My Personal Ten Commandments: A Guide to Intentional Living

“We do not think our way into a new kind of living, 
we live our way into a new kind of thinking.”

- RICHARD ROHR

Life has a way of reminding us—sometimes gently, sometimes with a jolt—what really matters. Recently, I found myself in the hospital, worried that I might be having a stroke. After tests and anxious hours, the diagnosis came: an eye stroke, brought on by stress and a nervous system that was thrown out of sync. I wasn’t physically broken beyond repair, but I realized I had been spiritually and emotionally off balance.

That experience became a turning point. I asked myself: How do I want to live my life from here on out? What habits, rhythms, and practices would truly honor my body, my mind, and my soul?

From that reflection, I wrote what I now call MY PERSONAL TEN COMMANDMENTS—a practical guide to living fully, intentionally, and with grace.

❊ MY PERSONAL TEN COMMANDMENTS
1. Abide Daily in God’s Presence
Begin each day with prayer, breath, or lectio divina; remember that God walks with you in every task, large or small.

Life can feel busy, but when we pause to center ourselves, we notice God in every moment—from folding laundry to answering emails.

2. Honor the Rhythm of Work and Rest
Keep Sabbath sacred; balance activity with stillness. Let Shabbat, daily pauses, and retreats refresh your soul.

Our bodies and souls need regular cycles of rest. Sabbath, pauses, and retreats renew us.

3. Pray Over Your Home and Hearth
Bless your living spaces, your meals, and your family; let your home reflect sacred care, warmth, and hospitality.

A home is more than walls—it’s a space for blessing, nourishment, and care. Prayer brings sacredness into everyday life.

4. Live Seasonally and Liturgically
Celebrate creation and the Church calendar; notice the changing seasons, feasts, and rhythms of life.

Nature and the Church calendar offer natural rhythms. Marking seasons and feasts helps us stay grounded and thankful.

5. Grow in Gratitude and Joy
Name blessings daily; cultivate wonder in ordinary moments, from morning light to a shared meal.

Life is full of small blessings. Naming them cultivates joy and wonder in ordinary moments.

6. Nurture Your Body as a Temple
Hydrate, breathe, rest, move, and eat mindfully; honor your physical needs as part of spiritual life.

Physical care is spiritual care. Mindful movement, rest, and nourishment honor the gift of your body.

7. Engage in Continuous Reflection
Keep weekly, monthly, and annual check-ins; journal insights, lessons, and intentions for growth.

Regular reflection helps us track growth, recognize lessons, and make intentional choices.

8. Serve with Love and Generosity
Offer time, attention, and care to others; let small acts of kindness be your daily worship.

Service is an expression of faith in action. Even small acts of kindness have great power.

9. Embrace Silence, Solitude, and Wonder
Allow space for contemplation, creativity, and listening; cultivate an inner sanctuary of peace.

Creating inner space allows contemplation, creativity, and connection to God.

10. Live Intentionally and Authentically
Let your actions, habits, and words reflect your deepest values; choose what aligns with your vocation, family, and God’s calling on your life.

Aligning our choices with values and vocation gives life purpose and coherence.

❊ HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN PERSONAL TEN COMMANDMENTS
You can craft your own life-guiding principles using these steps:

❊ Reflect on Your Life: Consider what matters most to you—spiritually, emotionally, and physically. Identify habits or patterns that bring you joy, peace, or purpose.

❊ Write Your Commandments: Create 5–10 short statements that capture your core values and practices. These are your guiding principles for daily life.

❊ Explain Each One: Add a sentence or two explaining why each is important and how you practice it.

❊ Keep Them Visible: Post them somewhere you will see every day—on your fridge, in a journal, or on your phone.

❊ Review Regularly: Life changes, so revisit your commandments weekly, monthly, or annually. Adjust them as your growth and circumstances evolve.

That hospital experience was a wake-up call. It reminded me that life is too precious to live distracted, stressed, or unaligned. Now, every breath, every prayer, and every small act of care feels like a step toward a life fully lived.

Start Today: Take a few quiet moments, reflect on what matters most to you, and begin writing your own Personal Ten Commandments. Share your journey, and let them guide you toward a life of intention, joy, and peace.

❊

A Rule of Life - Abiding

“A good rule can set us free to be our true and best selves. It is a working document, a kind of spiritual budget, not carved in stone but subject to regular review and revision. 

It should support us, but never constrict us.”

