Sacred Ordinary Days

The invitation to create and live into a rule of life is, at its heart, an invitation to join God in the work of redeeming chaos by creating cosmos. To welcome beauty, order, and wholeness. To name the priorities, postures, practices, and rhythms you want to form—and be formed by. Because, whether you're aware of it or not, you are being formed by the forces and expectations around you. In creating a rule of life, you become intentional about the values and dynamics that shape who you are becoming.

This is our most-asked-for resource—the one we've been dreaming and planning from the very beginning and now refining since 2021. Since then hundreds of people have been through it and we’ve refined our offering for impact, ease, enjoyment, and transformation all along the way.

Through our time together, you’ll learn how to discern and live into healthy rhythms, postures, and practices that will guide you as you grow in Christ-likeness. You’ll learn more about what a rule of life is—and what it isn’t. (Hint: it isn’t a list of resolutions or ambitions for self-improvement.) You’ll release what isn’t serving you to make more room for God's presence in your life and begin reshaping and renewing your world under God’s guidance. You’ll chart action steps to integrate your domestic, faith, and work households more fully and weave prayer into your everyday rhythms and routines. You’ll finish the course with your own, unique rule of life that fits your current season a prayerful resource meant to keep you moving toward wholeness, freedom, and love through a life with God.

Specifically, we hope that in working through this course you will:

• Become more attentive to God’s invitation to shape your life according to God's love

• Practice transforming your daily work into “prayer without ceasing”

• Receive guidance from the Spirit through re-imagined time in holy scripture

• Enjoy God’s goodness through rich daily practices and gentle rhythms

• Interact with a vibrant, global, ecumenical community of fellow Christians and gather in a small formation group led by a minister or spiritual director where you'll have time to ask questions, celebrate milestones, and workshop the course material together

Frequently asked questions:

• How does this course work? How do I get my materials?
  I’m so glad you’re curious about the course! Once you register, you’ll receive full access to the course, so you can start immediately. You will also be given the opportunity to sign up for formation groups, and during the time of your formation group, you’ll receive weekly emails so you are prepared for that week’s module focus and meeting.
  

• How much time should I allow for the course? I'm really interested but want to be sure I can fully commit.
  Thank you for taking such a thoughtful and thorough approach to your commitments! You can plan to spend up to four very flexible hours on each course module, depending on your schedule, priorities, and preferences. You can spend those hours in a big chunk if that works for you, or work them in by smaller snippets here and there. You may spend an hour or so on each of the following:
  

• watching course videos or listening to course audio

• reading through module in the course guidebook

• reflecting on and responding to the materials

• engaging with your small formation group via Zoom meeting
  
  

• I’m not much of an online group person. Is there any way I can do this in person?
  Yes! Soon we'll be offering this exact course, but with the option for quarterly in-person retreats at Cedarbrake Renewal Center in Belton, Texas with your formation group, as opposed to weekly meetings on Zoom. Stay tuned for details as we prepare to launch this opportunity! 
  
  

• I’ve never heard of a rule of life. Can you tell me more about what it is, exactly?
  A rule of life is a commitment to live in a certain way. Once written, your rule of life serves as a tool to help you make decisions for your life and determine how best to order your days. The idea of a rule of life stretches back thousands of years, to the sixth century, when Benedict of Nursia created his Rule to help the community he led translate their faith into the habits and rhythms of daily life. Benedict’s text was widely adopted and has become a key text for Christian monastic life in the 1500 years since he first wrote it.
  
  

• This course sounds incredible! I am very new to spiritual practices in general, would this course be appropriate for me?
  Absolutely! One of our hopes is to come alongside you with both guidance and companionship as you seek to imagine, discern, and integrate spiritual practices into your everyday life. The intentional space of community built through formation groups is the perfect place to take these questions and wonderings!
  
