The Holy Spirit has created, I believe, a holy discontent with our contemporary spiritual formation models that are not changing lives deeply. Without genuine, authentic testimonies of people profoundly transformed by Jesus Christ, our mission, strategies and plans will ultimately fall short.
Let me begin by affirming: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst (1 Tim.1:15). This being said, I remain passionate as you might be, that the church be transformed into all Jesus Christ has called her to be.
In the past few years, a growing number of pastors, leaders and others have reached out to us in their efforts to live out a radical discipleship paradigm that remains solidly evangelical and missional, while at the same time, integrates the riches of contemplative spirituality and emotional health.
I seek to do this in my context at New Life Fellowship Church in Queens, NYC with people from over 65 nations. Your context, I’m sure, is different, whether it is Europe, South Africa, Latin America, Asia, Canada, or other parts of the USA.
We have provided materials (i.e. books, sermons, articles) to resource others and hope to continue doing so. We believe, however, that it is time to move beyond just resources.
We are not sure all of what that means. But one thing that has emerged is our desire to live life around a simple, but profound Rule of Life. Would you want to join us in this life-changing commitment?
What is this? A Rule of Life is an intentional, conscious plan to keep God at the center of everything we do. The purpose of a Rule is to unite us in our intention to follow Christ. It serves as an anchor for us, a kind of banister to support us as we move forward in our journey with and for God.
For starters, may I suggest taking some time to study up for yourself what it means for you to live by a Rule of Life. We have provided several resources to get you started. Check out what we have written and adopted at New Life Fellowship Church. You may want to adopt it for yourself/church or adapt it into your own context. You have our permission. I also invite you to listen to the five sermons on this Rule of Life that I delivered in the fall of 2008 to NLF as I moved our local church in this direction.
By no means are we seeking to be a formal monastic community. Instead, we are inviting you to declare your commitment to live by a Rule of Life that pursues radical Christ-like transformation, and mission, through the integration of contemplative spirituality and emotional health — in our personal lives, our marriages (if applicable), our leadership, and in others whom we serve .
If this invitation interests you:
o Click here to declare your desire to live by a Rule of Life
o Click here to join the Rule of Life Facebook community
And let’s see what God does together.
Blessings.
Pete
For additional resources and info Click Here to go to the Rule of Life webpage.
