A Rule of Life to pull us away from screens and into the presence of God

At times throughout Christian history, the issues of the day forced Christians to take a step back from regular life in order to focus on their relationship with God.

One example of this is the Desert Fathers. The Desert Fathers (and the Desert Mothers) were early Christian ascetics who lived in the 3rd-5th centuries AD. Following the Edict of Milan in 313 and the establishment of Christianity as a legal religion, the Desert Fathers and Mothers stepped away from society to intentionally focus on their relationship with God, fearing that the blending of society and religion would have a negative impact on their relationship with God.  During this time they became known for crafting a Rule of Life. A Rule of Life was a structure and rhythm of practices that guided the life of the community as a response to what was happening in the world. These practices included things such as meditative prayer, caring for the sick/needy, and frequent recitation of Scripture. Their time in the desert was a time of deep connection with God.

Over the course of the fall semester, our lives have been dominated by digital experiences: Zoom class lectures, living life in the "G" world (Gmail/Google drive/Google docs/Google hangouts), and online club/greek life meetings. Additionally, tensions across social media have impacted our well-being. In light of all these things, the University Church is inviting our Pepperdine students and members to become more Rooted in your relationship with God over the winter break by engaging in a modern day Rule of Life that we are calling Rooted. 

Just as the Desert Fathers and Mothers did centuries ago, we are inviting you to step away from the typical stressors of society, but with a slightly different end goal. Unlike the Desert Fathers and Mothers, our desire is to disconnect only for a short period of time. This Rule of Life aligns with the Advent season, which is the time each year we anticipate the arrival of Christ. It is a time of looking forward into the unknown but having hope in the incarnation of Christ. As we look to 2021, we simply don’t know what to expect: online school, continued COVID cases, etc. We cannot anticipate the future, but we can lean into our relationship with God in the now. We believe that four weeks of intentional disconnection will help prepare you for whatever may come in the future.

​We invite you to join us for four weeks of practices designed to pull you away from screens and into the presence of God.

Here's the plan

Download the 4-week plan here. 

ROOTED GUIDE PDF

Ready to join? 

Even if you can't participate for all four weeks, we still believe these practices will be beneficial for you. Sign up below so we can send you some swag in the mail (you've heard of that before right? Mailboxes? Stamps? Letters?)

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