A “Rule" of Life

Followers of Jesus throughout history have committed to rules of life for formation in the ways of Jesus. The word rule here does not mean a law or regulation we are required to follow. Instead, the origins of the word “rule” as used in rule of life relate to the use of a rod or straight piece of wood to which something can be attached to keep it straight. Like a trellis in a vineyard or garden. The trellis support keeps the climbing vines growing in the intended shape and direction.

With a rule of life, the spiritual practices we regularly engage in provide the trellis or structure for our formation in an intentional direction. Our rule of life, composed of specific spiritual practices, guides us in re-ordering our lives to be available for the Spirit-led process of spiritual formation. Through this process we are formed to be more like Jesus and trained in the direction of a deeper desire for him above all else. The practices that we commit to for our rule of life are not ends in themselves but means of grace for developing a whole-life orientation around Jesus and his purposes in our lives.

When you commit to a personal rule of life for a certain time period, you are invited to realistically acknowledge your season of life, rhythms of work and family life, and personality traits. You may commit to practices that you want to do daily (scripture reading and prayer, for example), weekly (worship service and Sabbath rest), and perhaps monthly or quarterly (such as a half-day for a retreat of silence and solitude).

You will consider a balance of practices that come easily to you and some that stretch you. For instance, if you tend to read the bible primarily for study and information, you might commit to more frequent meditation on scripture. In prayer, if you tend to bring a to-do list to God, you could commit to more time spent in prayers of praise and thanksgiving.

At Trinity, several of our core practices can be included in a communal as well as a personal rule of life. We will have opportunities to practice kindness, simplicity, community, and hospitality in forming our life together as the body of Christ. We hope you will consider prayerfully how God is leading you to engage in personal and communal spiritual formation as we enter this season of formation at Trinity.

At Trinity we affirm that the spiritual formation of followers of Jesus is grounded in the reality of abiding in Christ (John 15). The ABIDE acronym we use in the spiritual formation ministry comes from this theme of abiding and is a way of connecting and unifying our core spiritual practices. Each letter of ABIDE stands for another word: Adore, Bless, Invite, Devote, Examine. And each of these words is a category for several practices. For example, the practices for Adore are worship, Sabbath, and prayers of praise. One of the purposes of this booklet is to introduce you to all the ABIDE categories and practices. As our church community uses the ABIDE theme and becomes more familiar with the practices, this will increasingly become our shared language of spiritual formation at Trinity.

Learn more about Trinity’s “Rule of Life” and the acronym here or click the “read more” links below.