend this bible study to any Christian who is ready for a refresh for their faith.

[Amy Reed]

4.5~ this one is hard for me to rate. On the one hand the disciplines are things that everyone who loves the Lord should be doing so in that respect it is great for new believers. I struggled with whether or not the book would be too basic, but since I love Kelly Minter's studies I decided to do it. I am glad that I did, while it is great for new believers, it serves as a wonderful reminder of why we do the things we do for the Lord....not out of fear or obligation, but out of love. There is a freedom in that I get to serve, not I have to serve.

[Lisa]

One of the best Bible studies I've ever participated in. This was easy to follow and understand, but simultaneously deep and thought-provoking. I led 63 women through this study and it felt like a discipleship time the whole time. This brought out questions and responses that surprised me each and every week. Kelly is such a good teacher and this book is well-written and a must for every believer, no matter how long you've walked with the Lord.

[Rebecca Trump]

Encountering God: Cultivating Habits of Faith Through the Spiritual Disciplines by Kelly Minter is the first Bible Study I have been in from her. My small group at my church decided to do this study and it is transforming to practice those disciplines. It brings serving alongside Jesus even more of a treasure in my life. I was highly grateful for this study and I recommend it for anyone who wants to learn to serve Jesus better.

[Julie Powers]

This is likely the best study I’ve done. Kelly dives deep into aspects that we may all think we know a lot about. She relates the life of Christ with how we can/are to reflect.
I love the set up and layout of the book. The videos (found on YouTube) were a good accompaniment but not totally necessary if you can’t assess them.
I’m excited to go through again and take notes of all the ah ha moments I had.
I’ve read a lot of Kelly’s stuff and this is the best yet.

[Cynthia Prosser]

My biggest complaint with this book is the format. Ms. Minter made numerous good points that I was able to take away from the readings. The content is great but the workbook format feels like 2nd grade. Plus the fact that the scripture is not included, makes it difficult to take the book with you so you can nibble away at it when your schedule is overpacked and you are on the go.

[Melissa]

I really enjoy Kelly Minter and overall I did enjoy this Bible Study. I just felt like some of it was rushed on topics that could have gone deeper and some topics were extremely basic and simple. I think this is a good refresher for mature Christians who are having a hard time with spiritual disciplines or a new believer. But for me not as impactful as her study on No Other Gods.

[Adelina]

I loved this study. Appreciated how many passages she had me turn to gain context, the questions were great and personal responses weren’t too deep, but also not too shallow either. Really made me think about my spiritual discipline practices and how I could improve them in my current stage of life. Would love to refer back to this book when I need to.

[Cozy Queen ✨☕️]

I absolutely loved this work book. I find Ms. Kelly to be very funny and relatable while also knowing when to challenge your thoughts and habits. Very sound teaching as well. The layout of the workbook helped me dive into scripture in a way I didn’t know how to do. It was great for giving me more direction.

I was sad when I completed the workbook because it was such a sweet season. ♥️✨

[Lydia Gunter]

3.5 Did this as a ladies Bible study with my church. I felt like I didn't straight up disagree with much, but I also felt like Kelly did a LOT of stretching verses to make her points. She also chose some random disciplines to focus on. I think there are more important characteristics to develop than "celebration".

[Laurel VanDenBerg]

A nice study on spiritual disciplines of solitude, prayer, Bible study, simplicity, worship & celebration, with focused Biblical references for each of the disciplines. The section on prayer prompted me to do a deeper dive into prayer focusing on a variety Biblical characters & their use of different types of prayer.

[Hannah Mann]

I absolutely loved doing this study. Kelly is funny and engaging while deep and thought provoking. I lead a group of girls and we had great discussion while being equal parts encouraged and challenged. I highly recommend!

[Stacy]

Our first Bible study book for 2022, for my ladies group at church. Our small group thoroughly enjoyed these weeks of study on the spiritual disciplines. The videos were different from the homework, but all was informative, encouraging, challenging and motivating. Highly recommend.

[Tammy Mannarino]

I always enjoy Kelly Minter's take on things. She has a fresh, open, relatable approach. This look at the spiritual disciplines contains many resource pages that I know that I'll return to in the future.

[Deanna Perkins]

I really enjoyed this Bible Study. It was all about spiritual disciplines and really challenged me in some areas and refreshed me in others. I might do this once a year over the next few years as a good reminder.

[Valerie]

Decent study especially for new believers. Those who have been a Christian for a while might enjoy the refresher course, but this study is better done for young people, or new to their understanding of Jesus.

[Lindsay Whitty]

So good! I think people of all spiritual maturities would really benefit from this.

[Shelby]

A wonderful study that brought me closer to Jesus and gave me a greater understanding of what it means to abide with Him in daily life.

[Rachel Burton]

I love Kelly Minter's Bible studies and this is no exception. I like how practical it was.

[Sarah]

Life got in the way of me doing most of this study, but it looked like a neat study taking a week each to cover spiritual habits that help strengthen our relationship with God.

[Betsy Forbes]

I did this study twice with two different groups. It was amazing!! I highly recommend. Kelly is one of my faves if not my all time favorite. It was so applicable. Loved.

[Carol Murphy]

She is an awesome Bible scholar and helps you, as you study, understand the Word