Steven,
You probably have but just in case, pick up deWaal's Living in Contradiction; a nice 'real deal' of the walk in our Rule. 
Br John David, n/OSB

On Thu, Dec 30, 2021 at 8:18 PM Steven Olderr <olderr@ameritech.net> wrote:
The book that got me hooked was Esther DeWaal's Seeking God: The Way of St. Benedict.  It's short, clear, and well-written.  This started us on the way to building a Benedictine community in our parish.  The rector later tried writing up an attenuated rule of life for the parish for those who weren't buying Benedict, but it flopped.  

Using this book with an Anglican audience can give readers a leg up since Anglicans already are Benedictine in many respects, whether they know it or not.  As you know, it was essentially the Benedictines who brought Christianity back to England after the collapse of the Roman Empire and they left a stamp on the Church of England that remains to this day.

It can be confusing for a newbie to build their own rule of life.  The thing about the Rule of Benedict is that it has stood the test of time. There's nothing to stop someone who is not a Benedictine from altering the Rule to suit themselves later on if it works better for them, but at least there is a proven base to build on.  I daresay that there's not a person in the Companions who follows Benedict's rule in every respect.  Things work differently for different people and as I tell my formands all the time, that's okay.  But why start off by trying to re-invent the wheel?

Br. Steven
On Thursday, December 30, 2021, 05:10:45 PM CST, Jana W <jrimom@gmail.com> wrote:


Hello Abbot and all, 
I am wondering what your favorite resources have been for teaching about a rule of life in a parish setting. It need not be about the RB per se. 
Thanks for sharing...
Sr. Joanna