CREATING RHYTHMS | PHIL MANN
Depending on your personal circumstances, you have either been in self isolation for almost two weeks now or you have been in lockdown mode since Monday night. For some of us, this has led to a complete change of lifestyle. No going out, working from home, the possible joys and delights of homeschooling, no gym and even no pub! For others, this time is absolutely manic - Whether it's the health care professionals, teachers, supermarket staff or any key worker role (Can you believe that off-licences have been categorised as essential?!) or you are trying to keep your business running through this time whilst faced with some unbelievably difficult decisions - The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting us all and will continue to affect us all in various different ways over the next few months.
I have been reflecting on rhythms in the midst of all this. What rhythms can we as a church put into place and what rhythms can I personally be living out through this uncertain and fluctuating season? I am aware that the situation is changing rapidly and by the time this blog comes out, the government may have given us different directions but for now, here are some rhythms that we are trying to put into place that may help you.
Church
I believe now, almost more than ever before, people are longing for two things: “Connection” and “Content”. Whilst everything else has been stripped away from us, people are crying out to connect with others and so we are working out rhythms that help us as a church to connect with one another. People are also hungry for content, something that will help them to find hope and truth, and something to trust in in the midst of the uncertainty. In light of this, we have tried to create a weekly rhythm that will enable both of those things:
Sundays Live on Werb’s Online
10:30am - Morning gathering. We will have some creative content for kids, a time of worship, a talk and a chance for reflections and prayers together.
6:30pm - Evening gathering. This will be a chance for people to connect, ask questions about the morning input or anything else, share prayer requests. This will be interactive so that anyone who wants to input can be part of it.
Tuesdays 8pm on Instagram
A chance for connection, fun and interaction. There will also be a time of reflection and prayer.
Wednesdays on Zoom
Virtual Werb’s Groups! We are launching new Werb’s Groups for this season. These will be groups of 6 to 10 (max) people, who will gather for community, pastoral care, accountability and a chance to study the Bible together and pray. This will be hosted through Zoom, an online video and audio conferencing platform.
Thursdays 8pm on Facebook Live
Another chance for connection, fun and interaction. There will also be a time of reflection and prayer.
Friday / Saturday
We want to encourage you to try to take some time if possible to get off your screens! We are suggesting a screen sabbath for 24 hours at some point over Friday or Saturday to give you time to rest, take care of your mental wellbeing, give yourself a break, and feed your mind with other healthy things.
Daily Personal Rhythms
You will have to work out your daily rhythms that work for you but I have leant on some rhythms that I already had and have tried to establish some new ones to help me stay mentally, physically and spiritually healthy.
Regular Sleep Patterns
Experts tell us that one of the key factors in our mental and physical health is a regular sleep pattern. Try to go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time every day, don’t allow yourself to drift towards late nights and even later mornings.
Turn Your Phone Off
With everything in the digital world at the moment, I can feel myself becoming increasingly addicted to my screen. I need to get a break from this, to stop the headaches and to stop the constant bombardment of information which can often be fear-inducing. Therefore, I leave my phone charging downstairs overnight and I don’t look at my phone until at least 8.30am.
Start The Day In God’s Word And In Prayer
I want to give the first and best space of my day to being with God. I want Him to speak to me for the day ahead and so I go to Him first. I heard someone once say, “You don’t tune up an orchestra at the end of the concert!” I know I need to get in tune with God each day and so I start by reading the Bible and praying through what is on my heart and mind. There is so much to be praying for at the moment so I am keeping a prayer journal with lists of people that I am committing to pray for. We have our virtual prayer room so do sign up for an hour via our website. I am loving reading through the Bible In One Year but there are many different reading plans and things out there to help us with this. There will be a new blog next week on this with more ideas and information about where to start.
Exercise
This is the one area I feel a bit of a fraud writing about as I have not yet found a good new rhythm. For me, this is the first one that gets dropped from my daily rhythm. We have been trying to go for one walk/bike ride a day but I must do more. I’m being shown up by my girls who are loving Joe Wicks’ PE lessons on YouTube!
Laugh A Little
Try to have some time to relax and enjoy yourself. The vast majority of us are going through one of the most significant and possibly defining moments of our lives! If we get too caught up in the seriousness of it all our mental wellbeing will suffer. Make some time to watch something that makes you laugh, do something you enjoy and try to create some fun!
Think Of Others
Why not make a commitment to calling someone once a day? I think, in particular, for those of us who are married or live with friends, it is incumbent upon us to make sure we call those who are on their own. But equally, if we are on our own, we are able to take the initiative to reach out to others. Let’s commit to checking in on each other as regularly as we can.
These are just my thoughts for this week and, as I said earlier, things may change quickly. I pray that you will find your new rhythm to help you and grow you through this season.
