I always imagine that summertime will be relaxing, with days spent luxuriating on my front porch in the sun, drinking a few beers around a campfire with my friends, and packing up the car for camping trips with my kids that they’ll remember for the rest of their lives. Reality is often much less idyllic. Between church events, weekends away, ceaseless BBQ invitations, and the glum reality that I still have to go to work even when the weather is nice, summer can feel more like a jumble of commitments, an endless race from place to place.

In the middle of the chaos, usually the first things to go are those disciplines that, in more stable times, keep me anchored to Christ and living from a place of deep relationship with Him. The slow mornings I spend by candlelight with my Bible in the dark of winter are replaced by mad dashes to get work done early enough to enjoy the afternoon sun. Carefully planned and prepared Sabbath days replaced by road trips home from a camping weekend.

Many of these things are good – events and commitments I look forward to all year, especially when my driveway is buried under a mountain of snow. Still, I often wish that my relationship with God wasn’t so easily derailed, not by sin but by lack of routine.

What I need in this season is not a more dogged commitment to my Google Calendar but simple, portable rhythms, rituals, and routines that slowly, quietly, but meaningfully redirect my gaze to meet the loving gaze of Jesus Christ. Jesus was no stranger to busyness and interruption. While my relationship with the Father often rests on a sense of stability and structure, Jesus sought the Father in any quiet, deserted place He could find. It’s in this season that we most need “portable disciplines” like the ones Jesus had even in the chaos of the crowds and a life on the road.

Through the years, there are a few things that have stuck that, while not always feeling as rich as my disciplines in steadier seasons, keep me rooted in God’s ever present love.

Short Morning Prayer

I love a long morning devotional time, with a cup of coffee and extended silence. On a weekend away, or even just at the start of a busy day, I’ve learned to be okay with short prayers. God is generous and understanding and even if we can’t give Him an hour of dedicated time, He still wants to spend some time with us. On these busy summer days, sometimes my prayer time just looks like an Our Father prayed slowly and with intention. Then I try to seek the Lord throughout my day, especially giving thanks for the moments of beauty and delight this season so frequently brings.

The Shutdown Ritual

I’ve often found the transition between a busy workday and home life to be a bit jarring, even more so on days with evening plans or spontaneous gatherings, both of which become more common in the summer. A few years back I wrote this simple prayer, which I’ll often pray on my commute home:

Call to mind any lingering thoughts about work

Inhale: All things

Exhale: Belong to Christ

Repeat three times

Reflect: Everything that must be completed will be completed. Jesus cares for those who love Him. There is no need to worry or ruminate. You have done your work. Let Christ do the rest.

Pray: Thank You Jesus for this workday. May you care for any tasks left to be done and grant me peace of mind. Lead me to focus on my most important vocation - to love You, my family, and my community. I entrust the time between now and when I work again to You. Glory be…

Benediction: The day is done. Go in peace.

A Portable Weekly Sabbath

I love a Sabbath day to be well prepared, with meals cooked in advance, plans communicated with friends, and the house cleaned top to bottom. In the summertime, this rarely happens as weekends fill up quickly. Instead, I’ve learned to be okay with a “portable” Sabbath, that can happen on the road or even in a messy home. To make this work, I’ve identified some of the elements that are important to me to keep on a Sunday, no matter what’s going on - things like the Liturgy of the Hours, Sunday Mass, a nice meal with my family (even if it’s takeout sushi instead of an elaborate feast), and at least some portion of the day with devices stored away. Staying in the rhythm, even if it’s not “perfect,” reminds my body and my heart that rest is a gift God freely gives, not something I have to earn by clearing the decks.

Each of these practices, though simple, have helped to restore a sense of order and connectedness to God, no matter how chaotic the schedule. They’re a reminder that God is always present and pursuing me in every season and that it’s always possible for me to respond.

As I look forward to the coming Fall, these practices help me to maintain a sense of closeness with my Heavenly Father so that as my schedule gets steady again, I can shift back into my regular Rule of Life without feeling a sense of rupture. They remind me as well that even in structure and routine, what matters isn’t the disciplines themselves but cultivating deep relationship with God in every season.