Courses, Retreats, & Groups

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.

Learn, practice, and connect in the company of others with our pop-up spiritual practice communities for Examen, Sabbath, and Lectio Divina from January 8–February 8, 2024. 

Please note that with your purchase a Daily or Weekly 2024 Liturgical Year B Planner that you'll be sent a code for $15 off, which would be perfect to use for joining this community! Check your inbox for that email from hello@sacredordinarydays.com.

As we start a new year, join a pop-up community to explore a new spiritual practice, or deepen a practice you currently hold.

For one month, Jenn will teach weekly in each pop-up practice community. In between, share with the others in the community how your practice is going, what questions you have, and what insights you've gained. Sessions will include an introduction and teaching for any who may be new to each practice (or who would appreciate a refresher or a new perspective). The center portion of each session will be spent in practice together. The last part of our time together each week will be set aside for questions.

Shortly after registration, participants will be invited to join a Facebook Group (everyone will be added on January 8th when the group officially opens). The video teachings will be live there each week, and you'll receive a link to all four videos when the group closes. Whether you plan to participate live, watch at some point during each week, or just get the recordings at the end of the month to watch at your own leisure, we hope this offering will help you start or deepen a practice.

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

Choose your pop-up practice community:

• Listening (to the Lectionary) through Lectio Divina:  Thursdays at 9:00 am central | January 8 - February 8, 2024 - Lectio divina (literally translated as divine reading) is an ancient practice of engaging with a sacred text through attending, pondering, responding, and resting in the presence of God. Each week this group will explore scripture passages from the Revised Common Lectionary, reading scripture slowly and prayerfully while paying special attention to words and phrases that capture the imagination, and learning to recognize these as opportunities for prayer. 
  
  
• Exploring Examen: Thursdays at 11:00 am central | January 8 - February 8, 2024
  The examen is a centuries-old practice in the church that invites us to prayerfully reflect on our days in the presence of and through the loving eyes of God.  This group will explore ways to become more aware of and attuned to the presence of God, both around and within us, as well as incorporate a rhythm of examen prayer into weekly life.
  
  
• Savoring Sabbath Community:  Thursdays at 1:00 pm central | January 8 - February 8, 2024
  Sabbath is an elusive and misunderstood practice. It can easily feel intimidating, idealistic, or come with a long list of assumptions. But, it can also be incredibly life-giving. This group will workshop simple, practical ways to receive, protect, and enter into intentional spaces of rest and renewal. Shame-free and should-free, we'll get creative with each other.
  

Group Length: 1 month

In the season of Lent, we enter into the forty-day fast that Jesus undertook in the wilderness. Through this dedicated period of self-examination and self-emptying, we allow God to further shape us into the image of Jesus. We also align our hearts with the suffering of Jesus as we move ever closer toward Holy Week and the event of the crucifixion. This retreat serves as a guided exploration of our particular invitations into Lenten observation and allows for reflection and shared space in the company of kindred hearts. 

Each half-day retreat will have a slightly different focus and includes an introduction and teaching for any who may be new to the observation of Lent (or who would appreciate a refresher or a new perspective). The center portion of the retreat will be spent in prayer, reflection, and practice alone. The last part of our time together will be to re-gather for noticing, questions, workshopping, and further connection. Each retreat date is a stand-alone invitation to join a group of 8-12, though you are welcome to register for several or all if you'd like some continuity.

No prior knowledge or experience with Lent or the liturgical year is needed to join a guided retreat! Beginners and long-time observers alike will benefit from the intentional time spent in retreat. 

Lent guided retreat dates: 

Retreat Length: 4 hours

Half-day Online Retreat: each guided retreat will gather via Zoom for one hour at 11 am central, sending retreat-makers off for two hours, and gathering again for one hour at 2 pm central with info and meeting links delivered ahead of time via email. We will also provide some recommendations for how to choose where you will make retreat, whether at home, at your church, at a retreat center, or anywhere that you can connect to the internet.

Eastertide is an entire season of feasting—not just a single day. It is the height of the liturgical calendar, as we celebrate Christ's resurrection and our new and abundant life in him. Sometimes we make much of the forty days of Lent, then move on quickly after Easter Sunday. But the two seasons need one another—and we need them both. In that spirit, we offer this retreat as a guided exploration of the mystery of resurrection throughout the whole of this celebratory season. You might even consider joining us for all 4 Lent and Easter retreats.

Each half-day retreat includes an introduction and teaching for any who may be new to the observation of Easter as a whole season (or who would appreciate a refresher or a new perspective). The center portion of the retreat will be spent in prayer, reflection, and practice alone. The last part of our time together will be to re-gather for noticing, questions, workshopping, and further connection. Each retreat date is a stand-alone invitation, though you may find it helpful to join us for one or several from the Lent retreats, as well. 

No prior knowledge or experience with Eastertide or the liturgical year is needed to join a guided retreat. Beginners and long-time observers alike will benefit from the intentional time spent in shared practice. 

Easter guided retreat dates: 

• Friday, April 5 | 11:00 am – 3:00 pm central
  
  Time Zone Translator here
  

Retreat Length: 4 hours

Half-day Online Retreat: each guided retreat will gather via Zoom for one hour at 11 am central, sending retreat-makers off for two hours, and gathering again for one hour at 2 pm central with info and meeting links delivered ahead of time via email. We will also provide some recommendations for how to choose where you will make retreat, whether at home, at your church, at a retreat center, or anywhere that you can connect to the internet.