- MARGARET GUENTHER

Today I am sharing a post I originally wrote back in 2022, in which I discussed my personal Rule of Life. This is something that I began around that time, but since January I've fallen out of routine.  Recently, however, I've had a desire to revisit the spiritual practices and to be more intentional about structuring my life around them. And with that,  over the next few weeks I'll share the practices that I observe, and just a note, I have NEVER practice all of them at the same time! What you'll read will seem like a lot because it is a lot. The reason for this is because I am a person who thrives on variety, so I like to have a lot of choices. I might also suffer from a hefty case of FOMO when it comes to anything spiritual in nature, I want to try all-the-things, and being familiar with a number of disciplines and a variety of ways in which to observe them solves that. I get to experience a little bit of everything and decide what works and what doesn't, which I will elaborate more on in this post, so lets get too it.

To begin with, it helps you have an understanding of whatl a Rule of Life is. The following is paraphrased from the Rule of Life Workbook.

"A rule of life is a schedule and set of practices and relational rhythms that help us create space in our lives to be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what Jesus did—to live “the abundant life” that Jesus spoke of in John 10:10. It is important to note that it is a "rule" (singular), not "rules" (plural), and therefore it is not a list of requirements or regulations for one to follow, but rather a standard by which one may choose to live. A rule of life aligns us with the kingdom, and with our deepest passions and priorities. It’s been said that we achieve inner peace when our schedule is aligned with our values. A rule of life is simply a tool to that end. Rather than a rigid, legalistic to-do list, it’s a life-giving structure for freedom, growth, and joy. The word "rule" is actually derived from the Latin word regula, meaning "trellis". So in the same way that a vine needs a trellis, we need a rule as a support structure to organize our life around “abiding in the vine,” (John 15:1-8) as Jesus imagined."

There is no right or wrong way to develop a rule. There are best practices, but as we are each created uniquely with different temperaments and gifts, there is no "one-size-fits-all" approach.  It can be as simple or as elaborate you as you want.  The best advice I can give is to consider your temperament, giftedness, season of life, level of spiritual growth, and above all, to start small. Even as I share my personal rule, there are some aspects of it that I have not fully integrated yet. Some things are easier, and some take more effort, as it will be for all of us, and that's ok. It is also ever changing, and it will grow and change with you. You may find that while something sounds good on paper, that it isn't flowing as you thought it would. In that case, it might be wise to stick with it for awhile and see if it becomes easier. If you were to develop your own rule, you will most likely find that over time you will want to make adjustments.  But there may also be times when a certain component just isn't working and you need to ditch it all together and try something new. If any part of your rule ever begins to feel forced and is becomes something that you do rather than flowing from who you are, that's a sure sign that you need to rethink it. Yes, some things are going to be harder than others and take more effort, but at some point as you grow, it should flow, and the "effort" should become less.

So let's begin to break this down, and again (I feel like a broken record), this is my personal rule based upon my interests and preferences. I hope you enjoy reading through it and perhaps are inspired by it, but please note if you were to just take this and try to copy and paste it into your life, it probably won't work out as well for you. :)

The first spiritual practice we are going to discuss is ABIDING

Webster's 1828 Dictionary define's the word abide this way;

1. To rest, or dwell. (Genesis 29:19)

2. To tarry or stay for a short time. (Genesis 24:55)

3. To continue permanently or in the same state; to be firm and immovable. (Psalms 119:90)

4. To remain, to continue.  (Acts 27:31. Ecclesiastes 8:15)

The word "abide" is found 76 times throughout the Bible, the most familiar of which is John 15:4, "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me."

So what exactly does it mean to abide? Let's take a look at what Dallas Willard has to say on the subject.

“The first and most basic thing we can and must do is to keep God before our minds... This is the fundamental secret of caring for our souls. Our part in thus practicing the presence of God is to direct and redirect our minds constantly to Him. In the early time of our 'practicing' we may well be challenged by our burdensome habits of dwelling on things less than God. But these are habits—not the law of gravity—and can be broken. A new, grace-filled habit will replace the former ones as we take intentional steps toward keeping God before us. Soon our minds will return to God as the needle of a compass constantly returns to the north. If God is the great longing of our souls, He will become the pole star of our inward beings.”

