My Life Rule (Rule of Bob Nass)

A little over a month ago, I spent a week in deep reflection on my life and ministry.  I will write three blogs to speak to some of the things I've learned, in hopes that my friends will understand better who I am and where God is taking me.

My Life Rule (Rule of Bob Nass)

As a disciple of Jesus Christ, it is my desire to live for Him and to live a life of health, wholeness, and holiness.  I am compelled to write a “life rule” explaining and facilitating my spiritual formation and my growth in the “grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  (2 Peter 3:18)  As I consider my life I will look at every category (physical, relational, spiritual, and vocational) and contemplate how God is calling me to live.

Physical

In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, God’s Word tells me that my “body is the temple of the Holy Spirit . . . honor God with (my) body.”  Central in my Christian worldview is the understanding that God created humanity in our bodily form and exclaimed, “it was good” (Gen. 1:31).  

To honor God with my body means that I need to continually care for it and use it well.  I do that by eating minimally processed, sustainable, fresh, and local food as much as possible.  I also care for my body by living an active life and running, biking, or lifting weights four or five days a week.  I try to incorporate this activity into my regular routines and, when the weather is good, I bike to work as much as possible.  Rest is a very important part of physical care and I prioritize this by intentionally sleeping 7-8 hours most nights. 

A vital part of my physical life rule is the way I set aside most Saturdays as a family Sabbath day.  We usually spend the morning sleeping in, eating a big breakfast together, and reading God’s Word together, then we spend the rest of the day in seasonal activities that are most often both physical and relational.  

In the summer we spend many weekends camping with our family and with other families.  When we go camping we spend time hiking, biking, climbing, canoeing, and swimming as we enjoy exploring new places in God’s creation.  Also the summer is spent working in our family garden/orchard.  We spend a great deal of time composting, planting, watering, weeding, and harvesting the crops.  

In the fall our family continues the work of harvesting.  I also take a day or two to go whitewater kayaking and enjoy the camaraderie of that activity.  Fall is also my time to work on house projects and to help others in projects as we prepare for winter.

Our family thoroughly enjoys winter sports.  We spend many winter Saturdays X/C skiing, skijoring, downhill skiing, and sledding.  These times of winter play can be incredibly challenging, especially when our kids were younger and needed a lot of care to stay warm and happy in the sled, but they are also a huge source of joy and fun.

In the spring, we spend time working on house projects and going to the woods to cut firewood to prepare for another winter.

Relational (Emotional)

Luke tells us in Acts 2:46 that the early church continued to meet together daily, broke bread together in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts . . . Of utmost importance in my theology is the understanding that God is a relational God (illustrated in the Trinity), and that it is not good for humanity to be alone (Gen. 2:18).  I am in need of relationship for friendship (Prov. 17:17) and accountability (Heb 10:24).

To honor God with my relationships means that I need to continually pursue my wife and take time to develop our relationship.  On a daily basis this means taking time after our kids have gone to bed to clean the house together, talk, and/or watch a movie.  On a (at least) weekly basis we eat a meal together while our kids watch a movie.  On a yearly basis we take a full weekend retreat on our anniversary to deepen and work on our relationship.  

I’m also called to honor God in my relationships with my children.  I do this by teaming with my wife in encouraging/helping them in their schoolwork, playing together and spending time together during evenings, on Saturdays and vacations.  At least once a week I lead my family in a time of devotional reflection on God’s Word.  When I’m home I need to be intentional about talking about life and engaging with and correcting my children.  

  Finally, I’m called to honor God in my relationships with friends and neighbors.  I do this by meeting weekly with my small group of men for conversation, accountability and prayer.  As a family we invite our children’s friends to our home and try to live a life of hospitality with friends.  I also look out for the needs of my older neighbors and I shovel snow, change light bulbs, and take out trash for the widow across the road.

Spiritual

  The Lord Jesus tells us that the greatest command in scripture is to “Love the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength” (Matt. 22:37).  To honor God with my Spiritual life means that He is to be central in all I do: physical, emotional, and vocational.  

  As a born again Christian, I have committed my whole life to Jesus Christ.  I am called to “live Jesus and give Jesus.”  To live Jesus means that I trust Him alone as my Savior.  It means that I glorify Him with all my actions by praying constantly that He would be honored in my life and in my family.  It means that I grow in grace (2 Peter 3:18) by spending time daily in prayer and by studying and meditating on God’s Word.  It also means that I grow in obedience and Christ likeness by applying His Word to my life.  

  To give Jesus means that I verbally proclaim the message of the cross of Jesus Christ in all my spheres of influence.

Vocational

To honor God in my vocation means that I “work with all my heart, as working for the Lord, not men (Colossians 4:23).”  Working hard is part of this idea of working with all my heart.  However, as a person called to pastoral leadership, working hard is only part of the equation.    

As I consider where God is taking me and how I am to serve Him I need to be diligent to find a place where I can do so in the most excellent way, and that I set up systems to hold me accountable for vocational excellence.  First off, I need to work with vision and purpose knowing where I am now and where I am going.  I also need to work in community and relationship and develop ministry teams for accountability and growth.  I need to have consistent review to make sure I am working in collaboration with and with respect toward those in authority over me.  I also need to establish a committee for review so that those under my care have a voice to critique how I am doing as I teach them and care for them.

My desire as a minister is that those whom God entrusts to me grow deeper in their relationship with Christ.  I will use the GROW acronym to make sure that what I’m preaching, teaching, and living deepens people in God’s Word, Relationships, Obedient Living, and Worship.

I consistently look for ways to glean knowledge and collegiality from other ministers through leading and attending local pastoral networks, leading camps and events together, and going to denominational gatherings.  These times are of great importance to me.

I desire to constantly learn and grow so I look for books, events, and seminars that increase my knowledge of God’s Word and best practices in ministry.  I desire to pursue this more intensely and I have enrolled in Seminary classes so that I will be better qualified as a leader in the church. 

Conclusion

  Philippians 2:13 tells us “It is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”  I am convinced that God has been and will continue to work out His purposes in my life as I dedicate myself as a willing vessel for His use.