Table of Contents

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: The Spirituality 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

About the Author

Peterson, now retired, was for many years James M. Houston Professor of Spiritual Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. He also served as founding pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland. In addition to his widely acclaimed paraphrase of the Bible, The Message (NavPress), he has written many other books.

Gerald L. Sittser (Ph.D., University of Chicago) is professor of theology at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington. He is also the author of A Grace Disguised, The Will of God as a Way of Life and Love One Another.

Reviews

Water From a Deep Well will reward readers who appreciate thorough research and detailed reporting, enlivened by telling asides and black-and-white illustrations.
*Monica Tenney, Congregational Libraries Today, November/December 2008*

The lives of the saints are provided to inspire, encourage and invite us to join them on our own journeys of transforamtion. Consider a copy of Sittser's excellent, well-researched book for your home or church library.
*Gail Welborn, The Cypress Times February 17, 2009*

Sittser utilizes the metaphor of food and drink to serve up a timely corrective to one-generational approaches by inviting sojourners to an elaborate feast with the family of faith. This tried and true recipe deserves consideration not only as a personal or collective devotional but also for courses in church history, ecclesiology, and spiritual formation.
*Martin William Mittelstadt, Religious Studies Review, September 2008*

Water From a Deep Well is a good book for a time when some evangelicals seem intent on de-rooting themselves from their family tree.
*Matthew P. Ristuccia, WORLD Magazine,Nov. 29/Dec 6, 2008*

Even if we cannot be a Saint Francis ora monk, there are lessons to be learned from reading about our predecessors in the Christian faith. Recommended for anyone who is interested in strengthening his or her spirituality.
*John B. Shewmaker, Catholic Library World, December 2008*

Because it is such a well-written, well-researched, and well-conceived book, it will immediately become an indispensible book for anyone interested in Christian spirituality and the history of Christian spirituality.
*Michael Glerup, Journal of Spiritual Formation Soul Care*

"Sittser's lucid prose and earnest manner of addressing his readers' own spiritual needs makes Water from a Deep Well an exceptionally accessible book, and thus 'popular' in the best sense of the word. But the helps and critical apparatus at the end make the book suitable for academically rigorous settings."
*Richard B. Steele for Catholic Books Review, April 2008*

"Excellent, well-researched book."
*Gail Welbourn, Montgomery's Journey, April 2008*

"The lives of the saints are provided to inspire, encourage and invite us to join them on our own journeys of transformation."
*Gail Welborn, Christian News Northwest, March 2008*

Water From a Deep Well is a hard-to-put-down book. . . . The author's aim is to help us mine the riches of our wide heritage, and he does it admirably. . . . His grasp of the subject, ability with words, and his experience learning these lessons shine from every page."
*Donna Eggett, Christian Book Previews, February 2008*

"My supply of adjectives fails me in describing the worth of this book."
*Betty Waller for The Lamplighter, February 2008*

"An excellent resource for devotional study and personal spiritual development."
*Pulpit Helps, December 2007*

"Sittser's wonderfully capacious book gives us ecumenism at its best."
*Christianity Today, November 2007*

"[A] compelling history of spirituality. . . . Sittser concludes each chapter with . . . ways that certain spiritual practices can be incorporated into contemporary observance. . . . [A] valuable tool."
*Publishers Weekly starred review, September 24, 2007*

"Gerald Sittser’s volume Water from a Deep Well is a great gift to Christians. He leads us from the early martyrs to medieval mystics, from Reformers focusing on the Word to pioneering missionaries proclaiming that the captives have been set free. Sittser tells us about the past that we might better appreciate our family of faith."
*Kelly M. Kapic, Journal of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care, 2017*