In Rome in A.D. 165, two men named Carpus and Papylus stood before the proconsul of Pergamum, charged with the crime of being Christians. Not even torture could make them deny Christ, so they were burned alive.Is my faithfulness as strong?In the fifth century, Melania the Younger and her husband, Pinian, distributed their enormous wealth to the poor and intentionally practiced the discipline of renunciation.Could living more simply deepen my trust in God?In the sixteen hundreds, Philipp Jakob Spener's love for the Word of God and his desire to help people apply the Bible to their life moved him to start "Colleges of Piety," or small groups.In what ways could commitment to community make me more like Christ?The history of the church has shaped what our faith and practice are like today. It's tempting to think that the way we do things now is best, but history also has much to teach us about what we've forgotten. In Water from a Deep Well, Gerald Sittser opens to us the richhistory of spirituality, letting us gaze at the practices and stories of believers from the past who had the same thirst for God that we do today. As we see their deep faith through his vibrant narratives, we may discover that old ways can bring newlife to our own spirituality.



Eugene H. Peterson (1932–2018) was a pastor, scholar, author, and poet. He wrote more than thirty books, including his widely acclaimed paraphrase of the Bible, The Message; his memoir, The Pastor; and numerous works of biblicalspiritual formation, including Run with the Horses and Traveling Light.







Gerald L. Sittser (PhD, University of Chicago) is professor emeritus of theology at Whitworth University and a senior fellow in the Office of Church Engagement. He is a frequent university lecturer and writer and has authored nine books, includingA Grace Disguised, A Grace Revealed, The Will of God as a Way of Life, Resilient Faith, and A Cautious Patriotism. He is married and has five married children and twelve grandchildren.



Foreword by Eugene Peterson

Acknowledgments

Introduction: There is More!



1 Witness: The Spirituality of the Early Christian Martyrs

2 Belonging: The Spirituality of Early Christian Community

3 Struggle: The Spirituality of the Desert Saints

4 Rhythm: The Spirituality of Monasticism

5 Holy Heroes: The Spirituality of Icons and Saints

6 Windows: The Spirituality of the Sacraments

7 Union: The Spirituality of the Mystics

8 Ordinariness: TheSpirituality of the Medieval Laity

9 Word: The Spirituality of the Reformers

10 Conversion: The Spirituality of Evangelicals

11 Risk: The Spirituality of Pioneer Missionaries



Conclusion: Where Do We Go from Here?

Discussion Questions

Annotated Reading List

Illustration Credits

Notes

Index