A Rule for the Rest of Us

Discover an accessible, five-step framework for writing a rule of life with award-winning author Jen Pollock Michel, who transforms this ancient practice into a grounded way of living faithfully in a distracted world.

A rule of life isn't a rigid list of spiritual disciplines that makes you feel guilty when you fail. It's a grounded way of living faithfully in the chaotic world we inhabit.

Drawing from years of leading spiritual formation workshops, Jen Pollock Michel helps you:

Keep company with God—Establish practices that cultivate ongoing conversation with the One who sustains your life.
Name your givens—Honestly assess your current season, roles, and limitations instead of fighting against them.
Attend to your desires—Examine what your heart truly longs for as an important step toward faithful response.
Articulate faithful habits—Develop specific, sustainable practices for your relationships, work, and daily rhythms.
Review and revise—Create systems for ongoing reflection and adaptation as life changes.

Your finished rule might include a weekly date with your spouse, morning prayer before checking your phone, or boundaries around evening work emails. The specifics will be as unique as the life God has given you.

Combining the enduring wisdom of Saint Benedict with the realities of modern life, this book proves that ancient practices can help you live with clarity, courage, commitment, and care—right where you are.

A dual citizen of the United States and Canada, Jen Pollock Michel is an award-winning author and speaker living in Cincinnati, Ohio. She also serves as the first-year writing mentor in the Whitworth University low-residency MFA program in Creative Writing. Jen holds a B.A. in French from Wheaton College, an M.A. in Literature from Northwestern University, and an M.F.A from Seattle Pacific University. Her writing has appeared widely in print and online publications, and her popular weekly Substack, A Habit Called Faith, publishes most Mondays.