Book Review: The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for An Age of Distraction by Justin Whitmel Earley
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”—2 Peter 3:18
Book Information:
Author: Justin Whitmel Earley
Pages: 216
Publisher: IVP
Year: 2019
The books that connect with me personally often become the fodder of these posts. I shared about The Common Rule in my post about writing a rule of life, and more recently, as we develop rhythms in the home.
A couple posts ago, I shared about the idea of prayer liturgies through the book Every Moment Holy. A rule of life is similar but provides a pattern for our daily lives, not just our prayers.
Justin Whitmel Earley points out that as humans, we live in a culture that shapes us, usually without our awareness. And one of those cultural influences is this high value for our freedom. We believe that to be truly free is the highest good—with freedom being the power to choose to believe and do whatever we feel is right.
However, he also points out, that this belief can also be dangerous. Using the imagery of a vine trellis, he contrasts how potentially destructive an invasive vine could be. Without the trellis, the tendrils of a vine can go wherever it pleases.
On the contrary, with the trellis, the vine can find a solid anchor on which to twine and grow around. The trellis helps to shape the direction of the growth so that it actually produces beauty in a controlled manner.
In like manner, Earley compares a rhythm of spiritual and relational habits to the trellis. While the word “habits” may make some people cringe, we need to realize that whether or not we call them habits, we all have them. And none of them are neutral. All of them reinforce some pattern of thought or belief.
So in the Introduction, the author—who is a lawyer by vocation—argues that there is actually freedom in limitations, in having a liturgy of habits. This pattern of words and actions, repeated regularly, forges our worship. It helps us connect the dots between what we profess and how we live.
The bulk of this book focuses on developing a liturgy of eight keystone habits, micro shifts that bring about macro effects. In doing so, these habits help form your worship by both challenging your ungodly beliefs as well as shaping them towards godliness.
These eight habits are organized in three dimensions:
Weekly/Daily
Love God/Love neighbor
Embrace/Resist
The goal through them is to construct habits that match your worldview, to “become someone who doesn’t just know about God and neighbor but someone who actually loves God and neighbor.”
The book is both well-written and well-organized, with a helpful diagram, summarized on the book’s website. I appreciated his treatment of the modern challenges of technology throughout his discussion of the habits, which are both spiritual and relational. A strong emphasis on community is highlighted. They also included both habits that helped me to say “yes” to the good even as I say “no” to the unhelpful.
This book is not a theological treatise on spiritual disciplines and habits. In fact, there is very little Scripture in this book, so if you’re looking for that, you won’t find it. But this is very much a “connecting the dots” book, one way to help us begin practicing a life of faith and growth.
If you’re ready to resist the pull and tide of our culture, I encourage you to pick up this book. Instead of avoiding all limitations, may this book help you to choose the right ones—habits that actually train you towards the true freedom Christ promises.
How This Book Helped Me
When I first read this book, it was in the midst of the pandemic. With its emphasis on communal practice, I was immediately thinking, “I need to read this with others!” So in the fall of 2020, I gathered a group of friends on Zoom to read it together. The slower pace of life at that time was perfect for beginning to establish a personal liturgy.
During the pandemic, when things were in flux around me, I really appreciated the solid structure that they provided. These habits kept me connected to God when I felt uncertain. But also equally importantly, they kept me connected to others in a season where it was easy to be isolated.
As I began to practice these rhythms, I have come to appreciate the order and steadiness they have provided, but also the sense of purposefulness. The fruit of growth in my relationship with God and with others has enriched me in more ways than I could imagine. By practicing these habits in rhythm, I actually discovered a peace and freedom from the slavery of trying to be my own God.
I will be honest that this book does tempt my legalistic tendencies, so if that’s you too, I encourage you to acknowledge that right off. Ask the Lord to help you to understand the heart of each of the habits and show you ways to honor the spirit of that habit in your life so you don’t snuff out the grace they are meant to be.
Sometimes the habit is going to be hard. The habit of kneeling prayer three times a day intrigued me, and I honestly had a hard time doing it.
But instead of giving up on it entirely, I modified it to starting my day with it, offering myself and my day to God. Kneeling helps me to remember I am bowing to my King. It is a way I remind myself that I desire my moments to be used to further the Gospel.
Developing a personal liturgy takes time. Start with one or two habits, try it for a week, a month, or a season, then add on. This way, you build out your rhythms so they serve you and help you grow.
Even as I revisit this book in writing this review, I am now contemplating how to take the next step and practicing some of these habits with my husband. It’s a good book to revisit as life circumstances and situations change. I know I can use an update—and even a challenge to stretch myself even further.
A Quote and A Question:
“Notice how similar the definition of liturgy is to the definition of habit. They’re both something repeated over and over, which forms you; the only difference is that a liturgy admits that it’s an act of worship. Calling habits liturgies may seem odd, but we need language to emphasize the non-neutrality of our day-to-day routines. Our habits often obscure what we’re really worshiping, but that doesn’t mean we’re not worshiping something. The question is, what are we worshiping?” (Introduction)
Examine your daily habits. What “liturgy of wrong belief” is it reinforcing in your heart and life? What kind of worship does it reveal?
Additional Resources:
If you’d like to do this as a group, the website includes a small group video guide to help.
Habits of the Household: the follow-up book that the author wrote for families.
