EWLA Rhythm of Life

A “rule of life” is an ancient way the church learned to live faithfully over time. The word rule comes from the Latin regula, which means “standard, straight edge, or a physical straight piece of wood.” It is linked to the idea of a trellis, which is literally a straight piece of wood that keeps grapevines off the ground, allowing them to grow straight and bear fruit. The trellis doesn’t make the vine grow, but it guides the vine and makes growth possible.  Furthermore, a trellis supports growth rather than restricts it--a rule of life is like a “framework for freedom” and for the pursuit of spiritual maturity.

At EWLA, we call it a "rhythm of life" because we don’t want that word “rule” to be a stumbling block -- it can unintentionally imply a rigid obligation or legalism.  We use "rhythm" to show this framework to be a flexible, grace-filled pattern that aligns our habits with the flow of a life given over to God.

All of these practices in our EWLA Rhythm of Life comprise how we worship God and step into our mission: to encounter and embody the hospitality of God. We offer these practices to God as the worship of our lives, both in encountering the person of Jesus and being on mission with Him in how we embody his welcome and love. Some of these practices focus on encountering: Prayer, Scripture, Sabbath, Fasting. Others highlight embodying God's hospitality: Generosity, Vocation, Mercy & Justice, and Witness. The beauty in embodying God's hospitality is that we also encounter God and receive his love and filling for ourselves along the way. Lastly, all the practices are done both personally and in community, and therefore the practice of community is a practice of both encountering and embodying the hospitality of God as we step into our mission.