Rhythms

Finding Balance in Our Life in Christ

(Tending to our Rhythms and Building a Rule of Life)

Christians by nature are a profoundly rhythmic people. So were their Jewish ancestors. Perhaps, it is just because nature itself is rhythmic.

Yet, despite this reality about ourselves, we so often get out of rhythm. We become off-balanced. And the worst thing about it is that we don’t even know it. Over the years, I have come to see that that many followers of the Way have a sincere desire to follow after Christ, but they have not been given the tool set to do this well. Their life in Christ has become off-balanced. And yet, their life of discipleship or spiritual formation does not need to stay so. A more holistic understanding of spiritual formation is needed, and a life of intentional practices needs to be cultivated. So as I have come alongside of followers of the Way over the years, I have found that it has helped to introduce people to the Daily Office and the Christian Calendar, to help people see what season of the spiritual life they inhabit, and to talk about five spiritual rhythms - UP, IN, OUT, DOWN, and TOGETHER. The first three rhythms came from Mike Breen’s Missional Communities, and the other ones got added as I did life with my people in my church plant.

So below, I am going to briefly introduce these rhythms and then elsewhere, I will describe them in more detail and help you think through creating a Rule of Life of your own. (I’ll explain a Rule in more detail, but for now, a Rule is essentially an intentional plan for pursuing a holistic and balanced life in Christ).

Also, be sure to check out this article on the rhythmic nature of creation and God’s people.

The Five Rhythms

Up movements are opportunities for devotion to God, bringing our worship, praise, and thanksgiving to God in our Sunday Worship/Mass but also in all aspects of our lives as we seek to bring Him glory and thanksgiving in innumerable ways.

In movements are opportunities for individual transformation through discipleship and spiritual formation activities, such as Bible and theology discussions, prayer, spiritual direction, and engagement with various spiritual practices. In movements engage the head, the heart, and the hand.

Out movements are opportunities for loving our neighbor though mission - sharing the Good News of Jesus with those who don’t know him, compassion - serving our neighbors in various ways, and vocation - serving God and others through our work.

Down movements are intentional times of release, re-creation, Sabbath rest, down-time with our Lord, refreshment, rejuvenation, fun and delight, and relationship-building with our families, friends, co-workers, and neighbors.

Together movements are about reconciliation and communion with God and with others; they include all of the movements described above, but are intentionally done with other followers of the Way for we are not meant to pursue our life in Christ alone, but with others who are also on the Way. This rhythm also involves working towards reconciliation in broken relationships as reconciliation is a ministry that Jesus has given to all of us.

Explore each of the rhythms in more detail.