Writing a Rule of Life – chrisaltrock.com

What Spiritual Disciplines Do

I’ve run a dozen or so half-marathons. Each is a journey of 13.1 miles. Each time I run a race, I have a similar experience. After registering for the race months before it begins, I’m only physically capable of running three or four miles. If I had to run the half-marathon the day I registered, I simply wouldn’t be able to do it. My body couldn’t run that far. But it can handle three or four miles. And by focusing on what I can do, and then slowly increasing it over several months, eventually I’m able to run the full distance.

The Christian life is a similar journey. It’s not a trek to a good place (i.e., heaven). More, it’s a trek to becoming good people. The “finish line” is us becoming genuine and selfless lovers of God and lovers of people (Matt. 22), us becoming just like Jesus in all his perfection (Eph. 4). But if we had to get to that finish line the day of our baptism, or even today, most of us could not. We are not capable (yet) of living and loving as Jesus did. We are, however, capable of some attitudes and actions that lean in this direction. And by focusing on what we can do, and then slowly increasing that over a lifetime, we reach our goal.

The “what we can do,” are called “spiritual disciplines.” They are the things we are capable of now that can lead to the godly life we want to be capable of in the future. For example, someone wronged by a careless and callous family member may not be able to forgive that person today. But they are able to pray a short line every day like “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And this small step repeated over time slowly increases their capacity for forgiveness. Spiritual disciplines are like the training runs taken in the months prior to a half-marathon. They are anything you can do with direct effort that will eventually help you do what you cannot do with direct effort. We must, therefore, not simply try hard to move along in this journey–we must train hard. Spiritual disciplines are how we go into training to become more and more like Jesus.

They are not the only means by which God propels us down the path toward Christlikeness. God uses three things to shape us deeply:

the trials of life,
the powerful indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and
spiritual disciplines.

Spiritual disciplines, in concert with the empowerment of the Spirit and the hard transformation brought by suffering and crisis eventually train us into people who are who we were created to be.

What Spiritual Disciplines Are

Almost anything can be a spiritual discipline. Adele Calhoun has compiled a list of seventy-five practices and habits known in the the church to be effective in their ability to train us into Christlikeness (see Appendix). These include accountability partners, breath prayers, centering prayer, detachment, examen, fixed-hour prayer, gratitude, hospitality, intercession, journaling, liturgical prayer, memorization, practicing the presence, rest, Sabbath, truth-telling, unplugging, visio divina, waiting and many others. To these we can add almost anything. Tish Harrison Warren explores the way in which ordinary actions and circumstances can be utilized as spiritual disciplines. She explores how mundane actions like making the bed, brushing your teeth, eating leftovers, checking email, drinking tea, sleeping and many others may be approached as spiritual disciplines.

The key is intentionality. “Intentionality,” one of my spiritual mentors always said, “is the first spiritual discipline.” Almost anything done with the intention of loving God and loving people in the way of Christ can become a spiritual discipline that trains us and shapes us over time.

Finding Your Spiritual Disciplines

An important step toward intentionality is developing what is often called a “rule of life.” The word “rule” means “trellis” (Greek). A trellis enables a grapevine to get off the ground and grow upward, becoming more fruitful. A “rule” of life similarly enables us to grow upward and become more fruitful. It is, at its most basic, the intentional and conscious list of practices and habits we intend to engage in during a season of life to move toward our goal in the spiritual life. It is the pattern of spiritual disciplines the provide structure and direction for our spiritual growth.

How do you select spiritual disciplines that make up your “rule of life”? There are three basic questions that begin to clarify the list for us:

What spiritual disciplines do you feel drawn to in this season of life?
In what areas of your life do you sense God calling you to stretch or grow?
What kind of balance do you need in your life (e.g., between “passive” practices like solitude and “active” practices like “serving,” etc.).

Reflecting on these three issues can help identify certain spiritual practices and habits that are required in this point in your life.

Stephen Macchia urges us to consider the whole breadth of our life when writing a rule of life. There are at least five factors to consider:

Time – practices that deepen our walk with God.
Trust – practices that improve the basic relationships with people in our lives.
Temple – habits you’ll adopt to be a better steward of your body, mind, soul and spirit (e.g., self-care).
Treasure – habits you’ll engage in to be a better steward of your resources.
Talent – spiritual discipline you’ll engage in that enable you to be on mission with God in the world.

Macchia urges people to select practices and habits in each of these five areas.

