Rule of Life Materials
Compiled in preparation for Lent, and as part of our Year of Discernment at Christ Episcopal Church.
What is a Rule of Life?
What is a Rule of Life? How Do I Begin?
A Rule of Life is an intentional commitment to a set of practices that provide guidance, rhythm and inspiration for living a beautiful, meaningful and holy life. As we place these practices at the heart of our daily lives and join with companions who share the commitment, we grow more and more in the unselfish, hope-filled Way of Love that Jesus embodied in the world.
from The Way of Love Introduction. Link available here, documents included below!
From our meeting on 1 Feb. 2024
A rule of life is a cluster of spiritual practices that a person takes on for a season (and in some cases a lifetime), in order to deepen their relationship with God, others, Creation, and even themself.
Some of us at Christ Church are planning to create a rule of life for ourselves (individually) for Lent, and then meet up every other week to check in with each other on how it's going. Even if you couldn't make the first meeting, you are invited to join!
Worksheets for Crafting a Rule of Life
Below there are both links and copies to worksheets you could use to craft a rule of life this Lent. The first document has three options: one with the four areas of lent, an alternate Lenten option with 3 areas, and a rule of life based on the Baptismal Covenant. The second document is based on the Way of Love Rule of Life. More info about the Way of Love here.
Way of Love ROL Worksheet.pdfIdeas for Your Rule of Life
Here are some suggested ideas of Spiritual Practices to include in your Rule of Life (suggested by people in our first meeting):
Journaling, reading the Bible every day, using a prayer app, a book of daily meditations, Diane R.'s class/small group on the Christian Century, going to the Ash Wednesday Service, going to church every Sunday in Lent, praying the Daily Office, signing up for the devotionals from Episcopal Relief and Development, making an appointment to talk about discernment, praying the general confession every morning, using the Ignatian examen, going to confession, prayerful walking, gratitude journaling, going about chores prayerfully/intentionally, serving at a charity, giving away extra coats and clothes, attending Centering Prayer.
As you can see, there's a wide variety of spiritual practices you could try in your Rule of Life. Choose practices that you're comfortable with, or practices that challenge you, or a combination!
There's a sample rule of life below. If you have questions about how to craft your Rule of Life or you'd like to learn more about a specific spiritual practice feel free to email Courtney (therevecj@gmail.com). We also talked about how Courtney will have calendar appointments available for anyone who wants to talk about their Rule of Life, or what they're discovering in their Spiritual Gifts inventory, where they're at in your discernment, or if they'd like to make a confession appointment for during Lent as part of their Rule of Life.
Samples
Sample - Lenten Invitation Based ROL.pdfSample - Baptimsal Covenant Based ROL.pdfWay of Love Rule of Life
way_of_love_introduction.pdf