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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
A practical, shareable, readable intro to the concept of rule of life - AND it lays out a pretty basic one that can implemented immediately for most.
“What if the good life doesn’t come from having the ability to do what we want but from having the ability to do what we were made for? What if true freedom comes from choosing the right limitations, not avoiding all limitations?” (11)
I’ll never forget Tim Keller’s illustration of a fish out of water. As Keller explained (more eloquently than I now will), we’d like to believe that the limitless life is the penultimate experience. But we’ve clearly forgotten that limits are not only sometimes necessary, but life-giving. Take the fish out of water as an example. The fish doesn’t necessarily know he’s in the water – it is all he has known, after all. But remove the “limiting” boundaries of water, give the fish total freedom, and he will writhe, suffocate, and die. In order to give the fish a life of flourishing, it is necessary he stay put in the sea. The boundary protects him and keeps him alive.
We live in a culture that demands limitless living. But is that real freedom after all? I don’t think so. In fact, I believe our pursuit of liberation from limits has only made us like a bunch of suffocating fish, desperately gasping for life. It’s the groaning that’s too deep for words – we want to feel freedom and have no clue how to find it. We haven’t even considered that it might be found in the right limits.
The Common Ruleis a rule of life that wants to recover the right limits for the sake of human flourishing, the kind of “good life” that God created us for (and decidedly not the “good life” the world promises and fails to deliver on). The Common Rule consists of eight habits – four daily, and four weekly – that were born out of Earley’s own journey out of a life of burnout and into life with God again. The habits are as follows, with a chapter devoted to explaining each one, and even offering tips for implementing them at a practical level:
Daily
Kneeling prayer at morning, midday, and bedtime
One meal with others
One hour with phone off
Scripture before phone
Weekly
One hour of conversation with a friend
Curate media to four hours
Fast from something for twenty-four hours
Sabbath
There have been many good books on the importance of habit in the Christian life. We’re beginning to realize together that bad habits (especially ones related to technology) are turning us into a distracted, busy, pre-occupied, isolated, and short-fuse people. But it’s not enough to turn off the bad habits; because as James K.A. Smith points out, “to be human is to be a liturgical animal.” No one gets to decide to be a person of habit; they simply are one. We do get to decide, however, what those habits will be. The Common Rule is a fresh look into the power of habit and what it will do to grow our love of God, love of neighbor.
Particularly helpful is the distinction Earley draws between embrace and resistance. “Embrace,” Earley notes, “is a reminder that there is much good in the world God made,” which resistance contends that “should we do nothing, we will be taught to love the very things that tear us apart.” (28)
Another thing that sets The Common Rule apart is how accessible its content can be for readers. The book has its own “Resources” section at the end that helps readers of certain niches walk through The Common Rule (for congregations, for artists/creatives, for entrepreneurs, etc.). In addition to this, there is an entire website devoted to this initiative, with a page of resources here: https://www.thecommonrule.org/resources
Where The Common Rule really succeeds is being extremely straightforward both about the effectiveness of these habits, and yet the freedom to let some of these limits be “customizable.” For example, the curate media to four hours habit may sound extremely daunting to some. But Earley notes that while the number four is “arbitrary,” that the point remains: “picking some limit…forces curation” (117). Earley really believes in the habits themselves and is a little open-handed with how most of them are applied person to person. It’s an appreciated approach, because spiritual formation is not blueprint-able. Seasons come and go. Occupations are different. Things change. We need to be conscious of how God is calling us, in these moments, both to embrace the good and resist the bad.
Earley’s book has been extremely encouraging to me. I feel like I can take it and run with it. It’s not too ambitious or daunting. Not to say it will be easy – I know me pretty well, after all. But the real good life, according to Jesus, was never meant to be so.
I think it is critical for Christians of all vocations to give their attention to this book. Here we have the potential to change a few of our daily and weekly decisions, but much more: we have the potential to change our very lives. A big thanks to Justin Earley for his hard work in providing a helpful, simple, and beautiful argument for The Common Rule. I will be recommending it for quite some time.
