How Will We Emerge? Guest Contributor Gisela Kreglinger

The second voice in this series of thoughtful people is dear friend Gisela Kreglinger, PhD, pondering on what’s being shaken and purified in this season:

The world has changed in a heartbeat—changed in ways that we could never have thought before. Sometimes I think of Mother Earth shaking us off her back because we have been handling her so poorly and now she is telling us to stop, become sensible, and listen.

This Covid-19 crisis has brought a lot to the surface: personally, in our families, in our societies, and the world at large. The lockdown itself, the self-isolation for those who do it, has forced us to befriend ourselves, our homes, and our families in new ways. 

It is challenging but also good. We are entering more deeply into the life that is nearest to us. We can't run away as easily as our culture of entertainment and distraction has offered to us in the past. We are now forced to find peace with those nearest to us: ourselves, our families, and neighbors.

This is what God has always called us to and I want to be receptive to what God wants to do in my life as I am tucked away at home. Rowan Williams writes in his book Silence and Honey Cakes (a book about the Christian desert fathers) that the monks’ calling is "to become fire." I believe this is what we are called to become: burning souls for God's presence and redemption in this world.

Right now He is purifying me from distraction so I can enter into His presence in more stillness to really listen to Him and what He is calling me to do. Listening to God has been a spiritual practice for all of my adult life but it seems that this season of Covid-19 is a time to be still and listen even more intensely. 

Let's listen together and, when the storm passes, God will rebuild His church.

Let us be ready to respond to God's call with a passion and joy to rebuild His purified church. It will be smaller and perhaps more marginalized but God's church has always been most faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ when it was marginal. Political power and Jesus power don't usually go together. Political power and forcing God's ways into society is never a good idea. Christ's way is that of a suffering servant who lowers Himself to lift up the brokenhearted. This is our work. Let us do it together and only in the spirit of Jesus Christ.

Gisela Kreglinger, grew up on a family-owned winery in Franconia, Germany where her family has been crafting wine for many generations. This unique experience has inspired her to write books (The Spirituality of Wine, The Soul of Wine) which explore the how the mystery and wonder of wine helps us embrace a full-bodied, joyful Christian life. She holds a PhD in historical theology from the University of St. Andrews and after traveling the world, lives in Birmingham, AL. She leads wine pilgrimages in Europe and trips to the British isles exploring Celtic spirituality.

How Will We Emerge? Guest Contributor Andi Ashworth

In this pandemic, we’re social distancing for our safety. But for our mental and spiritual health, perhaps we should also consider “information distancing.” Hear these reflections from Andi Ashworth:

I’ve been thinking a lot about habits and how my daily rhythms steer the direction of my heart. This is true all the time, but there are particular things I’m aware of right now. The use of my smartphone is one of them.

I’m working to break the habit of checking social media and news off and on all day. I have a genuine need to know the latest developments, as well as stay connected with people during various stages of quarantine. In Nashville we are in a modified version of phase 2. But there is a direct correlation between my scrolling habits and whether I have any peace, hope, or generosity of spirit. On the days I pick up my phone first thing in the morning and go immediately to email, Facebook, Instagram, or a news article, I’m in trouble. Hope is already gone before I even I hit the coffee pot. I start the day depressed and overwhelmed by the news headlines, or boiling with anger at a mean-spirited post on Facebook that speaks of people’s suffering as “fake news.” I’m completely bewildered by the twisting of reality. But social media commentary and wider news stories are not something to take on straight out of bed.

I’m 64 years old and still figuring this out! I tell myself, “Leave the phone alone, Andi. Make the coffee, go to your chair, read the scriptures and pray. And then receive the day as God’s gift.” It’s the right order of things.

I believe in the wisdom of reading the news with one hand and the Bible with the other. “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful,” requires attentiveness. But there’s a difference between my mindless scrolling habits and paying careful attention. So I’m working to create some boundaries, to figure out the best times in each day to read thoughtful, in-depth news articles, listen to NPR, or watch trusted news sources on television. I’m reorienting myself to check social media once a day or give it a break completely. It helps to rein it all in.

I don’t want to be angry and anxious all the time. I don’t want to lash out online or in person. I want my conversation to be full of grace, but it’s so often not. There’s a right and righteous anger that leads me to God and good action, and there’s a ranting kind of anger that recycles over and over with nowhere to land.

As I read the Old and New Testaments my soul is filled with truth, perspective, and words to pray. “The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble…he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted…Arise LORD! Lift up your hand, O God…Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” As things feel like they’re spinning out of control, I can remember where to put my trust, I can cry out to God about the suffering of the world. I can be still and know that he is God. And I can be thankful.

Gratitude is medicinal.

As quarantine continues, what I’m missing most is the up-close experience of family—hugging and kissing my kids and grandkids, sharing meals around a common table. The ache grows more intense each week. But rather than focusing too much on what is absent, I’m trying to remember what’s been provided: the sweet companionship of my husband, a blooming garden, the blessing of long Zoom conversations with my oldest friends, and the fact that we can see our family outdoors.

If I start on a trail of thanksgiving I can go for miles.

Andi Ashworth is cofounder of ArtHouse America and author of Real Love for Real Life: The Art and Work of Caring and shares a blog The Writer & The Husband with her husband, Charlie Peacock, Grammy-award winning musician and producer.

How Will We Emerge from 2020? Introduction

That’s the question I’m asking myself and others. There’s a lot of presumptions in this question:

• An acknowledgement that we’re in an epic time that’s going to change our world and change us.

• An optimism that there will be a “coming out on the other side” of all these global health, social justice, and political pandemics. An optimism that it will be in 2021.

• The hope that “we” will come out. Not just “me’s” against “you’s.”

• The reality that in the midst of what we have no control of, there are a few things we can control. What are the small (or big) ways you personally want to come out of this? What are you learning? What good or hard things have surfaced? How do you want your life / faith / heart / work / relationships to be different? 

Through this season, guest contributors will share their thoughts on this year of pandemics, social unrest, fire tornadoes, murder hornets, and whatever else 2020 throws at us. Please let me know if you’d like to contribute your thoughts. Email me at nancy@nancywcarroll.com.

Recalibrating Practices: Breath Prayers

We often make prayer so complicated, a labyrinth of lists and complicated expectations when it could be as simple as our breath. In the battle against anxiety and indecision, clutter and confusion, a deep breath and cry for help has been my first (and ongoing) step.

A breath prayer, also known as the Jesus prayer or beggar prayer, is simply crying out your heart’s desire to God. It’s an ancient tradition.

Keep this prayer short and include a name or attribute of God and your current need or longing in your life or praise. The goal is for it to become as reflexive as your breathing. Samples of breath prayers include: 

Lord Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner.

Come, Holy Spirit, come.

 Abba, I belong to you.

Be still and know that I am God.

Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.

My God and my all (St. Francis’ breath prayer). 

 Some of mine include:

Yes. Lord. Jesus. Christ.

Lord Jesus, show me my next step.

Triune God, I trust you.

Keep it short enough where you can inhale deeply on the first part (Lord Jesus) and exhale fully on the second part (Have mercy on me a sinner). Keep it simple enough where you will remember it and can repeat it throughout the day. The goal is not to be like the Cowardly Lion rapid-fire repeating “I do believe in spooks. I do, I do, I do. . .” but to slow down and breathe in truth that will imbed in your soul.