What is the CSF Trellis?  We get this word from the latin “regula” which stands for a straight piece of wood or ruler and even an extension to “pattern” or “example.” The last way it can be translated is trellis. A trellis allows life to flourish for grapevines, but without it the grapes have nowhere to go and die off. Same goes with our life of faith. We need a trellis to help our spiritual lives flourish, or we will get stuck. This is a way to help us have structure and organization that abides in the True Vine (John 15:1-11). The rule of life is not meant to be a set of rules and legalism but a way of grace and effort to learn how to embrace the identity and lifestyle of Jesus. We are seeking to be a community formed into the image of Christ and to do that we have a spiritual trellis to help us do so. We are adopting the mindset and lifestyle of Jesus by living out the practices He displayed throughout the Scriptures. Again, not a legalistic approach to faith, but a way of life that leads to spiritual flourishing. Below are the practices and what we are aiming to be as a community pursuing them! The Rule of Life Builder from Practicing the Way will help you flesh out how you personally can live out this trellis in our community way of living!
We become a community of rest in a culture of hurry and exhaustion through the practice of sabbath.
We become a community of communion with God in a culture of distraction and escapism through the practice of prayer.
We become a community of holiness in a culture of indulgence and immorality through the practice of fasting.
We become a community of peace and quiet in a culture of anxiety and noise through the practice of solitude.
We become a community of courageous fidelity to orthodoxy in a culture of ideological compromise through the practice of scripture.
We become a community of love and depth in a culture of individualism and superficiality through the practice of community.
We become a community of justice, mercy, and reconciliation in a culture of injustice and division through the practice of service.
We become a community of contentment in a culture of consumerism through the practice of generosity.
We become a community of hospitality in a culture of hostility through the practice of witness.