Habits of the Household

I think it’s fair to say that everyone has a subtle rhythm to their households, myriad little practices that flow into one another that help us make room for what matters, equip us to get the small tasks that make up the flow of our lives completed. I am hearing over and over again from fellow parents that we are running into the wall of ‘I have more to do than I have time to do it in’ and that essentials are carefully protected and prioritized. Habits of the Household; Practicing The Story of God In Everyday Family Rhythms by Justin Whitmel Earley was published in 2021; one year into pandemic life and all the truths that it exposed. I have seen much chatter about the book in various circles that I’m in, coupled with all the conversation I am blessed to have with children’s ministers and parents across the country, I was curious to see what Mr. Earley had to say. When the book arrived from the publisher, I very eagerly dived in and found this to be one of those ‘unputdownables’, a special term my family has for books that cause you to drop and ignore everything in order to finish it. 

Habits of the Household; Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms, after a short introduction, breaks the adult life, particularly the adult parenting of young children while tending to the responsibilities of outside employment, into ten spheres. Picking up where he began in his book The Common Rule, the author dives into ways that he prioritizes healthy habits in the rhythms surrounding waking, mealtime, discipline, screentime, family devotions, marriage, work, play, conversation, and bedtime. The author provides commentary on how we can intentionally prioritize habits that keep our salt flavoring in the world, which allow us to push aside the maladaptive behaviors that creep in to crowd out our healthy rhythms. He demonstrates how he and his wife find practical ways to keep what is essential at the forefront. There is a practical balance between useful family liturgy and real life situations that sap your energy/could potentially derail the whole desire to remain grounded in God. The author gives sound examples from his own life, but without the presupposition that this is how you also live. There is room for you to take what you need, leave what doesn’t fit, and add/swap what else is useful for you to be able to make what matters to you come first. 

There are so many ways that this book can be used in your ministry. Yes, the most obvious is as a short term book club offering for young parents. This book is ripe with conversational topics, situations for parental bonding, and practical ideas that would allow parents to tweak their daily rhythms to ones that are more supportive of what matters most to them. I wouldn’t stop with that group. This is a must read for church leadership. The pandemic has forced us to look at all the changes that were peeking out at us prior to 2020. This book can help congregations get a glimpse at what families with young children are experiencing daily. It can provide you with ways to understand, question, and plan effective ministry with and for these families. This book is also ripe with possible multigenerational and family retreat ideas. Choose a section from the book, create two workshop centers from the habits section at the end of each chapter, add in time to socialize and enjoy food together, and you’ve got over a year’s worth of dedicated ministry for and with families. I would definitely find money in the budget to snag a copy of this book, read it, pass it around, and use it!