The Well-Ordered Way

Here are some resources mentioned in The Well-Ordered Way: Finding Freedom in a Rule of Life webcast conversation between Stephen Macchia, Jonathan Bailey, and Carolyn Arends.

SPECIAL NOTES AND OPPORTUNITIES

• For even more wisdom on this topic, you may wish to visit (or revisit) our 2021 Webinar, Finding your Rhythm: Crafting a Rule of Life (with Ken Shigematsu and Jean Nevills)
  
  

• One of this webinar’s panelists, Steve Macchia, is releasing a new book entitled The Discerning Life: An Invitation to Notice God in Everything. Anyone who pre-orders the book can participate in a free ​“Reading Retreat” — learn more here.
  
  

• You can learn more about the Renovaré Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation here. (The deadline for the 2022 – 24 cohort is February 1^st, 2022, at which point we will begin opening applications for the 2023 – 25 cohort.)
  
  

• The next book in the Renovaré Book Club is A Burning in My Bones: The Authorized Biography of Eugene Peterson. We hope you can join us!

WEBINAR RESOURCES

• Webinar Recording without ads

Countdown Song

• New Years Day from the album Just Getting Started (An Acoustic Reflection on 20 Years in Music) by Carolyn Arends

Resources Recommended by Stephen Macchia

• Books by Stephen Macchia
  • Crafting a Rule of Life (Macchia)

    • Definition of Personal Rule of Life (p. 14): ​“Your personal rule of life is a holistic description of the Spirit-empowered rhythms and relationships that create, redeem, sustain and transform the life God invites you to humbly fulfill for Christ’s glory.”

  • Ruleoflife.com — website supporting Crafting a Rule of Life

  • The Discerning Life: An Invitation to Notice God in Everything,

• Other Recommended Resources

  • God in My Everything (Shigematsu) — contains an appendix with many practical examples of a variety of Rules of Life

  • Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction (Earley)

  • The Rule of St. Benedict — many editions available online

• Steve’s 5 Areas of Consideration for Crafting a Rule of Life

1. Spiritual Life — Relationship with God

2. Physical Well-Being — The Body as a Temple of the Holy Spirit

3. Calling — the Missional Work of the Holy Spirit

4. Finances — how do I steward my treasure?

5. Relationships with others

• Romans 12:1 – 2 — The Message: Place Your Life Before God

  • So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life — your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life — and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

• Closing Prayer: Psalm 16

Resources recommended by Jonathan Bailey

• Books by Jonathan Bailey

  • The Eternal Journey (Booklet/PDF)

  • DWELL app

• Other Resources

  • Life of St. Anthony (Athanasius)

  • Wisdom of the Desert (Merton)

  • Seeking God: The Way of St. Benedict (de Waal)

  • Praxislabs.org — communal rule of life for business leaders/entrepreneurs

Resources recommended by Carolyn Arends

• Renovare Articles

  • How We Order Our Hearts (Carolyn Arends)

  • How to Create a Rule of Life Based on the Six Streams (Chris Webb)

Other Resources Mentioned in the Webinar and Chat:

• The Artist’s Rule by Christine Valters Paintner. She is a Benedictine Oblate and author of several books. Her book is a 12-week journey introducing you to Benedictine thought and creating a personal rule as an artist.

• Don Pape (papecommons.com)

• The Monk Manual (monkmanual.com)

• Northumbriacommunity.org

• Order Of The Mustard Seed

• 100daysofDante.com

• Radical Spirit (Chittister)

• Wisdom Distilled from the Daily: Living the Rule of St. Benedict Today (Chittister)

• Always We Begin Again (McQuiston)

• The Benedict Option (Dreher)

• The Soul of Shame (Thompson)

• The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction (Earley)

• Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms (Earley)

• Practicingtheway.org (a new initiative from John Mark Comer)

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