Another factor in selecting spiritual disciplines for a “rule of life” is to choose those that best fit what Gary Thomas calls your “sacred pathway”–the way you best connect to God. Thomas proposes that there are at least nine pathways and that most people have one or two that capture the way they most fully engage God:

Naturalists – loving God outdoors.
Sensates – loving God with the senses.
Traditionalists – loving God through ritual and symbol.
Ascetics – loving God through solitude and simplicity.
Activists – loving God through confrontation.
Caregivers – loving God by loving others.
Enthusiasts – loving God through mystery and celebration.
Contemplatives – loving God through adoration.
Intellectuals – loving God with the mind.

Some spiritual disciplines “fit” each of these pathways. You might choose disciplines that fall in the pathway you already find yourself in. Or you might choose practices that fall in a pathway you want to experience but don’t currently utilize.

Yet another way to approach crafting a rule is to consider the three basic elements of life with God:

God with us. This is the relational aspect of our spirituality. Some spiritual disciplines excel at developing and deepening our awareness of God’s presence, our sense of his love, and the companionship he offers.
God in us. The is the transformational aspect to our spirituality. Some spiritual habits are perfect for partnering with God in the transformation of our character. These are the habits that better enable us to live out the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, etc.
God through us. This is the vocational element to our spirituality. Some spiritual practices focus on the way we join God in carrying out his kingdom mission on the earth.

You might spend some time reflecting on these three areas of your life with God and on identifying some practices and habits that nurture each.

Once chosen, practices and habits may need to be re-evaluated regularly. A practice that bears fruit today, may not in the future, because of changes in your life-stage, health, schedule, etc.

Below is a worksheet combines several of the factors above. You may find it useful as you consider your rule of life.

My “Sacred Pathway” ___________________________

God WITH Me *Relational* Practices that enable me to enjoy and experience God’s presence, companionship, and friendship. (time)	God IN Me *Transformational* Practices that allow me to partner with God in the transformation of my character. (treasure, trust, temple)	God THROUGH Me *Vocational* Practices that permit me to participate with God in his purposes in the world. (talent)
How often I’ll practice them: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Annually ____________________________________________________________________________________________	How often I’ll practice them: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Annually ____________________________________________________________________________________________	How often I’ll practice them: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Annually ____________________________________________________________________________________________