— DALLAS WILLARD 

This quote inspires me every time I read it! To think of my mind constantly and naturally returning to center, God, and for my heart to so long for Him that He becomes my pole star. This is one of the reasons why I have issues with the idea of a "quiet time"/"slot and a spot". For me, spending time with/abiding with Jesus is less about a small percentage of my day that I set aside for Him, and more about a lifestyle lived continuously in His presence. I'm sure you're thinking, "But no one thinks about Jesus 24/7." and I get that. But it's not enough, for me at least, to wake up and crack open my bible, say a prayer and then go on with my day often in complete forgetfulness of everything I just read, which was often the case when I operated on the daily quiet time model.

So as I was considering what I want "abiding" to look like in my life, I decided that what would help me would be to have constant reminders in place, both on a daily, weekly and even quarterly and annual basis. Here are some of my ideas, and again, there is no way I can do all of this all the time. That would set me up for failure from the get-go.

Abiding Daily 

- I abide daily by setting aside time for Silence and Solitude.

I set aside 10-15 minutes of my morning, usually first thing, to sitting in silence and making myself open to hear from God. I begin with a few minutes of breath prayer, YH - breathe In,  WH - breathe out, and then move into silence. Some days I hear from Him and it is obvious, others I may not think I received anything. But it very often in those cases that later in the day or the week something will come up in a conversation and I realize that very thing came to mind during my time of silence. The Holy Spirit was preparing me. 

To learn more about breath prayer, here are a few links;

- Is The Name of God The Sound of Our Breathing?

- Breathing Yah Weh - Richard Rohr

- Simply To Speak Your Name In Praise

- I read Psalm 91 and Psalm 16 every-single-day. These two Psalms are what I refer to as "My Life Psalms" given to me by the Holy Spirit on two different occasions in my life that was undeniable. I'm working on memorizing both of them, but that has never been my strong suit. Not an excuse, and I am training!

- I spend time in the word, usually through an online sermon or if I'm in a hurry, from The Bible App, every day.

- I read my affirmation cards, daily. This is a practice that I developed after listening to the series, Winning the War In Your Mind by Craig Groeschel. 

- I observe the Daily Office. This alone needs to be a separate post, but for now I'll just provide you with a few links to give you a general idea. It's basically set times (I have alarms set on my phone) that I set aside each day to pray. I love this, but if I'm being honest, it's an area I'm struggling in. It's not so much the habit, but with the prayer itself. I have times set aside for more specific prayer so I'd like for these prayers to be simpler, the same, perhaps? There purpose serves more as being that compass that always returns me to center than for the prayer itself. That being said, I find the prayers designated for these times (which can be found across the internet and in The Book of Common Prayer), to be beautiful.

- Discovering The Daily Office

- A Beginner's Guide To The Daily Office

Abiding Weekly

- I abide weekly by observing the Eucharist (Lord's Supper) and the Stations of the Cross, on Friday afternoon. This is a practice that I've fallen out of step with but still very much desire to continue.  I've made it a goal to return to it during Advent and as such I'll write a more detailed post around that time. However, if you're interested now, I'll provide a few links.

- The Eucharist: Do This In Remembrance of Me

- Holy Communion

- The Stations of the Cross

- I observe a Sabbath day of rest every Saturday and partially on Sunday.

- I attend church every Sunday. 

- I do a Weekly Examen.

Since I'm really just trying to highlight things today, once again I'll go into this in more detail in a separate post.  But for now you can learn more about the Weekly Examen, here.

Abiding Quarterly or Seasonally

There are several ways that I abide quarterly, or more appropriately, seasonally. 

- I set aside the day of the Equinox (Spring / Autumn), and the Solstice (Winter / Summer) as special, with traditions and rituals that bless and celebrate each one. In the past I have kept monthly Phenology wheels, but it's been a few years since I have kept one. I'm thinking of starting up again in September.

- I observe The Ember Days.

I've written on this before, but I will elaborate on it more in an upcoming post in early September. For now, if you want to know more, the link above will get you started.

- I set aside one weekend per quarter for a retreat at home.

This is another practice that could use some dedication to seeing it through. Though I have done this periodically, I tend to be more devoted to it during autumn and winter. Perhaps its because I observe it around the time of the changing of the seasons, and since the autumn equinox and winter solstice are my favorites. I have more traditions and things that I enjoy doing during these times.  This indicates that I need to look at establishing traditions for spring and summer. 

Abiding Annually

- The primary way that I abide continuously throughout the year is by the observance of The Year of the Lord, or The Liturgical Year, which begins at Advent and ends in Ordinary Time. I have this listed as annual because it follows a full yearly rotation, but the various feast days fill my life weekly.

