Living Intentionally Rule of life Retreat
A personal rule of life allows us to clarify our deepest values, our most important relationships, our most authentic hopes and dreams, our most meaningful work, our highest priorities. It allows us to live with intention and purpose in the present moment.
Sometimes when people hear the phrase “rule of life,” they imagine a list of rules which they would be bound to follow. It’s not an inviting image for most of us, and more often leads to ‘death’ rather than ‘life.’ (Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to keep New Year’s resolutions?) But creating a list of rules to follow is not the intention of a rule of life.
The word “rule” derives from the Latin word, regula, which implies not so much a system of rules or laws, but rather a way of regulating and regularizing our lives so that we can stay on the path we have set out for ourselves. A rule is like a trellis which offers support and guidance for a plant, helping it to grow in a certain direction. A rule of life is descriptive in that it articulates our intentions and identifies the ways in which we want to live. And when we fall short of these intentions, the rule becomes prescriptive, showing us how we can return to the path that we have set for ourselves and recapture our original vision. It is not something fixed and rigid, but something which can and should be adapted to our present circumstances and shaped to fit our current needs and desires.
Rules of life grew out of the monastic tradition of the Church and have their origins in the 3rd and 4th centuries when Christian monastic communities first came into being in the deserts of Egypt. Even though rules of life were originally developed for communities, they can also be useful for individuals. In a rule of life an individual can put into words those things that he or she values most and can identify ways in which they can be achieved or lived.
Like any spiritual discipline, adopting a rule should help you to live more faithfully. It is a tool to aid you in living a rich and meaningful life. Designing a rule is not an end in itself, but rather a means to an end: namely, to live our lives for God with purpose and intention.
Randy Pierce has been living with a rule of life for over 15 years and has experienced the impact on his walk with Christ. He will be sharing from his experiences and helping others create their own personal rule of life at a one-day Living Intentionally rule of life prayer retreat.
We will take this one step at a time, like putting a puzzle together. In 4 one-hour sessions you will prayerfully discern God’s desire for you in several areas of your life. Then, in the fifth and final session you will pull it all together into your own personal ROL. As we go each session, I’ll provide a number of questions and prayer prompts to guide you in developing your own rule of life—your own trellis to help you abide in Christ more deeply.
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Important Notice: This is indeed not just a workshop or seminar but a prayer retreat. Since our goal is to discern how God would have us live our lives it is imperative that we spend time with Him sitting quiet and still. The Moor at XMA is a scared space and this will be a sacred time. We can’t hear God’s still, small voice if we are distracted by our devices so we are requiring you to shelve your phone for a few hours. You will need to let your family and friends know that you will not be checking your phone from 9:00 to 4:00 on the retreat day.
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