Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Earley
Week 2: Chapter 1 — Waking
Read Chapter 1 of Habits of the Household. Key passages: Psalm 5:3; Lamentations 3:22–23; Mark 1:35.
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The first habit Earley addresses is also the first moment of every day: waking up. This chapter challenges us to consider how we begin — and to see that even something as simple as how we greet our children in the morning is a spiritual act.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Earley suggests that how we wake up sets the emotional and spiritual tone for the entire day. Do you agree? What does your typical morning currently communicate to your children before a word is spoken?
2.One of Earley's key concerns in this chapter is the smartphone — specifically, the habit of reaching for the phone before anything else in the morning. Why does he see this as more than just a bad productivity habit? What does it reveal about what we love and worship?
3.Earley connects the practice of waking to the Christian idea of resurrection — each morning is a small echo of Easter, a new mercy, a new beginning. How does this theological reframe change the way you think about your morning routine?
a.Do you currently have any morning practice — prayer, Scripture, silence — that orients you toward God before the demands of the day begin?
b.If not, what is the smallest possible first step you could take toward building one?
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