WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.480 --> 00:00:05.880 Hey there and welcome to Compass Finding Spirituality in the 2 00:00:05.880 --> 00:00:09.560 Everyday. I'm your host, Ryan Dunn. I want to begin this 3 00:00:09.560 --> 00:00:13.360 episode with a confession. Sometimes I get 4 00:00:13.360 --> 00:00:17.080 so caught up in my to do list or my screen that 5 00:00:17.080 --> 00:00:20.800 I'm scrolling through that I forget to be fully here. You know, 6 00:00:20.800 --> 00:00:24.480 fully present, even in the moments that matter the 7 00:00:24.480 --> 00:00:28.160 most. And maybe you felt it too. It's 8 00:00:28.160 --> 00:00:31.620 Christmas, or almost Christmas as we're putting this together. 9 00:00:31.940 --> 00:00:35.580 And while this season is supposed to be about joy, peace 10 00:00:35.580 --> 00:00:39.060 and connection, it often leaves us 11 00:00:39.060 --> 00:00:42.740 feeling frazzled, distracted or emotionally 12 00:00:42.740 --> 00:00:46.100 depleted. So today I want to offer a 13 00:00:46.100 --> 00:00:49.380 pause, a reset, a chance to reflect 14 00:00:49.780 --> 00:00:53.380 on what the Christmas story and the very idea 15 00:00:53.380 --> 00:00:57.060 of God coming near to us in Jesus, what 16 00:00:57.060 --> 00:00:59.730 that might teach us about being present. 17 00:01:00.610 --> 00:01:03.610 Because maybe, maybe the most 18 00:01:03.610 --> 00:01:07.250 transformative gift you can receive or give this year 19 00:01:07.490 --> 00:01:10.850 is your own sacred presence. Let's begin there. 20 00:01:11.490 --> 00:01:15.330 We live in a world that's constantly pinging us. I know I've 21 00:01:15.330 --> 00:01:19.090 been on this kick a lot recently about attention and what tries to 22 00:01:19.090 --> 00:01:22.370 steal our attention. There's social media, email, 23 00:01:23.010 --> 00:01:26.630 texts, news alerts. It's all designed to 24 00:01:26.630 --> 00:01:30.470 grab our attention. When we doom scroll, our 25 00:01:30.470 --> 00:01:34.190 brains are actually responding to a kind of stress loop. Our 26 00:01:34.190 --> 00:01:37.670 stress hormone cortisol rises when we read 27 00:01:37.670 --> 00:01:41.069 distressing headlines or arguments online. And in 28 00:01:41.069 --> 00:01:44.710 response, our brain then tries to soothe us with a burst of 29 00:01:44.710 --> 00:01:48.150 dopamine, which we like. That rewards us for 30 00:01:48.230 --> 00:01:51.760 staying in this loop. So we keep on scrolling. We 31 00:01:51.990 --> 00:01:55.510 chase after a hit of relief while staying hooked to the anxiety. 32 00:01:55.990 --> 00:01:59.670 And that, that sounds exhausting. In truth, 33 00:01:59.750 --> 00:02:03.590 it is really exhausting. It leaves very little space for wonder, 34 00:02:03.910 --> 00:02:07.670 for peace, for divine presence. All these things that we kind of reflect 35 00:02:07.670 --> 00:02:11.470 upon the most at Christmas time. But here's the good news. We 36 00:02:11.470 --> 00:02:15.270 can interrupt this loop. Spiritual practices, especially the 37 00:02:15.270 --> 00:02:18.960 ones that cultivate a sense of presence, literally help 38 00:02:18.960 --> 00:02:22.720 our brains rewire. They calm the stress response 39 00:02:22.800 --> 00:02:26.240 and open us to deeper connection with God, 40 00:02:26.480 --> 00:02:30.000 deeper connection with others and, you know, deeper connection 41 00:02:30.240 --> 00:02:33.880 within ourselves as well. Now let's 42 00:02:33.880 --> 00:02:37.200 go back to the Christmas story. In this season, 43 00:02:37.520 --> 00:02:41.200 the Gospel of Luke paints a beautiful earthy 44 00:02:41.200 --> 00:02:44.960 scene. In chapter two, we have Mary, a young mother 45 00:02:45.000 --> 00:02:48.470 and giving birth in a barn. We know this