The 12
Building Habits that Lead to Spiritual Maturity
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If you are anything like me, you have had moments in your journey of faith that seemed as if you were on a roller coaster. At times, it was only a little one, like that old wooden coaster at Angela Park. At times, it may have seemed like the SooperDooperLooper at Hershey Park, and it nearly sucked you right out of the safety harness. You experienced a significant spiritual awakening where you felt the power and presence of God in deep tangible ways, and then, like coming off a sugar rush, you crashed. You wondered, How on earth did someone convince me to get on that thing? Nonetheless, with the taste of vomit still in the back of your throat, you got right back in line for another ride.
Sometimes, it’s obvious what transpired. Reality set in, and like Moses, you came down Mt. Siani only to find the people in your life acting like fools. You threw down that experience like the Ten Commandments, shattering all that God had done. At other times, you were hit with temptation as you came down from your spiritual high, and you stumbled into sin once again. Ashamed and embarrassed, you decided to linger there and wait for the next opportunity to get back on track. Little did you know that it would put you right back on the roller coaster cycle once more.
I have seen this over and over again in youth ministry. Students would show up to a youth service, respond to the love and mercy of God, have an emotionally moving experience at the altar, then a few days later when the weekend began, their spiritual awakening faded into the night. Weekend retreats and summer camps had a longer lasting engagement, but for many, the end result was similar.
The spiritual roller coaster is all too real and all too acceptable in the modern church world. Its effect on your personal life, not to mention the Kingdom of God, is tremendously destabilizing. The roller coaster life begins when we get comfortable ignoring the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Our comfort then leads to complacency. Complacency gives way to compromise. Compromise then fashions into carnality, a self-seeking and self-pleasuring lifestyle. This type of living is not sustainable, and cannot be acceptable.
A lack of conviction is what puts us on that roller coaster, and a lack of discipline is what keeps us there. Nobody wants to live like that. We all desire the stability and security of a consistent spiritual life. That’s why you picked up this book in the first place.
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About the Book
Do you find yourself struggling to survive a rollercoaster life? Do you feel as if you are missing out on the full life God has created you for? Do you regularly attend a life giving church and yet still lack the spiritual strength to walk out your faith. Roger Nelmes has experienced this himself and believes that it is due to our lack of spiritual discipline.
In The 12, Nelmes inspires us with twelve weeks of real life stories, devotions, and prompts to help us begin and develop our spiritual habits. It walks us through what he calls The Twelve: twelve minutes in five spiritual disciplines: worship, prayer, devotion, journaling, and encouraging others.
Each week begins with a short story and summary of various Biblical principles. The daily pages then provide suggested scripture readings, worship songs, and space for journaling and recording your prayers. The Sunday pages include weekly reflection and space to take notes while attending your church worship service.
With so many things fighting for our attention, building our faith often gets forgotten. The Twelve helps you establish five essential habits to bring greater spiritual maturity.
“Show me your habits and I’ll show you your future! This book will help you make and break the habits that will make or break you.”
-Mark Batterson, pastor of National Community Church and
New York Times best selling author
“Roger builds a bold response to draw hearts back to what really matters.”
-Daniel Groves, pastor of Hope City
About the Author
Roger Nelmes is the Connect Groups Pastor for Hope City’s multi-site church in Houston, Texas. Although he has served in various pastoral roles over the last twenty-seven years, his specialties are small groups and discipleship. Roger graduated from Northpoint Bible College and earned a master’s degree in discipleship and church ministry from Liberty University. He and his wife, Chrissy, live in Hockley, Texas, with their three sons.