Appendix

75 Spiritual Disciplines – Adele Calhoun

Accountability Partner – to give a regular and honest account of my choice, priorities and temptations to a godly and wise companion who points me to Christ.
Bible Study – to know what the Bible says and how it intersects with my life.
Blessing others/ Encouragement – to instill courage, confidence and hope through expressing the delight God has in others.
Breath Prayer – to pray a simple, intimate prayer of heartfelt desire before God.
Care of the Earth – to honor the Creator by loving, nurturing and stewarding his creation.
Celebration – to take joyful, passionate pleasure in God and the radically glorious nature of God’s people, Word, world and purposes.
Centering Prayer – to quiet the heart and rest in God alone.
Chastity – to revere God by receiving and honoring my body and the bodies of others with purity of thought and action.
Community – to express and reflect the self-donating love of the Trinity by investing in and journey with others.
Compassion – to become the healing presence of Christ to others.
Confession and Self-Examination – to surrender my weaknesses and faults to the forgiving love of Christ and intentionally desire and embrace practices that lead to transformation.
Contemplation – to wake up to the presence of God in all things.
Contemplative Prayer – to develop an open, restful receptivity to the Trinity that enables me to always be with God just as I am.
Control of the Tongue – to turn the destructive way I use words into authentic, loving and healing speech.
Conversational Prayer – to talk naturally and unselfconsciously to God in prayer times with others.
Covenant Group – to enter into authentic confidential and healing relationships with a committed group of fellow pilgrims.
Detachment – to nurture the spirit of trust that is attached to God alone.
Lectio Divina/ Devotional Reading – to prayerfully encounter and surrender to the Living God through attending to Scripture.
Discernment – to delight in and recognize the voice and will of God.
Discipling – to be in a relationship where I am encouraged or where I encourage another to become an apprentice of Jesus.
Examen – to reflect on where I was most and least present to God’s love in my day.
Face-to-Face Connection – to connect face to face, in person, below the surface of words and conversation.
Fasting – to let go of an appetite in order to seek God on matters of deep concern for others, myself and the world.
Fixed-Hour Prayer – to stop my work and pray throughout the day.
Forgiveness – to live into Jesus’ forgiving heart and stop the cycle of vengeance.
Gratitude – to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s prompting to live with a grateful heart, cognizant of God’s work in my life and my abundant resources.
Holy Communion – to be nourished by Christ, tasting the sweet depths of redemption.
Hospitality – to be a safe person who offers others the grace, shelter and presence of Jesus.
Humility – to become like Jesus in his willingness to choose the hidden way of love rather than the way of power.
Iconography – to open myself to knowing God through the visual shorthand of icons that portray the lives of biblical characters, events and seasons saints.
Inner-Healing Prayer – to assist the emotionally broken and wounded as they seek God for the healing only he can give.
Intercessory Prayer – to turn my concerns and worries into prayer; to enter God’s heart for the world and then prayer from there.
Journaling – to be alert to my life through writing and reflecting on God’s presence and activity in, around and through me.
Justice – to love others by seeking their good, protection, gain and fair treatment.
Labyrinth Prayer – to make a quiet, listening pilgrimage to God.
Listening Prayer – to quiet the inner and outer noise so I can open my heart and listen for God’s voice.
Liturgical Prayer – to open myself to God through established patterns or traditions of written prayers and readings.
Meditation – to more deeply gaze on God through the written Word and created order.
Memorization – to carry the life-shaping words of God in me at all times and in all places.
Mentoring – to accompany and encourage others to grow in their God-given potential.
Mindfulness/ Attentiveness – to live wholeheartedly in the present moment, alert to God and without judgement.
Pilgrimage – to go on an outer journey that will lead me closer to God.
Practicing the Presence – to develop a continual openness and awareness of Christ’s presence living in me.
Prayer of Lament – to take my complaints, anger, suffering, frustrations and heartaches to God.
Prayer of Recollection – to rest in God, allowing him to calm and heal my fragment and distracted self.
Prayer Partners – to share the journey of prayer with a trusted companion.
Prayer Scripture – to allow God to shape my prayer life through the words of Scripture.
Prayer Walking – to align myself with Christ and his intercession for the kingdom to come while walking in particular places.
Rest – to honor God and my human limitations through restful rhythms.
Retreat – to pull back from daily life and spend extended time with God.
Rule for Life – to live a sane and holy rhythm that reflects a deep love for God and respect for how he has made me.
Sabbath – to set apart one day a week for rest and worship of God.
Secrecy – to follow the simple and often hidden way of Christ.
Self-Care – to value myself as my heavenly Father values me.
Service – to reflect the helping, caring and sharing love of God in the world.
Silence – to free myself from the addiction to and distraction of noise so I can be totally present to the Lord; to open myself to God in the place beyond words.
Simplicity – to uncomplicate and untangle my life so I can focus on what really matters.
Slowing – to curb my addiction to busyness, hurry and workaholism; to learn to savor the moment.
Small Group – to take my spiritual journey with a community of trusted friends.
Sobriety – to live with moderation and full attachment to God–without dependence on substances that are harmful to my life.
Solidarity in Jesus’ Sufferings – to be with Jesus in my pain and with Jesus in his pain.
Solitude – to leave people behind and enter into time alone with God.
Spiritual Direction – to give caring attention to my relationship with God accompanied by the prayerful presence of someone who helps me listen well to God.
Spiritual Friendship – to develop a friendship that encourages and challenges me to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength.
Stewardship – to live as a steward of God’s resources in all areas of life; to live out of the awareness of that nothing I have is my own.
Submission – to have Jesus as the Master of my life in absolutely every way.
Teachability – to remain a lifelong learner who is continually open to the fresh wind of the Holy Spirit.
Truth Telling – to live an authentically truthful life.
Unity – to live in harmony with Christ’s desire for the church to be one; to be a bridge-builder and peacemaker in the body of Christ.
Unplugging – to be fully present to an uninterrupted in my interactions with God and others.
Visio Divina – to worship God in the beauty of created things.
Waiting – to patiently trust in God’s goodness and timing in the events and relationships of my life.
Welcoming Prayer – to welcome Jesus into every part of my life, body, circumstances and relationships.
Witness – to reveal the life-changing love of Jesus to others.
Worship – to honor and adore the Trinity as the supreme treasure of life.

SOURCES:

John Ortberg Eternity is now in Session

John Ortberg The Life You’ve always Wanted

Dallas Willard The Spirit of the Disciplines

Dallas Willard The Great Omission

Adele Calhoun Spiritual Disciplines Handbook Revised and Expanded

Tish Harrison Warren Liturgy of the Ordinary

Peter Scazzero Emotionally Healthy Spirituality

Marjorie Thompson Soul Feast

Stephen Macchia Crafting a Rule of Life

Gary Thomas Sacred Pathways

Glen Scorgie A Little Guide to Christian Spirituality