The good life

HABITS SHAPE US. Some of your habits are obvious to you and some go on without notice. But large or small, habits are often the most powerful elements in our formation. These daily habits and routines are sometimes called liturgies. Liturgies are thoughts, words, and actions that are repeated over and over, and by that repetition shape us. But we often relegate our faith and our daily life to separate spheres. Biblical Liturgies (including the liturgy of our Sunday morning worship) are meant to deepen us more and more in a distinctly Christian way of living that integrates the spheres of faith and daily life. Much of Christian formation is intentionally developing liturgies that lead us to resist the World's idea of the good life (power, greed, sex, busyness, etc...) and instead embrace God's definition of the good life.


Adapted from the habits developed by Justin Earley in his book, The Common Rule, The GOOD LIFE will include two daily liturgies and two weekly liturgies. This year's discipleship initiative is not meant to earn God’s love or the praise of others, but to cultivate habits that deepen our love for God and neighbor. Join us in 2021 in making some new habits.

  • 1 book


    At a Glance: Start every day by reading God’s Word before turning on one of your screens. Daily immersion in the Scriptures resists the anxiety of emails, the envy of social media, and the fear of the news. Instead, it forms us daily in our true identity as children of King Jesus.

     

    Try the Read Scripture Bookmarks: These bookmarks outline a reading plan and provide links to videos created by the Bible Project. Bookmarks can be downloaded here or picked up in the narthex. 

  • 1 hour

    At a Glance: Turn your phone off for one hour each day, allowing you to  turn your gaze towards your family, coworkers, friends, or neighbors.

     

    Try One Hour at Home: Having your phone off at the same hour every day creates a rhythm of presence to God and others. Even further, try having the first and last hour of your day as “phone off” hours. Put your phone to bed before you go to bed, and wake up before your phone wakes up.

  • 1 friend

    At a Glance: Meet with a friend. Set aside one hour each week for conversation with a friend. In habitual, intimate, face-to-face conversation, we are laid bare to each other and truly loved. 

     

    Try a Standing Meeting: Set up a scheduled time with a friend, like one of our Wheatland Triads, at which you will always connect. Seek to build regular and deepening connection with someone over the year. 

  • 1 day

    At a Glance: Keep the Sabbath "wholly" by setting aside one day each week for rest, worship, and fellowship. This weekly practice teaches us that God sustains the world and we don’t. Sabbath continually reminds us that the world doesn’t hang on what we can accomplish, but rather on what God has accomplished for us.

     

    Try a Communal Sabbath: A natural place to begin would be with people in your care group. Invite members of your care group to share a communal meal, a time of prayer, or a phone call that encourages each other to find rest in God’s steadfast love.