Rule of Life

  Intensive

A rule of life is a practice of intentional faithfulness for the busy, the exhausted, the distracted, and the uncertain.

If you feel anxious and distracted, busy and exhausted, join me! Let’s reimagine intentional faithfulness in our everyday lives.

I used to think busyness was my biggest problem.

I  would serve and pray, listen and love . . . when I had more time. Then, in 2020, the world shut down, and time was all I had.  I realized then that my problem was much deeper than time scarcity. I needed help to live out the wisdom of numbering my days (Ps. 90:12). I wrote my book, In Good Time, as a way to catalog some of that ancient, new-to-me wisdom, and it was also in that season I undertook the ancient practice of rule of life.

I developed a rule-of-life writing process for myself, and I’ve since been offering it to hundreds of others, helping them to learn to pattern their days in faithful response to God’s voice.

In this half-day workshop, you’ll:

Begin paying attention to the voice of God who speaks through the Scriptures, God’s people, and the given boundaries of life. You’ll be asked to consider what obedience is fitting for your season, and you’ll be nudged to articulate the faithful habits and practices to support that obedience. What relationships will you invest in and how?

What work will you be diligent to do and when? What digital distraction will you resist and why? If you’ve lacked clarity, courage, consistency, and commitment, a rule of life practice, especially when engaged with others in community, can help us shore up these resources for a long obedience in the same direction.

I had no time…

to take Jen's "Rule of Life" workshop, which is precisely why I needed it. Everything about it was top-notch. Jen cares deeply about guiding participants into a thoughtful and faithful examination of how they spend their time. That care comes through every step of the way. Take the time. It's worth every minute.

— Steve K., CA

Workshop Details

3 Interactive Virtual Sessions

1. Live Teaching

2. Interactive Group Discussion

3. Time for Personal Reflection

4. Q&A

Cost of Workshop

Price Per Participant: $65

*Group pricing is available upon request

In preparation for the workshop

1. Browse through the comprehensive workbook.

2. Read In Good Time, Jen’s latest book.

3. Choose from the recommended reading list (see workbook).

5-Step Rule of Life

Step 1: The taproot of a rule. Keeping Company with God.

Step 2: The realism of a rule. Name Your Givens.

Step 3: The risk of a rule. Attend to Your Desires.

Step 4: The regularity of a rule. Articulate Faithful Habits.

Step 5: The responsiveness of a rule. Review and Revise.

Upcoming Virtual Intensives

Hear From Participants

  • “I walked away from Jen’s workshop with a variety of tools to help me discern and live out my calling in Christ. One of the most helpful (and freeing) aspects of writing a rule of life involved naming my givens and desires in this current season and asking the Lord to reveal ways I could faithfully and creatively incorporate them into holy, regular habits. Jen is a thoughtful communicator, and her workshop materials are comprehensive and realistic. I wish I’d had these resources earlier in my life!"

    Donna S., OH

  • “The Rule of Life workshop proved to be a rewarding exercise that helped me consider . . . how to be reshaped and reformed through prayer and responding to the quiet still voice of God. In a world often filled with chaos and noise, this practice can then become an ongoing part of life. I recommend it, along with Jen's book In Good Time, as an opportunity for growth as we live lives of faithful obedience to Christ by His Spirit.”

    Carolyn L., VA

FAQs

  • You won’t be alone! This practice isn’t meant to be overly technical. You will learn to craft a document that outlines important practices of faithfulness for your season of your life. It’s a working document to regularly revisit and revise.

  • First, all participants are required to purchase and begin reading Jen’s most recent book, In Good Time. A week before the workshop date, you’ll also receive a PDF workbook with other (brief) pre-reading. Most importantly, you’re invited to pray. A rule of life practice requires prayerful discernment, so begin praying now that God grants you the desire to pattern your life in faithful response to his voice.

  • This intensive workshop has been divided into three interactive sessions, each about an hour long. These sessions will include live teaching from Jen, discussion, and Q&A. Participants will have a minimum 20-minute break between the 2nd and 3rd sessions.

  • Participants will learn the theological and biblical basis for writing and keeping a rule of life. You will be invited to engage a 5-step process for formulating your own rule, understanding its relevance as a spiritual practice today. It’s unlikely you will complete a first draft, but after the workshop, you will have all the necessary tools for finishing the work on your own.

  • Jen spent her early career as a teacher and is the author of five books. In her work as a writer and speaker, she has focused on themes of spiritual formation, desire, place-making, paradox and the role of habit in Christian discipleship. Her most recent book, In Good Time, underscores the need for counter-formation in the discipleship of time, and she offers these workshops to contribute to that practical learning.

  • This is a LIVE, interactive, 3-session workshop. Participants will receive a PDF workbook that is unavailable for sale to non-participants.

  • Participants are welcome to email Jen (jen@jenpollockmichel.com) if they wish to rebook the date of their workshop. For administrative purposes, refunds cannot be granted.

  • Absolutely! Jen will consider both in-person and virtual events for churches and organizations. Pricing is available upon request. Contact Jen (jen@jenpollockmichel.com).

  • “Jen’s work adds to a growing body of resources on formation and historic Christian practices that help introduce Christians from evangelical backgrounds to the rich resources in the broader tradition of the church . . .Christians today are longing for roots, thirsty for meaning and deeper nourishment than what a consumerist or culture-war driven faith can offer. And voices like Michel are both deeply needed and in short supply.”

    Tish Harrison Warren, Liturgy of the Ordinary and Prayer in the Night

  • "What Jen Pollock Michel writes, I read, because she's not only a leading thinker, a faithful believer, but a rare brilliant writer, whose voice is direly needed in this cultural moment.”

    Ann Voskamp, author of One Thousand Gifts and The Broken Way and Waymaker