  

• Is this course specific to a particular denomination or faith tradition?
  The course was written for and has already been appreciated by an ecumenical body of participants. It’s applicable to anyone who desires to embody a faithful wholeness and grow in Christ-likeness. We highly value the distinct contributions and unitive communion of the various denominations and experiences within the Christian tradition, as well as of our brothers and sisters outside the formal walls of the church. We expect the course (as our community) to be full of a variety of theological perspectives on all the things—but sharing our experiences, stories, and faith is part of the point! Our interactions will be guided by our community values and conversation guide, which are focused on hospitality, curiosity, and humility.
  
  

• Is there a payment plan so I can spread the cost out over a few weeks or months?
  Yep, we've got monthly payment options for each formation group time! Just scroll back up and click the button that says "View Payment Options" to select the meeting time that works best for you.
  
  

• Is there a chance this course might be accessible by sliding scale or scholarship?
  We've been able to offer several, so far, and hope to continue. Email us at hello@sacredordinarydays.com with your specific request. Or, if you’d like to give toward this fund, please let us know.
  
  

Course Material: 8 online modules, including corresponding teaching which you can enjoy via video or audio , and an interactive/printable PDF guidebook Each module includes a named outcome, an opening prayer, scripture, prompts for reflection, space to name your prayer + action moving forward, a rubric for discernment, a quote, and (almost all include) a corresponding piece of art.

Community Experience: Journey alongside others tending to their own intentional formation. Simply choose the meeting day and time that works best for your rhythms. Each cohort will be led by a spiritual director or minister. Once you register, you’ll be given the link to sign up. If at first you don’t see anything that works for you – do not fear! We will be consistently adding new formation group offerings, to accommodate different schedules. (We’ve already got dates and time mapped out for the next few months!)

COHORT OPTIONS

8-Week Offerings Scheduled Now

June & August 2024 Cohorts:
Thursday at 11am starting June 13
Thursday at 1pm starting June 13
Friday at 9am starting June 14

August & September 2024 Cohorts:
Tuesday at 9am starting August 6
Tuesday at 1pm starting August 6

September & October 2024 Cohorts:
Thursday at 11am starting September 30
Thursday at 1pm starting September 30

(Please note: Join anytime & get access to the materials, then join a cohort when you're ready. We will continue to offer new cohort opportunities throughout the year!)

Learn, practice, and connect in the company of others—and find companionship and guidance along the way—with our guided half-day retreat for doing a monthly, seasonal, or yearly examen.

The practice of doing an examen each month or new season, for your anniversary or birthday, on some meaningful (or challenging) occasion, or at the threshold of a new year, has been a gift for many. The prayer of examen is a centuries-old practice that invites us to reflect on our days prayerfully in the presence of God. Rather than a formula to memorize, it is a form of prayer based on a series of five movements drawing you through presence, reflection, awareness, faithfulness, and ultimately, hopeful action. This retreat will help you cultivate an awareness of God's work in your daily life over the past month, season, or year and move forward into the future with a spirit of hope. Our approach to this practice will help you cultivate and deepen your prayerful reflections.

Each half-day retreat includes an introduction and teaching on the Prayer of Examen for any who may be new to the practice (or who would appreciate a refresher or a new perspective) for the first hour. For the two-hour center portion of the retreat, participants will be sent off for prayer, reflection, and practice alone. The last hour of our time together we will re-gather for noticing, questions, workshopping, and further connection. 

This retreat date is a stand-alone invitation. Participants will receive info, a printable guidebook, and meeting links ahead of time via email. We will also provide some guidance for preparing for and choosing where you will make retreat (from anywhere you can connect to the internet), in addition to reflecting on the retreat afterward to extend the grace you received. Use the Time Zone Translator here to check your local time.

No experience is needed to join a guided retreat! Beginners and long-time practitioners alike will benefit from the intentional time spent in shared practice.

Our 2024 Liturgical Year B Daily and Weekly Planners come in an easy-to-use PDF format. Print at home, print professionally, or use with your favorite device. You'll find information on recommended print settings inside the PDF on the first few pages.

The Sacred Ordinary Days Planner is designed to help you cultivate a whole life of prayer, work, rest, joy, and connection. You'll begin with naming and noticing what is and then identifying small tweaks to make things more effective, sustainable, or joyful. This life-giving rhythm of reflecting and resetting has been practiced for centuries and is not just for scholars, clergy, or the super-spiritual—it's for all of us. We hope our planner serves as your entry point and anchor to approaching this new-old way of being with humility, curiosity, and creativity.