- I set aside a special night every year, usually in the week between Christmas and the New Year for "Tabula Rasa: A Clean Slate", which is something I learned about from Sarah Ban Breathnach in her book, Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy. It's a special time when I reflect on the year that has passed and the one to come. I set or review my goals, which is now my rule. I print out my calendars for the upcoming year and organize my planner, making note of birthdays, anniversaries, etc. It's one of my favorite observances and I look forward to it every year. Traditionally I will make a circle of twelve candles, one for each month in the year, with a larger candle in the middle to represent the coming year. At the end of the observance I light each one, slowly, and pray over each of the coming months and finally over the year as a whole. This is also when I proclaim my "word of the year", which I alway know ahead of time, but from this day and going forward I begin intentionally living into it. My word for 2022, is Yearn.

- I set aside a night or a weekend each year to get alone by myself.

Of all the elements of my rule, this is the one that I have yet to execute, but this year I'm going to sincerely try to make it happen, maybe late summer/early autumn? I'll have to think on this a little more, I might even just go away for the day but be back in time to sleep at home. Call me crazy, but I don't like paying for hotels, all that $$$, just to sleep! I'd rather camp, but I'm also not going camping by myself! So as you can see, this one is going to require a little thought. 

Things I'd Like To Add

Yearly Examen

Learn more about Centering Prayer and Welcoming Prayer and incorporate it.

Another thing I want to study and perhaps work into my calendar are the Jewish Holy Days.

Abiding is actually one of the easiest elements of the rule for me. I thrive on worship and love learning more and more about the Bible and becoming more like Christ, so this element flows pretty naturally for me. Other than tweaking a few things here and there and incorporating and in some cases reincorporating some of the practices into my routine, I feel confident in this area more than some of others, which I'll be sharing more about in the days to come. At some point I'll break each practice down even further and discuss specific resources that I use, so if you're interested I hope you'll continue to show up here and join me!

❊

A Resource To Share - The Christian Teachings of Virtue

As many of you who have been following me for awhile now know, I am a Disciple of Jesus Christ and as such, the contents of my posts will often reveal that. 

With that, today I want to share a resource with you that I came across recently and that I am really enjoying, The Christian Teachings of Virtue. Produced by Horse and Chariot, The Christian Teachings of Virtue is a series of lessons in which you will learn to live the soul lifting and character building teachings of virtue, including;

- Will and Purpose (8 part series)

- Well Ordered Soul (8 part series)

- Virtue and Vice (8 part series)

- Seven Chiefly Vices (8 part series)

and

- Seven Chiefly Virtues (Coming Soon)

I've just begun and so far I've watched The Prelude to the Teachings, which gives you the story behind this project and its author and what you can expect from the series, which is the first place I would encourage you to begin if this peaks your interest. Just this week I began reading Will and Purpose, and I am taking it slowly, as I learned years ago from Charlotte Mason, and reading the narrative, the verses and then next week I'll ponder on what I've read and answer the questions and read some of the accompanying quotes, all of which are included with each series.

In the Prelude, the author share that "these teachings are inspired by the Word of God, and many of the greatest minds in human history, they have stood the test of time"

"God has planted the seeds of virtue deep within our soul, and these teachings are designed to provide the fertile soil and nourishment they need to sprout and grow into the light."

I've been a follower of the way for many years now, and like the author share in the prelude, until I came across this I have never seen anything like this presented in such a way that is both easy to understand and comprehend. I am engaging with my bible open, and looking up and reading every scripture for myself, and based upon what I've read so far, I am finding it to be bibically sound. Something you many not know about me is that I never take anything at face value, if I don't see and believe it for myself, then I typically am not very trusting. But, based upon my own personal beliefs and years of being in the Word, everything I've read is in line with scripture and my own personal beliefs. 

That being said, among God's people there are varying beliefs and interpretations of scripture, so if this is something that interests you, it will be up to you to determine if you agree with what you read. The resources that I share here are ones that I have or am currently using, or that I personally know people I know well have used and I trust their judgement. It is up to each individual to determine for themselves if it is appropriate for them.

So, if this sounds like something you might enjoy, then I encourage you to watch the prelude and begin reading the first series. I'd love to hear other opinions, so if you do, then please come back and let me know and share your thoughts.

Until then my friends, savor the summer days!

❈