story, right? The 46 00:02:48.470 --> 00:02:51.870 shepherds, low wage workers pulling an overnight shift 47 00:02:52.270 --> 00:02:55.870 suddenly find themselves enveloped in light and 48 00:02:55.870 --> 00:02:59.150 angelic song. For sure, it's disorienting, but 49 00:02:59.470 --> 00:03:02.910 they go, they go to find the child 50 00:03:03.550 --> 00:03:06.990 lying in a manger. The text says this. 51 00:03:07.150 --> 00:03:10.870 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one 52 00:03:10.870 --> 00:03:14.650 another lets go to Bethlehem and See this thing that has happened which the 53 00:03:14.650 --> 00:03:18.450 Lord has told us about. So they hurried off and found Mary 54 00:03:18.450 --> 00:03:22.250 and Joseph and the baby who was lying in the manger. When they had 55 00:03:22.250 --> 00:03:25.970 seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them 56 00:03:25.970 --> 00:03:29.690 about this child. And all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds 57 00:03:29.690 --> 00:03:33.250 said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things 58 00:03:33.410 --> 00:03:37.090 and pondered them in her heart. But Mary treasured all these 59 00:03:37.090 --> 00:03:40.290 words and pondered them in her heart. That's Luke 2:19. 60 00:03:41.010 --> 00:03:44.590 That line sticks out with me. She didn't 61 00:03:44.670 --> 00:03:48.230 rush past the moment. She treasured the moment. She 62 00:03:48.230 --> 00:03:51.950 valued the moment. She pondered it in 63 00:03:51.950 --> 00:03:55.790 her heart. That's presence over 64 00:03:55.790 --> 00:03:59.510 in Matthew. We can look at Matthew, chapter 1, verse 23, and 65 00:03:59.510 --> 00:04:03.350 we hear this. Look. The virgins shall conceive and bear a 66 00:04:03.350 --> 00:04:06.510 son. They shall name him Emmanuel, which means 67 00:04:06.910 --> 00:04:10.680 God is with us, not. This is 68 00:04:10.680 --> 00:04:14.520 me talking again now. End quote. I should say that is not meaning 69 00:04:14.520 --> 00:04:18.360 that God was with us. It's not meaning that God will be 70 00:04:18.360 --> 00:04:21.840 with us. God is. God is here. 71 00:04:22.320 --> 00:04:26.000 God is now. And that's the central promise of 72 00:04:26.000 --> 00:04:29.640 Christmas. Not just that a savior was born some time 73 00:04:29.640 --> 00:04:33.480 ago, but that God shows up in the middle of our mess, in 74 00:04:33.480 --> 00:04:37.200 the middle of our circumstances, in of the middle, in the very moments that we 75 00:04:37.200 --> 00:04:40.480 often overlook. And overall, that's really what this 76 00:04:40.480 --> 00:04:44.160 podcast is about, cultivating a sense that we can 77 00:04:44.160 --> 00:04:47.880 identify God's presence in the moments where we might 78 00:04:47.880 --> 00:04:51.600 not feel a connection, or in the moments that feel mundane. 79 00:04:52.160 --> 00:04:55.840 All right, let's turn to a few simple ways that we can cultivate 80 00:04:56.080 --> 00:04:59.640 this kind of holy presence, holy connection, or holy 81 00:04:59.640 --> 00:05:03.090 awareness in our lives. These aren't long or complicated. 82 00:05:03.250 --> 00:05:07.090 And you don't need candles. You don't need perfect silence. 83 00:05:07.250 --> 00:05:11.010 You don't need that mystical mountain view, really. You just need a willingness 84 00:05:11.010 --> 00:05:14.730 to pause and pay attention. So the first practice is 85 00:05:14.730 --> 00:05:17.970 just grounding with breath. You can try it together 86 00:05:18.450 --> 00:05:22.250 right now if it doesn't feel too weird for you. Wherever 87 00:05:22.250 --> 00:05:25.890 you are, you can sit or stand with both feet 88 00:05:25.890 --> 00:05:29.480 flat on the ground. Close your eyes if it feels safe. If you're 89 00:05:29.480 --> 00:05:32.840 driving, of course not. But if you can, close your eyes, 90 00:05:33.320 --> 00:05:37.080 take a deep breath in for a four count. One, 91 00:05:37.560 --> 00:05:41.400 two, three, four. Hold it for 92 00:05:41.400 --> 00:05:44.840 another four count. One, two, three, 93 00:05:45.240 --> 00:05:48.960 four. And then exhale slowly, maybe 94 00:05:48.960 --> 00:05:52.040 for a six count. Five, four, 95 00:05:52.770 --> 00:05:55.890 three, two, one. Again. 