A PLANNER TO HELP YOU CULTIVATE A WHOLE LIFE

• Spacious, gracious one page per day format 
  
• Weekly, seasonal, and yearly prompts to reflect & reset with the prayer of examen 
• Weekly scripture readings from the Revised Common Lectionary
• A weekly invitation into sabbath rest and joy
• The rhythm of seasons, holidays, and holy days that make up the Christian year (also called the liturgical calendar or church calendar) 
• Daily scripture texts from the Daily Office in the Book of Common Prayer  (daily format only)
• Short, daily breath prayers from Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals
• The practice of creating—and living into—a “rule of life” 
• “How To” pages, resources, and reflections for the beginner and the master alike

The Sacred Ordinary Days Planner is the culmination of years of learning, listening, teaching, and walking alongside people—just like you—who were hungry for peace, presence, and purpose. Drawing from Jenn’s experience as a Minister and Spiritual Director, our planner is designed to help you prayerfully discern and faithfully do the work you are uniquely called to and created for. Anchor yourself as you offer your work as your prayer and your prayer as your work, while also making time and space for connection, rest, and play. Our hope is that our planner will help you do your work effectively, joyfully, and sustainably—no matter what your work is. 

Digital Download:

• Daily Planner
• Weekly Planner

Printed Page Size:

• 6.5" x 8"

Sacred Ordinary Days retains the rights to all files on this site. Your purchase simply conveys the license agreement that grants permission to use the files. Attribution is preferred and always appreciated, but not required. For example, you might include "Sacred Ordinary Days Planner PDF by Sacred Ordinary Days. For more resources on Christian spiritual formation, prayer practices, and the liturgical year visit www.sacredordinarydays.com,” on any relevant materials.

Our Monthly Daily and Weekly Planners also come in an easy-to-use PDF format.

Our Monthly Planner PDF samples provide you a great opportunity to try out the 2023-2024 Liturgical Year Planner. 

Print at home, print professionally, or use with your favorite device. You'll find information on recommended print settings inside the PDF on the first few pages.

The Sacred Ordinary Days Planner is designed to help you cultivate a whole life of prayer, work, rest, joy, and connection. You'll begin with naming and noticing what is and then identifying small tweaks to make things more effective, sustainable, or joyful. This life-giving rhythm of reflecting and resetting has been practiced for centuries and is not just for scholars, clergy, or the super-spiritual—it's for all of us. We hope our planner serves as your entry point and anchor to approaching this new-old way of being with humility, curiosity, and creativity.

A PLANNER TO HELP YOU CULTIVATE A WHOLE LIFE

• Spacious, gracious weekly spread format or one page per day format 
  
• Weekly, seasonal, and yearly prompts to reflect & reset with the prayer of examen 
• Weekly scripture readings from the Revised Common Lectionary
• A weekly invitation into sabbath rest and joy
• The rhythm of seasons, holidays, and holy days that make up the Christian year (also called the liturgical calendar or church calendar) 
• Daily scripture texts from the Daily Office in the Book of Common Prayer  (daily format only)
• Short, daily breath prayers from Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals
• The practice of creating—and living into—a “rule of life” 
• “How To” pages, resources, and reflections for the beginner and the master alike

The Sacred Ordinary Days Planner is the culmination of years of learning, listening, teaching, and walking alongside people—just like you—who were hungry for peace, presence, and purpose. Drawing from Jenn’s experience as a Minister and Spiritual Director, our planner is designed to help you prayerfully discern and faithfully do the work you are uniquely called to and created for. Anchor yourself as you offer your work as your prayer and your prayer as your work, while also making time and space for connection, rest, and play. Our hope is that our planner will help you do your work effectively, joyfully, and sustainably—no matter what your work is. 

Digital Download:

• Daily format: 52-page PDF
• Weekly format: 36-page PDF
  

Page Size:

• Daily format: 6.5" x 8"
• Weekly format:  6.5" x 8"