The Common Rule by Justin Whitmel Earley
Week 1: Introduction — The Liturgies of Our Lives
Read the Introduction of The Common Rule. Key Scripture: Romans 12:2; Colossians 3:1–4.
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Before Earley proposes any habits, he diagnoses the problem — and it begins not with bad intentions, but with bad liturgies. Come ready to honestly name the routines that are already shaping you.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Earley opens with a candid account of his own burnout and anxiety as a young lawyer — a life that looked successful from the outside but was quietly falling apart on the inside. How did his story land with you? Did anything about his description of being 'buried' by his own life feel familiar?
2.Earley borrows the word 'liturgy' from church worship and applies it to everyday life. In your own words, what does he mean when he says that ordinary habits are 'liturgies' — and why does that word choice matter?
3.He argues that our habits are forming us toward some vision of 'the good life' whether we choose them intentionally or not. What vision of the good life do you think your current daily habits are forming you toward?
4.Earley draws on James K. A. Smith's insight that we are 'lovers before we are thinkers' — that what we do shapes what we desire, not just the other way around. Does this ring true to your own experience? Can you think of a habit that changed what you wanted, rather than a desire that drove you to a habit?
5.The book introduces the idea of a 'rule of life' — a structured, intentional pattern of habits. What is your initial reaction to that phrase? Does it sound freeing or restrictive? Why?
a.How does Earley distinguish a rule of life from a legalistic to-do list?
b.Where in Scripture or church history have you seen something like a 'rule of life' at work?
6.Earley organizes his habits into four daily habits and four weekly habits. Before you read any further, which of the two categories do you suspect will be harder for you to practice, and why?
7.Romans 12:2 speaks of being 'transformed by the renewing of your mind' rather than being 'conformed to the pattern of this world.' How does Earley's vision of intentional habits connect to this call? What does it suggest about how transformation actually happens?
Closing Prayer
Lord, we confess that we have let the liturgies of our culture form us without much resistance. We have scrolled and rushed and filled every silence, and we have called it productivity or rest when it was neither. We thank you that you are a God who meets us in ordinary moments — in meals and conversations and quiet — and that you have not left us without a path toward a more human life. Give us the courage to look honestly at our habits this week, and the hope to believe that change is possible — not through our willpower, but through your grace. Amen.
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