Richard J. Foster

• Overview
• Bio
• Books
• Articles
• Audio & Video
• Podcast Episodes

Articles & Essays by Richard J. Foster

Letter

The Kingdoms of This World in Light of the Kingdom of God

Published October, 2004 • Featured January 26, 2024

Richard Foster shares ​“theological convictions that surround civic responsibility” in this newsletter from the Renovaré archives.

Book Excerpt

Love's Imparting

Featured February 7, 2023

Three readings — two recent and one from the 15^th century — unpack the biblical image of God as Lover and humans as Beloved.

Book Excerpt from Learning Humility

Humility, the Root of Virtue

Published December, 2022 • Featured December 8, 2022

This excerpt from Richard Foster’s new book on a ​“vanishing virtue” explores the hidden opportunities in our daily lives to learn about and practice a humble way of being.

Book Excerpt from Celebration of Discipline

Three Converging Influences

Published January, 1998 • Featured August 12, 2022

Richard Foster tells how a range of spiritual mentors from different Christian traditions helped him become a more rooted Christian.

Book Excerpt from Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home

The Prayer of Suffering

Published August, 1992 • Featured March 10, 2022

Richard Foster invites us to ​“voluntarily take into ourselves the griefs and sorrows of others in order to set them free” in this chapter from his book Prayer.

Book Excerpt from Streams of Living Water

Holy Joy

Published October, 1998 • Featured December 14, 2021

“I commend Francis of Assisi to you as a model of charismatic jubilee,” writes Richard Foster in Streams of Living Water. In this excerpt, Foster tells the heart-warming story of St. Francis coordinating history’s first live Nativity scene.

Letter

Waiting, Stillness, and Abundant Life

Published November, 2007 • Featured November 5, 2021

“Waiting is right at the heart of Christian spirituality.” Richard Foster penned this essay on the confluence of waiting, stillness, and abundance in Christian life in a vintage Heart to Heart letter.

Letter

A New Reformation

Published January, 2000 • Featured June 18, 2021

A reformation of the heart, Richard Foster writes, ​“centers on the work of spiritual formation, that is, the formation of the human spirit by the Spirit of God.”

Essay

What is Spiritual Direction?

Published February, 2009 • Featured June 4, 2021

What is spiritual direction and how do you choose a spiritual director?

Book Excerpt from Spiritual Classics

God's Love Is Higher Even Than My Sins

Published January, 2000 • Featured February 19, 2021

John Wesley takes sin seriously and here distinguishes between different kinds. The goal is not shame or perfectionism, but to point us toward freedom in Christ and to help us recognize that the choices we make matter.

Book Excerpt from Celebration of Discipline

Hearing and Obeying

Published January, 1978 • Featured November 13, 2020

With straightforward clarity, Richard Foster explains that ​“Christian meditation, very simply, is the ability to hear God’s voice and obey his word. It is that simple.”

Book Excerpt from Streams of Living Water

Bonhoeffer's Road to Freedom

Published December, 2001 • Featured October 12, 2020

Read anew some well-considered words from Dietrich Bonhoeffer on the ​“four great dimensions of a spiritual life that lead to freedom in all its facets.” Richard Foster introduces us to them in this excerpt from Streams of Living Water

Book Excerpt from Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home

Catching a Glimpse of God's Heart

Published August, 1992 • Featured September 18, 2020

An excerpt from Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home extends this beautiful truth: ​“The Father’s heart is open wide — you are welcome to come in.”

Book Excerpt from Streams of Living Water

I See a People

Published September, 1998 • Featured July 30, 2020

At the end of Streams of Living Water, Richard Foster shares this powerful vision for the people of God, even if it is one still seen through a glass dimly.

Journal/Magazine Article

Pulling Down Strongholds

Published March, 1989 • Featured June 24, 2020

If Jesus is calling us into battle against ​“injustice, oppression, hatred, bigotry, cruelty, tyranny, brutality, and anything else opposed to the way of God” as part of the Lamb’s Army, what are our weapons in this peaceable war? Richard Foster reminds us of the mighty spiritual arsenal we possess.

Book Excerpt from Streams of Living Water

Notable African-American Social Justice Movements and Figures

Published September, 1998 • Featured June 19, 2020

From Streams of Living Water, Richard Foster and Lynda Graybeal provide a handful of thumbnail sketches of movements and figures that fought for freedom and equality.

Book Foreword from Becoming Dallas Willard

Model of a Life Well Lived

Published March, 2018 • Featured May 6, 2020

Richard Foster reflects on the ​“human supernova” who changed his life forever: Dallas Willard. In this foreword to Becoming Dallas Willard, Richard shares memories of his friend and why he believes that Dallas’s life is a model for our time.

Book Excerpt from Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home

The Sustaining Bread of Self-Knowledge

Published September, 1992 • Featured April 29, 2020

Richard Foster joins us to share (with the help of Teresa of Ávila) why the Prayer of Examen is essential to self-knowledge and why self-knowledge is essential to spiritual health. An excerpt from Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home.

Essay

A Place to Stand

Published June, 2016 • Featured March 8, 2020

Learn the history of the Renovaré Covenant, especially the theology and thought poured into every word, in this essay from Richard Foster.

Book Excerpt from Streams of Living Water

The Model of a Virtuous Life

Published March, 1999 • Featured February 23, 2020

In this excerpt from Richard Foster’s Streams of Living Water, a biographical sketch of Dietrich Bonhoeffer offers an example not only of the Holiness Tradition, but of the balance of all six streams of Christian tradition.