Crafting a Rule of Life: An Invitation to the Well-Ordered Way

The book was clean. I am using it for my doctoral research paper

This is the most comprehensive and in-depth guide to creating a rule of life that I have encountered. It helps you create practical, Spirit-led pathways for your life. I also enjoyed that there was a devotional aspect on a person in the Bible and historical figure. I learned a few things there as well! Would encourage going through this book and reading through to the end.

Item was of superior quality! Very speedy dispatch. Quality of the wrapping was good. An immensely first-rate seller. A+!

Christ followers can easily know our general calling from Scripture, such as Matthew 28:18-20. But this book helps us each discern God's specific gifting, preparation, and calling on "my" life. The men I'm working with though this book are all blessed to have it.

There are not a lot of resources for creating your own rule of life and I was really hopeful for this book. Although there is some content in this book that is inspirational, I often founded it lack luster. Each chapter addresses a certain aspect in developing a rule of life, and connects that aspect to a biblical character and a historical figure. Some of these connections seemed contrived and vague. Also since the introduction refers to Saint Benedict, I expected this book to be Catholic. however many of the historical figures were evangelical ministers or the like as far as I can tell, instead of saints. Not saying ministers etc. aren’t saint. They just don’t relate very well to me. I also wished for more content on finding/developing your ‘mission,’ but that may beyond the scope of this work.

This book offers a very helpful framework within which to compose our rule of life. Whether you are writting a rule of life for the first time or refreshing it, I think you will find this book worth a look. Unfortunately the tables do not come out properly on the kindle, but I needed to make my own anyway. The first key is to list your primary relationships, i.e. God,spouse, family, friends, etc. and from their to define your roles, your core values, your gifts, your passion, your vision. Once putting this to paper we place this in the context of how we will express this in terms ofour time, our relationships, our self-care, our financial priorities and our gifts and talents. This was not a taxing exercise but rather a clarifying one for me. I didn't take advantage of reading all the Biblical examples as I had a deadline but I did think it was important to go through the steps in the order the author developed them. Enjoy!

Drawing upon experience, Scripture, tradition, and personal insight, Dr. Macchia has produced what I believe will quickly become a Christian classic. The need for not only all disciples of Jesus, but clergy especially to have prayerfully developed a rule of life is greater in this generation than ever. In our technological American culture, we are totally distracted. Ministers, pastors, and those serving the body of Christ in other capacities and callings need to hear this clarion call and invitation to solitude, silence, listening, and quiet reflection. We need to STOP! We need to answer the call of the Lord through Dr. Macchia to craft a rule of life--to construct the trellis upon which the fruit of the Spirit can grow in our lives and in which we can foster our continued spiritual formation as we're conformed to the image of Christ.Thank you Steve for this important work. I am using it with many leaders and pastors in New England. And I am especially using it for myself. Blessings!--Dr. David C Alves,Team Leader of Pastoral Health for the Eastern Region of Advent Christian Churches USA

While the substance of this book is meaningful The Kindle version of this book is extremely disappointing. However, I have reassessed my evaluation in light of the comment regarding the importance of content and to be fair to Dr. Macchia. I think this comment was fair and deserved a thoughtful response. It was never my intent to criticize the content of the book which is excellent.The book is much needed in the church. Dr. Macchia leads the reader into self-examination to build an effective Rue of Life. I recommend It for a small group study or personal growth.This Kindle Version unfortunately doesn't feel like a finished product. Words have capital letters and lower case letters in the wrong place. Words are broken up between paragraphs. The publisher did a real disservice to Dr. Macchia's excellent book.I recommend the printed version which is excellent.

I've read a lot of books on spiritual disciplines and the rhythms of spiritual life, but this one really stands out as something that left a lasting impression on me. I'm not great at forming new habits, but by using the guides in this book, I was able to identify the patterns and rhythms that already existed in my life and to look for opportunities to solidify (or improve) them as spiritual habits.The book describes itself as a contemporary approach to St. Benedict's Rule. Like many books in this genre, the focus is twofold; "being" and "doing". Part One looks at framing a "Rule of Life" in the light of my own identity; It asks questions such as; Who am I? What are my roles, gifts and passions? Part Two looks at forming holistic life rules in relation to five aspects of everyday life: Time, Trust, Temple (our physical being), Treasure (our finances) and Talents. The third and final section puts this into the context of church and community.This book helped me to assess the unwritten rules I already had in place and to craft something a little more purposeful and intentionally holistic. Generally, I like reading books on the Kindle, but this is more of a workbook format so I opted for the paperback version, which gave me space to make notes and to write answers to the various questions that crop up. I'm sure that it would be easy enough to read the Kindle version with a notebook to hand, but this is an interactive book, so whichever format you choose, prepare to engage with its content.The tone of the book is engaging and it's format well-balanced. Each chapter offers a guiding principle, a biblical reflection, and an historical insight, followed by an opportunity to apply the chapter's contents to your personal rule of life, as well as reflecting on the broader community context. This rhythmic format kept me engaged throughout. This is the perfect book for someone who likes (or wants) a bit of rhythm in their life!The book is suitable for individuals or groups, and I can highly recommend this as a tool for anyone looking to develop their own spiritual disciplines and 'holy habits'.

Everyone should take the time to do this book with a church groupOr small group

I ordered this book for a course I have enrolled in. Macchia provides clear suggestions to assist the reader to make choices to bring order to moving into a God centred life.