Soul Enterprise
Overcoming the siren diversions of our digital age Book calls people to daily and weekly habits By Melodie M. Davis The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction by Justin Whitmel Earley (InterVarsity Press, 2019, 198 pp., $18 US.)
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hat was your response the last time a good friend asked you how you were doing? If you said with a laugh or a moan, “Too busy,” or just offered an eye roll, this book might be for you. In his book The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction, author Justin Whitmel Earley uses a memoir style of writing as he sets out to tame the beast of overwork and overdoing anything. Professionally he is a mergers and acquisitions lawyer in Richmond, Virginia, and earlier was a missionary in China. He and his wife have four sons: all of which means, yes, he has learned the hard way about anxiety and overdoing. The book is directed to Christians who feel addicted to work or who find themselves putting job before family, God, or self. It can help all who desire to nudge work and responsibilities into their proper place: handling them as both necessity and joy. Earley created a program he calls The Common Rule, which helps inThe Marketplace September October 2019
dividuals not succumb to time sucks such as scrolling the smart phone, burrowing in a newspaper, glazing before the TV, or teeing off too many rounds of golf. His step-by-step instructions help us bask both in God’s love, and work at sharing God’s bounty and mercy with friends, family, and neighbors. He covers a lot. The Common Rule includes a total of eight habits — divided into daily and weekly habits. Daily habits include: kneel for prayer several times a day (wow!); have at least one meal with others; turn off the phone for one hour; and read scripture in the morning before you turn on your phone. The weekly habits include: one hour of conversation with a friend; no more than four hours of leisure media use; fasting from something for 24 hours; and observing sabbath rest. The material on managing the distractions of modern media (smart phones, computers, email) is worth the price of the book, with practical suggestions to try—and leeway to come up with guidelines that work for you. 4
I loved that Earley started his exploration of realigning one’s life and priorities by reminding us that God, as creator and sustainer, worked hard and long! “Go back to the opening act of the Bible. The spotlight has just come on, and we find the Trinity on the stage working together to create this beautiful and bizarre material world. God is different parts blue-collar worker, artist, inventor, tinkerer, gardener, and entrepreneur” (p. 38). Earley reminds us that God worked with his hands. As the wife of a retired blue-collar worker, I appreciated this shout out. I also resonated deeply with his chapter on how to keep family mealtime. But kneeling down in your work day? I was fortunate for most of my employed life to enjoy a private office, with a door. I could easily do what Earley recommends—stop midmorning or afternoon and kneel down or stretch out to pray or get in touch with the Holy. If your work setting doesn’t allow that or you are constantly in the public eye, Earley suggests just a few moments of holding out your hands on your lap, in a holy gesture of receiving a gift, can also be a way to slow down and refocus. The book includes a 30-page resource section. ◆ Melodie Davis, of Linville, Virginia, recently retired from MennoMedia/Herald Press, where she worked as an editor and writer. She is the author of nine books, most recently Whatever Happened to Dinner? Recipes and Reflections for Family Mealtime. You can read her blog at https://findingharmonyblog.com