96 00:05:56.210 --> 00:05:57.570 Breath in for four, 97 00:06:00.690 --> 00:06:02.050 hold it for four 98 00:06:04.290 --> 00:06:07.730 and then exhale for six. 99 00:06:09.410 --> 00:06:13.050 As you breathe, you might quietly say something in your 100 00:06:13.050 --> 00:06:16.490 mind. We post all over our social medias breath 101 00:06:16.490 --> 00:06:19.570 prayers. But you might Just use simple words like 102 00:06:20.140 --> 00:06:23.820 inhaling and saying here, and exhaling 103 00:06:23.900 --> 00:06:27.740 and saying now. And repeat that as you need it, maybe 104 00:06:27.740 --> 00:06:31.180 for a minute or two. Let your thoughts drift away 105 00:06:31.660 --> 00:06:35.020 like clouds, and each breath can become a 106 00:06:35.020 --> 00:06:38.220 reminder you're here, God is here, 107 00:06:38.540 --> 00:06:42.300 and that is enough. I've been through some therapy, 108 00:06:42.300 --> 00:06:45.940 and my therapist has often questioned me, when, 109 00:06:46.170 --> 00:06:49.850 with the idea that, do I have what I need 110 00:06:50.170 --> 00:06:54.010 right now in this moment? And the answer is always yes. 111 00:06:54.010 --> 00:06:57.730 I'm living. I'm sitting on a couch. You know, nothing 112 00:06:57.730 --> 00:07:01.370 is threatening my life at that moment. It is enough. You 113 00:07:01.370 --> 00:07:05.050 are here. God is here in this moment, right now. 114 00:07:05.210 --> 00:07:08.890 It is enough. All right. Practice number two is the 115 00:07:08.890 --> 00:07:12.570 one word prayer. This is a practice that you can return to throughout 116 00:07:12.570 --> 00:07:16.360 your day, when you're, I don't know, washing dishes, when you're 117 00:07:16.360 --> 00:07:20.040 standing in that checkout line with the stocking stuffers, when you're 118 00:07:20.360 --> 00:07:23.800 stuck in traffic because it gets a little worse this time of year. 119 00:07:24.200 --> 00:07:28.000 Choose a word that centers you. Some suggestions might be. 120 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:31.480 Well, in the season that we're in, we can think about Emmanuel or 121 00:07:31.480 --> 00:07:35.240 peace or joy. Or you might just want to 122 00:07:35.240 --> 00:07:38.760 think about with me or love. Or maybe you're just 123 00:07:38.760 --> 00:07:42.560 craving that sense of peace that comes through stillness. So maybe 124 00:07:42.560 --> 00:07:46.240 your centering word is stillness. You can breathe 125 00:07:46.240 --> 00:07:49.840 in, say the word slowly in your mind, breathe 126 00:07:49.840 --> 00:07:53.400 out, and feel the meaning of it wash over you. This 127 00:07:53.400 --> 00:07:57.200 prayer doesn't need answers. You're not actually asking 128 00:07:57.200 --> 00:08:00.680 for something. It's just a way of staying tethered to something 129 00:08:00.760 --> 00:08:03.400 deeper than our anxieties. 130 00:08:04.200 --> 00:08:08.040 Okay, here's a third suggested practice. It's kind of new to me, but 131 00:08:08.040 --> 00:08:11.500 in researching this, I found it kind of fascinating. And it's called 132 00:08:11.500 --> 00:08:15.260 sacred noticing. I don't know, maybe it's not. But that's just what I heard 133 00:08:15.260 --> 00:08:19.060 it called in one point. At some point today, pause 134 00:08:19.300 --> 00:08:23.140 and notice. What do you see that's beautiful? 