Our Evolving Way of Life

We had a wonderful workshop at our retreat, and I wanted to share with all of you what we ended up with. Central to the mission of Grassroots Abbey is unifying us all around shared values and helpful practices for living them out. All things considered, drafting a Rule of Life in manner of the ancient monastic orders is no quick task for me to do alone. It needs to be communal and collaborative, not only in practice, but in composition. So with our small but mighty group at the workshop we came up with a provisional and evolutionary process for this conversation going forward. One of the keys of personal transformation is taking on one new habit at a time. Studies show that success goes way down the more things you try to change at once. With that in mind, we settled on four themes of our discussion and have assigned them to the next few months. I am particularly grateful to Mae and Penny for their invaluable contributions. We will be hosting another way of life workshop on the evening February 12 to contemplate what practices we would like to share in the spring. So mark you calendars and invite your friends.

November

Stuck in our boxes of man-made clutter, breathing the same air over and over, we often find ourselves depressed and disconnected. We know that getting outside will make us feel better, but it seems at times to simple to need a commitment, and at others too extravagant to make time for. God made our beautiful world for our enjoyment and God's own, and loves it. Loving what God made and loves brings us closer to the divine than anything else. It's worth prioritizing, and such a simple place to start. There is no better time in Texas than November for trying to get outside every day. Make this theme your own and set a goal that feels right to you. I'm sharing mine on Instagram, come share yours too. Reply to this email or text 325-280-9742 to let me know if you would like to be a part of a group text for checking in, venting, accountability, and support.