A Rule for the Rest of Us

Discover an accessible, five-step framework for writing a rule of life with award-winning author Jen Pollock Michel, who transforms this ancient practice into a grounded way of living faithfully in a distracted world.

Drawing from years of leading spiritual formation workshops, Jen Pollock Michel presents a simple, proven five-step framework for writing and keeping a personal rule of life that moves beyond generic spiritual disciplines to intentional habits that help readers keep company with God in their specific life circumstances. This isn't about adding more to your overwhelmed schedule—it's about discovering sustainable rhythms that integrate faith into every area of life.

Michel's approach addresses the whole person and the whole life, helping readers:

• Keep Company with God: Establish practices that cultivate ongoing conversation with the Creator and Sustainer of life
• Name Your Givens: Honestly assess your current season, roles, and limitations instead of fighting against them
• Attend to Your Desires: Examine what your heart truly longs for as a guide to faithful response
• Articulate Faithful Habits: Develop specific, sustainable practices for your relationships, work, and daily rhythms
• Review and Revise: Create systems for ongoing reflection and adaptation as life changes

A finished rule might include commitments like: a weekly check-in with your spouse, a morning rhythm of Scripture and prayer before checking your phone, a monthly coffee with a friend, or a firm boundary around work emails after dinner. The specifics will look different for a young parent than for a college student or someone caring for aging parents—each rule as unique as the life it serves.

Combining the wisdom of Saint Benedict with practical modern realities, this book shows that a rule of life isn't about perfection but about showing up faithfully to the life God has given you. With warmth, transparency, and deep biblical insight, Michel proves that ancient practices can provide exactly what our scattered hearts need: a way to live with intention, peace, and purpose.Jen Pollock Michel is the award-winning author of five books: Teach Us to Want (Christianity Today's Book of the Year); Keeping Place; Surprised by Paradox (Christianity Today's Book of the Year Award of Merit—Beautiful Orthodoxy); A Habit Called Faith; and In Good Time (Canada's Word Guild Book of the Year Award). Jen is a sought-after contributor to publications like Christianity Today, The Christian Century, The Gospel Coalition, Mockingbird, and The Dispatch. Jen travels to speak at churches, conferences, and retreats and has been teaching rule-of-life workshops to hundreds of people across various life stages. The mother of five children, she is married to Ryan, and they now live in Cincinnati, Ohio, where they attend New City Presbyterian.Foreword by Tish Harrison Warren