PeaceBang

Managing the Post-Holiday SURGE

I shouldn’t joke about the word “surge” since it’s been recently used to such insane macho use by our Fearless Leader of the Armed Forces as a glamorous euphemism for “let’s try to kill more Americans and Iraqis more quickly so this war can look like it’s goin’ somewhere”, (:::deep breath:::) but January always does represent a “surge” in church life, which is both dazzlingly tiring and also exciting.

In Unitarian Universalist congregations that essentially close down over the summer (save for, for example, bi-monthly lay led worship services), we know that we’re heading into the spring and the sunshine, which means that Boating, Kids Sports and Gardening take on transcendent dimensions and become serious competitors for church attendance and attention. So we gather this time of year to strategize about how to do an effective stewardship campaign, how to ramp up membership programs, prepare for new Adult Religious Education offerings (this year I’m doing a Lenten series on Jesus in Unitarian Universalist Perspective: History, Tradition and Spirit — billed as “definitely NOT a quest for the historical Jesus”), start thinking about Easter and basically try to make the absolute juicy most of the next five months.

During this “surge” time, I find that transitions are the most challenging: going from a creative brain-storming meeting with a dynamic finance team to the quiet of a counseling session, to the gym, then to the quiet of my study to plan a liturgy, then a surprise funeral meeting, then stepping away from the day to reflect deeply on my 2009 sabbatical so I can write a report to my board about it. The days are full of this kind of interesting mash-up all the time, but I feel the buzz of visionary passion most in January. Everyone is so relieved to be through the holidays that we’re all a bit high.
I said in a recent sermon that ministry uses all of us: heart, soul, spirit, body, intellect. If you stay with it long enough, you develop a kind of surfer’s etheric body, the big waves get easier to ride… or at least you anticipate them with more inner peace and sense of grace. When I start to get anxious between meetings or during them, I have this little mantra that goes, “Why don’t you step away for a second and let God do this while you take some deep breaths.”

My deep breaths thing is a gem of a bit of advice that I got from a book on managing anxiety:

1. Take a breathe in through your nose to the count of four.
2. Hold it for a count of four.
3. Release it through your mouth for a count of five.
4. Take two slow, normal breaths (don’t force).
5. Repeat.

Do this for a few minutes and it’s like ten minutes in the hot tub. Belly Breathing in 2008!!