The Common Rule A Rule of Life What

The Common Rule A Rule of Life

What is a Rule of Life • A rule of life is simply a well-thought out or intentional description of how you want to live your life for the glory of Jesus. It is a pattern of living, both intentional commitments and practices, as well as values and virtues. • A rule of life is an intentional and conscious plan to keep God at the center of everything we do, and the starting point is our loves…loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and our neighbor as ourselves. • A rule of life is a type of beginning with the end in mind, and then reverse engineering it with habits and practices to end there.

Why we need it? Take heed, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. ~ Deuteronomy 4: 9 • We live in a world of counter - formation. (Freedom Liturgy) • We are distracted • We are Scattered — full schedules that don’t reflect our purpose and priorities • We are Hurried — busier than we want to be, but don’t know what to do to change • We are Reactive — it seems we are never in charge, always responding to demands on our time and life • We are Exhausted — at the end of each day weary and discouraged, unsure if we have spent our time well.

The Eight Basic Elements 1. Spiritual 2. Intellectual 3. Emotional 4. Physical 5. Social • Marital • Parental • Relational • Church 6. Vocational 7. A-vocational 8. Financial

Vision 1. Spiritual - I want to feel closer to God. Where I feel close. Abiding. Prayer is a regular rhythm of my life — asking all day, in step with God’s Spirit, treasuring the Gospel, Present. 2. Intellectual - I want to have read a number of books. Different genres. Thought deeply about sermon series, book ideas. I want to write. 3. Emotional - not so angry. Present to negative emotions in a way where I can sit into them. Happier with my family. Not so negative, way more positive. Ok with sadness and grief. 4. Physical - freedom to play sports again. Stronger. Less pain. Be at my goal weight 5. Social • Marital - Present to Danette. Serving her through projects, putting things up for her, doing things she wants to do. Traveling twice as a couple. Helping her with the family. • Parental - doing things for my kids to make things better for them. More present. Leading them spiritually and emotionally • Relational - present and connected to my social circles — church, friends, other. Probably limiting some to have a greater focus on others. Time with friends. Experiences with friends. Have more people into our home • Church - want to be present and connected with the people I shepherd, visiting them in their homes 6. Vocational - I want the church to have its best year of growth — people and financial. Adding staff. My pay increasing. Seeing people come to faith. People helped to experience redemption. Fund raising planned and more money being raised outside the church than ever. 7. A-vocational - golf game improving (shooting in the 70’s), more consistent. Writing, growing as a writer, maybe. 8. Financial - want to get out of debt, giving more away than last year

Habits 1. Spiritual - Scripture reading, prayer, silence and solitude, study, meditation, reflection, etc 2. Intellectual - reading books, writing, creating 3. Emotional - seeing a counselor, meeting with a friend, I want to be present to my emotions, be one with being sad. 4. Physical - working out, sleeping and resting, I want to be stronger 5. Social • Marital - date night with my wife; practicing FANOS • Parental - reading to my kids before bed, blessing them, playing each day, teaching them • Relational - Spending time outside in the front yard, having people over to my home • Church - going to worship, City groups, finding a place to minister, giving 6. Vocational - meeting regularly with my supervisor, meeting with my team, planning, having lunch with a co-worker 7. A-vocational - I want to go on a vacation this year, I want to hit the rock wall gym each week 8. Financial - I want to create a budget

How to Create a Rule of Life? • Plan Ahead - Ideally set aside 4 -8 hours to focus on writing a rule. Or maybe an hour for each of the 8 basics. • Get Away - a retreat of sorts. You…you and your spouse. A cabin, a mountain, a park, a library. • Be Prepared - a Bible, a Notebook, (the chart I give you). Try not to have anything on that might distract you. • Spend some time in God’s word. Read an entire book in one setting. Think about a verse for each of the 8 elements. • Pray through each element. • Write out your vision or commitments • Commit to a habit or two that goes with each element, and write down 1 counter liturgy that de-forms you in this area (a liturgical audit of sorts)

Remember • A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan next week. ~ George Patton • Start Now • You won’t get it right the first time. • So You will need to review… • Schedule four reviews - a daily review; a weekly review; a monthly review; a quarterly review; a annual review

Sample Rules • What resonates? • What seems hard? • Other Questions?

Final Thoughts • Creating a rule may not be for everyone, but in our busy and fragmented world, it is a helpful, time-honored resource for deep, wise living (and Christian formation). ~ Jeremy Linneman • Ephesians 5 - Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 16 • 17 Ephesians 3 - …according to the riches of his glory may He grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 17 18 19

Examples of rules