Woke up in the middle of the night last night. Could not go back to sleep. Been thinking about the discussion around the ruthless elimination of hurry. I haven’t dived into the book yet, but have read a number of different resources related to the same theme: moving at the pace God designed and creating space for real communion to expand our capacity to know and experience God‘s love for us and thereby become fuller conduits of that love to those he puts in our lives. This has been a huge theme of reflection for me over the last six years and has steered me on a new theological journey as I seek to understand what that means. I am always in a hurry. I’m always trying to produce more. A few years ago I read a book by Justin Whitmel Earley. He describes his transformation from frenetic an anxious pace of life that led to serious physical complications to a life of liturgy. The name of his book is The Common Rule. He describes what we are looking at here in this community together. He talks about a rule of life and living inside the rhythms God designs for us. He wrote another book called the habits of the household. Haven’t read that one yet but want to! Anyway, It had a huge impact on me and created in me a desire for more liturgy. I started studying Anglicanism and fell in love with what I learned. There’s a reason so many men in America and so many people in America are returning to Catholicism or Eastern Orthodox faith. There’s a hunger for centeredness and a connection to ancient tradition, something that is deeper and more stable than common fads and pop spirituality. We long for truth that transcends our appetites and consumer centered lives. Liturgy and a rule of life are ways to help us do that more effectively. The learning I did while creating the Legend of Messiah devotional material for The Crucible also made a huge impact on me as I reflect on God‘s design for us, why he made us, why he created time and space defined by day and night, and how he designed us. And then to think how part of his rescue was to form a nation for himself and in forming them he created a calendar with appointed times that were all designed to keep his people in rhythm with his own story. Everything about their lives centered on the story of red redemption and pointed to him at the center of everything, and help helped keep them subordinate to his purposes. As I studied, I realized that the traditions we are learning about through a rule of life and liturgy are rooted in the faith of our Jewish “older brothers.” Jesus followed those rhythms. I’m trying to learn more about what those rhythms were and what that meant for Jesus and what that means for me.

1️⃣ Daily Rhythm - 30 minutes in scripture, 15 minutes of silent prayer, journal afterward. - Get at least 6hrs of sleep and be up by 5:30. 2️⃣ Weekly Rhythm - Work out at least 3 times a week - Fast from Friday Dinner until Saturday’s dinner each week - Call a family member once a week - Check in with a brother once a week - Finish a book every 2 weeks. Ideally related to faith, parenting, marriage, or leadership. - Do a hobby (spearfishing, painting, or drawing) for at least one session a week. 3️⃣ Food and Drink - Only use honey for sweetening drinks at home. No sugary drinks. No purchasing snacks with sugar. - Drink at least 3L of water a day. 4️⃣ Media - No social media scrolling. - No YouTube except for 1hr on Saturday. - No streaming except for Friday movie night with my family. 5️⃣ Sabbath - No work - Intentional time with family - Be present

(I have been really inspired by Justin Whitmel Earley’s first book, The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction and Keller's book on prayer) DAILY STEP 1 - Morning prayer: Each day, after waking up, before I do anything, I will kneel down next to my bed and offer my morning memorized prayer STEP 2 - Scripture before Phone. I will not let work/news/entertainment inform my first thoughts of the day. Holy Hour  (one of the following) Prayer (4 step model: 1. See & savor; 2. submit & confess; 3. seek; 4. step) Devotional reading Journaling Study STEP 3 - Listen, Watch & Wait, Trust & Obey (L2WTO) Throughout the day I will be on the lookout for how God is communicating to me through his Spirit who lives in me and through scripture that he calls to mind. I will listen for his voice… Watch for his intervention… Wait for his breakthrough into the mundane in simple and small yet profound ways. He is always working. The more I wake up to it and am sensitive to it, the more God conscious we will be and attuned to his work in the world. He will lead me. When he does, I will trust and obey. STEP 4 - Nightly prayer: hold hands with my wife. Thank God for his goodness. Commit our lives and our family to his care.  WEEKLY - The Temple (my body) Fitness 5x a week Intermittent fasting (18/6 eating window) No sugar during week except dessert night with family No alcohol during the week 8 hrs of sleep - Prayer call with a brother (accountability) - Sabbath Worship, rest, play, and pray - family, friends and fun No work No phone - Worship with the body of Christ MONTHLY - Guy time with son 2x - Daddy/Daughter date 2x - Date with wife 2x  - 24 hour water only fast (God, my only hope is you) - Family hospitality with a visitor ANNUAL - 40 day Crucible, 2x a year - Personal vision retreat - Dedicated family vacation

I am really thankful for this crucible and for this whole experience - God dropped this in my life in a very unexpected and unanticipated way and I am so glad that I received it as the gift that is was. And I am excited to continue to press in individually and corporately - to seek God, to walk in the Spirit, to love Jesus and to love and serve others more whole-heartedly, more humbly, and more consistently - to be formed day by day into the man that God designed me to be. This whole experience has been a much-needed injection of life into my spirituality - thank you!

Brothers, As we come out of the Crucible, this is a simple way to carry forward what God has started. Use this template to draft your personal Rule of Life and post it in the community. Treat it as a living document. Hold yourself accountable. And give yourself grace when you fall short. Men have done this long before us. The Reformers understood something we’ve lost. It wasn’t enough to believe the right things.They ordered their lives around God. Martin Luther built his days around Scripture and prayer, often rising early to meet with God before anything else. John Calvin lived with a steady rhythm of study, prayer, and work. Not driven by impulse, but by consistency. The Puritans carried this further. Men like Richard Baxter and Jonathan Edwards practiced daily devotion, self-examination, and discipline. Not to control their lives. But to align them with God. They weren’t trying to earn anything. They were returning to a way of life that kept them close to Him. A rhythm of seeking God's presence, discipline, and rest. My Rule of Life: Daily - Time with God: 30 minutes every morning before my phone, journal Weekly - Friday fast: Thursday dinner to Friday dinner - Brotherhood call: One 20–30 minute call with a brother - Exercise plan: min 4 workouts per week Food & Drink - Sugar boundary: No sugary snacks or sweet drinks - Snacking boundary: No snacking and no food after dinner - Alcohol boundary: Max 2 times per week, never alone - Self-check question: Am I coping or celebrating? Discipline - Cold shower rhythm: 1 cold shower per week, 2 minutes cold - Media boundary: No social media scrolling Sabbath - Worship in community - What I will not do on Sundays: No work, no rushing, no driving the timeline - What rest and recreation will look like: Slow day, outdoors, family, presence Seasonal - 36–48 hour fast plan: Twice per year - Annual 3-day prayer retreat plan: Once per year, alone, no work or media Brotherhood