– Kim R. Smith, Sound District Lay Leader
Distractions are everywhere during this time of year. Our calendars are full, and we seem to be running from one place to another. We can easily burn out like the lights on our Christmas trees if we aren’t careful and intentional with our soul care.
There are some easy ways to carve out time for you and God during the season of Advent. They don’t require that you even get out of your pajamas! I find that beginning my day with God, helps me stay grounded. You might find that ending the day with this special time works better for you. I just encourage you to make that time and commit to it each day especially when event after event is crowding your calendar.
On the Sound District Facebook page, Jon Strother leads “Honest Advent” every morning at 7am. It’s recorded so you can listen on your schedule. These brief moments of prayer, devotion, and beautiful music begin my day in a hope centered way. The devotions are so relatable that I often spend the entire day reflecting on something that connected with my heart. This is one way, you can carve out a few minutes to grow your heart this month.
Another way is the Advent Photo of the Day Challenge found at UMC.org. Each day there is a word that prompts you to post an image or a thought as we move through Advent. At first, I thought the idea was fun! Over time, I have found it to be a powerful deep dive into scripture and prayer for me. I am quite sure some days people look at the image I select and think to themselves…” huh?” That’s okay because the process of selecting that image and how it connects to the time spent that morning, has been time well spent for my spiritual growth. Try it! If you post use the hashtags #rethinkchurch and #nccumc so others can grow with you.
The last thing I would encourage you all to do this month, is to get a copy of the book “Don’t Look Back- Methodist Hope for What Comes Next” by Bishop Will Willimon and read it. Take notes on the pages, highlight powerful passages, text your friends when something resonates with your experience, and pray your way through it. Start a book club with it, use it in your Sunday School class, or just process it on your own for now.
On January 24th all laity are invited to join via zoom at 7pm for a discussion about the book. More details and the zoom link will be shared after the first of the year. For now, mark your calendars and grab a copy of the book. Find some creative ways to share it with your leadership teams.
Never stop growing! Even when life is crazy busy, and you are on overload. It’s during that time, our hearts need a pause. It’s easy to lose our footing when we aren’t grounded. It’s easy to stop growing spiritually if we don’t feed our souls. I pray you find and make the time to grow and stay grounded in faith and love during this season of distractions. Stay focused.