I’ll never forget Tim Keller’s illustration of a fish out of water. As Keller explained (more eloquently than I now will), we’d like to believe that the limitless life is the penultimate experience. But we’ve clearly forgotten that limits are not only sometimes necessary, but life-giving. Take the fish out of water as an example. The fish doesn’t necessarily know he’s in the water – it is all he has known, after all. But remove the “limiting” boundaries of water, give the fish total freedom, and he will writhe, suffocate, and die. In order to give the fish a life of flourishing, it is necessary he stay put in the sea. The boundary protects him and keeps him alive.
We live in a culture that demands limitless living. But is that real freedom after all? I don’t think so. In fact, I believe our pursuit of liberation from limits has only made us like a bunch of suffocating fish, desperately gasping for life. It’s the groaning that’s too deep for words – we want to feel freedom and have no clue how to find it. We haven’t even considered that it might be found in the right limits.
The Common Ruleis a rule of life that wants to recover the right limits for the sake of human flourishing, the kind of “good life” that God created us for (and decidedly not the “good life” the world promises and fails to deliver on). The Common Rule consists of eight habits – four daily, and four weekly – that were born out of Earley’s own journey out of a life of burnout and into life with God again. The habits are as follows, with a chapter devoted to explaining each one, and even offering tips for implementing them at a practical level:
Daily
Kneeling prayer at morning, midday, and bedtime
One meal with others
One hour with phone off
Scripture before phone
Weekly
One hour of conversation with a friend
Curate media to four hours
Fast from something for twenty-four hours
Sabbath
There have been many good books on the importance of habit in the Christian life. We’re beginning to realize together that bad habits (especially ones related to technology) are turning us into a distracted, busy, pre-occupied, isolated, and short-fuse people. But it’s not enough to turn off the bad habits; because as James K.A. Smith points out, “to be human is to be a liturgical animal.” No one gets to decide to be a person of habit; they simply are one. We do get to decide, however, what those habits will be. The Common Rule is a fresh look into the power of habit and what it will do to grow our love of God, love of neighbor.
Particularly helpful is the distinction Earley draws between embrace and resistance. “Embrace,” Earley notes, “is a reminder that there is much good in the world God made,” which resistance contends that “should we do nothing, we will be taught to love the very things that tear us apart.” (28)
Another thing that sets The Common Rule apart is how accessible its content can be for readers. The book has its own “Resources” section at the end that helps readers of certain niches walk through The Common Rule (for congregations, for artists/creatives, for entrepreneurs, etc.). In addition to this, there is an entire website devoted to this initiative, with a page of resources here: https://www.thecommonrule.org/resources
Where The Common Rule really succeeds is being extremely straightforward both about the effectiveness of these habits, and yet the freedom to let some of these limits be “customizable.” For example, the curate media to four hours habit may sound extremely daunting to some. But Earley notes that while the number four is “arbitrary,” that the point remains: “picking some limit…forces curation” (117). Earley really believes in the habits themselves and is a little open-handed with how most of them are applied person to person. It’s an appreciated approach, because spiritual formation is not blueprint-able. Seasons come and go. Occupations are different. Things change. We need to be conscious of how God is calling us, in these moments, both to embrace the good and resist the bad.
Earley’s book has been extremely encouraging to me. I feel like I can take it and run with it. It’s not too ambitious or daunting. Not to say it will be easy – I know me pretty well, after all. But the real good life, according to Jesus, was never meant to be so.
I think it is critical for Christians of all vocations to give their attention to this book. Here we have the potential to change a few of our daily and weekly decisions, but much more: we have the potential to change our very lives. A big thanks to Justin Earley for his hard work in providing a helpful, simple, and beautiful argument for The Common Rule. I will be recommending it for quite some time.
(4.5/5) This is a great book to listen to while you water the grass, fun fact. A more helpful version of Ruthless Elimination Of Hurry. I feel like it’s slightly Americanized, at least it’s very focused on principles for white collar, knowledge workers. But, that is what I am in a lot of ways, so it helped me a lot. I probably need to re-read this every year, to re set my habits.
challenging
informative
fast-paced
This is a real-life practical look at some spiritual habits. Read it with a spouse or friend to implement.
Practical yet rooted and realistic yet vision casting, Earley’s voice is relatable and honest while maintaining a tone of exhortation towards a more purposeful and directed life through small choices of habit.
Practical steps on how to be more present in your life and with the Lord. Great resources in the back of the book.
A book my soul was longing for. Feel like I’ve been seen and ready to take on the world and live out of love.