Spiritual Transformation (Abide): We put off the character of the flesh and put on the character of Christ through disciplined personal study and practice in a covenant community.
- Biblical literacy.
- Daily rhythm of prayer.
- Regular practice of spiritual disciplines like confession, fasting, rest, solitude, silence and public worship.
Emotional Wholeness (Heal): We aim to become emotionally whole people through practicing boundaries, rest, and reflection.
- Practicing boundaries with ourselves and with others in all areas of our lives: marriages, children, parents, church body, work, friends, finances, etc.
- Practicing the Sabbath, by taking time each day, each week and each year to rest, pray and play.
- Engaging in regular reflection on our walk with Christ, and joining with a professional counselor in this reflection periodically.
Embodied Mission (Embody): We live the life and death of Christ in our own lives. We build the Kingdom of God through the sharing of Christ’s word, living in step with His example and by enjoying His creation.
- Living a life of justice, generosity and hospitality. We care for the overlooked in our city, welcome our neighbors, and pray for our enemies.
- Spending regular time enjoying creation, caring for creation and teaching our children to do the same.
- Sharing the story of God to the world with our words and our lives.
What is a Rule of Life?
A rule of life at its most basic level is a chosen way to live your life. Most of us have a particular way we live our lives already. Our current way of living may or may not help form us into lovers of God, creation and people.
A Rule of Life is an intentionally chosen set of spiritual practices that have the goal of shaping your affections for God, his world and your fellow man.
But, why?
Your context is actively influencing and shaping the way you see the world and interact with it. Take for example the quote by economist Richard Murphy,
The whole purpose of advertising (small ads and maybe job recruitment apart) is not to inform, but is to spread dissatisfaction. Its intention is to make the person who is the target of the advertising campaign feel that their current consumption is inadequate and that they must have the item being promoted to achieve a proper sense of well-being.
Marketing and advertising are not neutral enterprises, they have a clear agenda. And they’re not the only ones. Spheres of government, education, art, entertainment, foodways, and industry are all teaching a worldview, a story of reality.
A Rule of Life then is a conscious choice to be formed by the Biblical story in the context of the Biblical community. It is a commitment to consciously resisting the formation of your desires by other stories.
How does this Rule of Life shape your community?
This set of practices has been chosen with the goal of creating people who have a deep consciousness of the love of Christ in their life, people who are emotionally mature and capable of practicing empathy and boundaries with theirselves and others, and people who live their lives the way Christ would if He were them.