When it comes to our development, when it comes to real change, the long, slow, boring and often painful route is quite reliably,  the most direct.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."      - Margaret Meade , was an American cultural anthropologist.

Rule of Life is an intentional pattern of spiritual disciplines that provides structure and  direction for growth in holiness.  A Rule establishes a rhythm for life in which is helpful for  being formed by the Spirit, a rhythm that reflects a love for God and respect for how he has made  us.  The disciplines which we build into our rhythm of life help us to shed the “old self” and  allow our “new self” in Christ to be formed.  Spiritual disciplines are means of grace by which  God can nourish us.  Ultimately a Rule should help you to love God more, so if it becomes a  legalistic way of earning points with God or impressing others, it should be scrapped.  If the  traditional, ancient term “rule” concerns you because it sounds legalistic, think of “rule” as a  “rhythm of life” or as a “Curriculum in Christlikeness” (Dallas Willard), or as a “Game Plan for  Morphing” (John Ortberg).  In order to be life-giving, a Rule must be realistic!   It is not an ideal toward which you are  striving

Practicing a Rule of Life with others moves us against the grain of our individualistic culture. However, I believe that a Rule should grow from the positive aspects of our life, not what we perceive to be our failings.  We should discern it in conversation with God and others in our community, and we must make God the focus of our Rule (don't focus on  negative images of ourselves) and then we move in the directions in which we feel God's calling. A Rule of Life should be a response to being loved by God in the first place, and feeling moved to become what God calls us to be in this world. Ever since St. Benedict's time, Christians have used a Rule of Life to provide an ancient yet powerfully consistent way to live into our present and future faith.

an apocalypse on Earth on December 21, 2012

To live in communion, in genuine dialogue with others is absolutely necessary if man is to remain human.

 Come, dervishes: here is the water of life. Dance in it.  

Benedict (like Bill W) realized we must understand our dependence on God before being  restored to sanity.  “We are like a child on its mother’s lap,” Benedict writes, “cut off from  nourishment, helpless, left without the resources we need to grow in the spirit of God.”