135 00:08:24.020 --> 00:08:27.860 What do you hear that brings you some sense of comfort? 136 00:08:28.740 --> 00:08:32.460 Who do you love? Who loves you? And 137 00:08:32.460 --> 00:08:36.220 where do you feel God's presence? You 138 00:08:36.220 --> 00:08:39.970 might write those down. You might whisper a quiet thank you as a sense 139 00:08:39.970 --> 00:08:43.210 of prayer. And this is a form of prayer, and it builds 140 00:08:43.210 --> 00:08:46.970 gratitude, which recent studies show is one of 141 00:08:46.970 --> 00:08:50.450 the most effective ways to increase the emotional 142 00:08:50.450 --> 00:08:54.290 resilience and spiritual connection. Now, we 143 00:08:54.290 --> 00:08:57.970 do need to note that there are a whole number of people who are not 144 00:08:57.970 --> 00:09:01.770 feeling very present this season. Christmas can 145 00:09:01.770 --> 00:09:05.060 feel like a turn off. Maybe. Maybe because it's painful, it's 146 00:09:05.060 --> 00:09:08.700 alienating. Maybe you're missing someone. Maybe 147 00:09:08.700 --> 00:09:12.180 you're struggling financially or grieving or just 148 00:09:12.180 --> 00:09:15.660 feeling numb, know this. I offer this as a 149 00:09:15.660 --> 00:09:19.420 reminder. God's presence is not reserved just 150 00:09:19.660 --> 00:09:23.100 for the cheerful. This isn't just a season 151 00:09:23.420 --> 00:09:26.740 for those people who are overcome with joy. In 152 00:09:26.740 --> 00:09:30.400 Isaiah 7:14 the prophecy of Emmanuel comes 153 00:09:30.550 --> 00:09:33.790 comes in the midst of a conflict. It comes with a whole bunch of fear 154 00:09:33.790 --> 00:09:37.350 and uncertainty around it, the promise there is of 155 00:09:37.350 --> 00:09:40.790 God's withness or God's connection coming 156 00:09:40.870 --> 00:09:44.470 to not necessarily the serene, but in that case 157 00:09:44.630 --> 00:09:48.230 the scared. So whatever you're feeling, you're invited to bring it 158 00:09:48.230 --> 00:09:51.910 honestly. Your vulnerability is not a barrier 159 00:09:51.910 --> 00:09:55.270 to a sense of presence with God. It's often 160 00:09:55.750 --> 00:09:59.280 in fact, a doorway to a sense of presence and 161 00:09:59.280 --> 00:10:03.080 connection with God. So this Christmas, I hope you'll 162 00:10:03.080 --> 00:10:06.640 receive the invitation to be present, not 163 00:10:06.800 --> 00:10:10.560 one more thing to do, but as a way to be gently more 164 00:10:10.560 --> 00:10:14.320 you, more inside of yourself, more grounded, more 165 00:10:14.320 --> 00:10:17.840 aware, more in tune with the God who is already 166 00:10:18.080 --> 00:10:21.360 here. Take a breath, let it out, 167 00:10:21.920 --> 00:10:25.570 and be here in the present. Thanks for 168 00:10:25.570 --> 00:10:29.130 joining me on this special Christmas episode of Compass 169 00:10:29.130 --> 00:10:32.450 Finding Spirituality in the Everyday. If you found this 170 00:10:32.450 --> 00:10:35.850 meaningful, I'd really appreciate it. It would make me grateful 171 00:10:36.090 --> 00:10:39.530 if you subscribed on your favorite podcast app, 172 00:10:39.850 --> 00:10:43.610 or you can leave a rating or review that really helps others 173 00:10:43.690 --> 00:10:47.370 find us. Or you can share this episode with someone who could use 174 00:10:47.690 --> 00:10:51.300 a sense of presence this season. As always, you can 175 00:10:51.300 --> 00:10:54.260 explore more episodes, resources and spiritual 176 00:10:54.260 --> 00:10:58.100 practices@unc.org Compass 177 00:10:58.580 --> 00:11:01.980 Merry Christmas to you and may the presence of God, the 178 00:11:01.980 --> 00:11:05.220 Emmanuel, meet you right where you are. 179 00:11:05.460 --> 00:11:05.940 Peace.