My Rule of Life

Along the lines of my Purpose Statement, here's my Rule of Life. This was developed for a class at Greenville College (here's the shameless plug for their LAMP course- Leadership And Ministry Program- an awesome Masters program). During the Spiritual Development Class, we went to a monestary for a weekend and spent time in solitude, discussion and with the monks.

Similar to what the monks follow, we were asked to create our own Rule of Life. There were 6 areas I felt important to develop in my own life: Personal Growth, Family, Community, Humility, Leadership and Sacrifice. If you wish to look at a larger version of it, just click on the image above.

Signed August 2001, the paragraph at the bottom is very important:

It is my desire that this rule be a guide for my life in Christ. I will not become legalistic about my performance; if I fail in their accomplishment any particular day, I will get up, dust myself off
and move forward. I call upon God's unlimited mercy and grace as I henceforth endeavor to put these ideals into practice.

As I look it over, I realize I still have a long way to go. But I'm working on it!

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Ah, it appears even enlaged, it's hard to read. So here it is in full:

RULE OF LIFE

PERSONAL GROWTH
• I will give God at least my first hour of each day in prayer.
• I will daily read a portion of my Bible and meditate on what God speaks through it.
• I will be called away from what I am doing to spend time in prayer each mid-day and evening.
• I will read at least 1 book for spiritual growth every month.
• I will spend 1 day a month in Solitude.

FAMILY
• I will schedule personal time with my wife and each of my children every week.

COMMUNITY
• I will foster a wandering puppy attitude of scheduling my time; I will consider God's schedule for my day more important than my own. I will keep an open door policy at my office so that people will feel free to speak with me when they want to.

HUMILITY
• I will intentionally develop relationships with people I find it difficult to relate to.

LEADERSHIP
• I will fast and pray every Sunday AM for God's people I am shepherding to experience God's manifest presence in worship.

SACRIFICE
• I will give away at least one thing I own personally every month.

It is my desire that this rule be a guide for my life in Christ. I will not become legalistic about my performance; if I fail in their accomplishment any particular day, I will get up, dust myself off and move forward. I call upon God's unlimited mercy and grace as I henceforth endeavor to put these ideals into practice.

Signed 8/01