Week 4 Reading
Practicing the Way (Pages 208-221)
The Common Rule (Pages 1-28)
Celebration of Discipline (Pages 1-12)
What does “take up your cross and follow (Jesus)” mean to you?
Earley says, “The idea is that we (like plants) are always growing and changing. But when there is no order, growth can take something that was supposed to produce fruit and turn it into a twisted vine of decay. That description was frighteningly accurate in my case. The rule of life is intended to pattern communal life in the direction of purpose and love instead of chaos and decay.” What do you think of the idea that the disciplines are like a trellis? And how do you think the disciplines affect communal life?
Reflect on the following quote within a quote from Celebration of Discipline. What do you think about it? Do our will or thoughts play any role in defeating sin? “Willpower will never succeed in dealing with the deeply ingrained habits of sin. Emmet Fox writes, 'As soon as you resist mentally any undesirable or unwanted circumstance, you thereby endow it with more power - power which it will use against you, and you will have depleted your own resources to that exact extent?”
Did you struggle with anything you read about? (If no, you don’t need to write more)
Is there anything else you want to share?