Summer Small Group!

Hi, all!

Scott Buckhout here. I am back for the summer as a Pastoral Intern, and I am excited to be worshipping and serving Jesus alongside you for the next couple of months.

Last summer, I hosted a mini-workshop on creating a personal Rule of Life, and a lot of folks showed up. Way more than I expected. But afterwards, folks wished we could have had more time to create their own personal Rule of Life.

So this summer, beginning June 27, I am hosting a small group on Thursday nights where each member will have the chance to craft their own personal Rule of Life. You can sign up for the small group here!

What is Rule of Life?

Great question!

In 534, St. Benedict was an abbot who wanted the monks in his monastery to live a more “ordered and stable” life. He wasn’t the first abbot to try such a thing, but he was the first to create a rule of life for monks that was actually livable. The monks under his care flourished and grew spiritually as they put his rule into practice. There are still Benedictine monks to this day living by the Benedictine rule for life.

Today, Rule of Life is a tool to help Christians take stock of their life in order to live faithfully, create intentional goals, and measure our progress toward our God-given callings, goals, and responsibilities.

Ok. Great. But why should I have one?

Again, you ask really good questions.

If you feel like your life is overwhelmingly busy. Or if you are in a season of questioning and discerning different aspects of your life. Or if you feel like you are doing things you don’t want to do and never getting to the things you actually want to do. Or if you feel like you have been in a spiritual rut and not growing, crafting a personal Rule of Life can be a helpful way to press pause, take stock of where you are going and what you are doing in order to see if your life reflects God’s best for you.

I know for many of us “Rule of Life” sounds restrictive or legalistic, especially when we tie it to faith. But despite the title, it’s actually the opposite. A Rule of Life is meant to give you freedom.

It certainly isn’t the only thing you can do. You can go for a walk, call a friend, pray, lift weights, take a deep breath, journal. But some of these things might be habits you want to regularly incorporate into your daily schedule and rhythms. A Rule of Life will help you find a place for them in your already packed schedule… 🙂

That’s the gist.

Ok. I am sold. What are the deets?

Awesome! Sign up here!

Beginning June 27, we will meet on Thursday nights (7:30-9pm) at Restoration in the Fellowship Hall. There will be snacks.

Each week we’ll tackle a different aspect of life, whether it is relationships, work, our spiritual disciplines, the way we treat our body, the way we spend our money, etc.

We’ll pray together. Read Scripture together. And ask some questions that will help us reflect on ways we can trust God with every aspect of our lives. Also, did I mention the part about the snacks?

Do I need to bring anything?

You, a Bible, and a journal.

Also, I learned about all of this from a good friend and mentor named Steve Macchia who wrote the book on creating a personal rule of life. I’ll be using it to structure our time together. Feel free to buy a copy for yourself if you want to go deeper. It is very well done!

Again, sign up here, or email me – scott@restorationarlington.org. Feel free to reach out with any questions!

Hope to see you this summer on Thursdays!

-Scott-