Author Archives: Angela M. MacDonald

About Angela M. MacDonald

Angela is a Wellness Advocate for the Clergy Health Initiative. Angela earned an MDiv/MSW; a joint graduate degree program sponsored by Duke Divinity School and the UNC School of Social Work. Angela is also an ordained Elder in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. Angela’s past experiences includes parish ministry, crisis intervention counseling and legal technology consulting. Angela enjoys reading, international travel and "I love lamp".

Get in touch… with massage therapy

Posted on by
Reply
Share

As part of our final farewell to Group 2 pastors, the Spirited Life team offered chair massages during their concluding workshops. Throughout that entire day, pastors were able to sign up for ten-minute chair massages provided by local massage therapists. While a few were hesitant, many absolutely enjoyed it! Some even signed up for a second (or third!) massage as time permitted.

It was so gratifying to watch as pastors allowed themselves to enjoy such a gift. Some pastors were even inspired to discuss the origins of their tensions, and many left the experience considering the possibility of setting up future massage appointments.

While massages are typically wellness massage-285590_640perceived as an indulgence, they are actually centuries old in existence and provide a variety of benefits to a person’s mental and physical health. For instance, people use massages to relieve pain, rehabilitate sports injuries, reduce stress, increase relaxation AND reduce anxiety and depression.

It is true that massages can be expensive. However, there are cost-effective ways that you can occasionally treat yourself to this amazing form of self-care. For example:

  • Seek out Massage Schools in your area. To eliminate the guesswork of finding a reputable massage therapist in your area, the North Carolina Board of Massage & Bodywork Therapy has a list of schools that provide licensed instruction for massage therapy. Some of the schools offer discounted rates because the students are in the process of being licensed. A list of those schools can be found here.
  • Contact your local Community College. Another good resource is your local community college as they occasionally offer massage classes for individuals, independent from a degree program. Taking a massage class through a community college’s continuing education department is a great way to pick up some basic pointers. I mention this option because it’s one that can be enjoyed by you and your significant other.
  • You can locate a massage therapist in your area through this locator.  When you call for an appointment, ask about special pricing packages.  Some places offer deals where when you buy a certain number of sessions up front, you get a session free.  

If you have never had a massage before – treat yourself! If you’ve enjoyed a massage in the past – maybe it’s time for another!

-Angela MacDonald

Image from pixabay.com via CC

Fiscal Fitness

Posted on by
Reply
Share

April is full of so many events and deadlines! Tax Day! End of the semester papers! Holy Week services! And for some pastors, late April and May also will include long overdue vacations and respite.

April is also Financial Awareness Month. Through our research with United Methodist pastors across North Carolina, we know that finances are an incredible stressor for clergy. Factors contributing to this stress include out-of-pocket moving expenses, expenses for the ordination process and the repayment of student loans, just to name a few. Whether pastors are single or married, caring for elderly parents and/or children, the call to ministry is likely to create moments where they feel emotionally AND financially depleted. It’s not just on a Hand Putting Deposit Into Piggy Bankpersonal level either; as church members move or lose jobs and church offerings dwindle, church expenses (and sometimes apportionments) typically remain the same.

There are lots of resources out there to help reduce the strain. One of these is the Society for Financial Awareness, otherwise known as SOFA. This California-based non-profit organization works throughout the country with a single mission: “to end financial illiteracy across America, one community at a time.” The SOFA website is user-friendly and includes short YouTube videos that further outline the organization’s purpose and the services it offers.

While many of you have no doubt taken steps to ensure your fiscal fitness, SOFA is equipped with financial professionals who work pro bono and conduct seminars nationwide to enhance financial awareness. Seminar topics include “Getting fiscally fit,” “Financial blunders: Lessons we never learn,” and “Exploring your options for a quality retirement,” among many others.

If this sounds like it would be a helpful tool for you to try with church members or a peer group, take a look at the SOFA seminars offered near your home or church.  A list of nearby speakers is available here.

Additional Financial Health resources can be found here:

A Baby Step in Saving

Total Money Makeover

Minty Fresh Financials

Free Financial Planning for UMC Clergy

– Angela M. MacDonald

Image by Flickr user Ken Teegarden, via CC

How I Spent My Small Grant: Rev. Ron Weatherford

Posted on by
2
Share

One of the ways that we encourage participants in our Spirited Life program to focus on their wellness is by awarding them each a one-time grant of $500. Pastors are encouraged to use the grant to offset costs associated with their pursuit of the health goals. They’ve used their grants for everything from gym memberships to hobby supplies.

Rev. Ron Weatherford used his small grant to further his love of painting. Below is an interview with Rev. Weatherford:

Q. How long have you been in ministry?
A. My first church appointment was in 1988 and last appointment was in 2011. Currently I am classified as local pastor. I am not in an appointment.july__17_2013_028Q. What did you do before you entered into ministry?                  
A. I was a bi-vocational pastor for 25 years. I retired from the U.S. Postal System in 2009. I also founded a non-profit called Nia’s Ark that addresses health issues in the Retirement ExpressAfrican American church.  We have partnered with UNC Chapel Hill “Ethnic Minority Health Organization” on research projects in the faith community. We are currently planning prostate cancer workshops in the faith community for the fall of 2013.

Q. What did you purchase with your small grant?
A. I used the grant to purchase art supplies and to pay membership fees for local artist guilds. I bought canvases and paints and brushes.

Q. Are there other artists in your family tree?
A. My son majored in art in college and plans to pursue a master of fine art degree.

Q. What about art inspires you? What do you find relaxing about it?
A. I have always enjoyed art. As a child I enjoyed creating art. My favorite art form was ceramics at summer camp. I began painting in February 2013 after looking at some photos of the stars from the Hubble telescope. I was attempting to capture the beauty of the universe through painting. I found that painting allowed me to channel my feelings onto canvas. I started to experiment with different styles of painting. I studied the styles of various artists. There was a practice period where I tried to duplicate others’ work. During this period I had to learn about what brushes to use and how to blend colors. I eventually started to be able to bring my own visions to bring to life on canvas. I paint what I feel on a given day. My inspiration comes from conversations with friends and life itself. There is still a lot I have to learn. Art is instrumental in helping to maintain my mental health. I started doing art when I was going before the Board of Ordained Ministry. The outcome was not what I expected and art allowed me express what I was feeling. I did a painting called Jacob’s Ladder that came out that experience.  When I started sharing my art with friends they were surprised because it was something new. I was commissioned to do a few pieces for a local business. My art is on display for purchase. Art allows me to tell a story on canvas.

Q.What do you do with the art work when it’s completed? Sell it? Donate it? Keep it?
A. When I complete my art I post it on the Fine Art America website.  This is a great website as people from all over the world are viewing my art. I am trying to get art galleries to take them on consignment.photo_(22)Many thanks to Rev. Weatherford for sharing!

– Angela M. MacDonald

What is God’s Dream for Me?: A Pastor Creates a Personal Rule of Life

Posted on by
5
Share

Sacred RhythmsIn her book entitled Sacred Rhythms, Ruth Haley Barton includes a chapter about how to develop a personal rule of life. Barton explains that a rule of life seeks to answer the question: How do I want to live so I can be who I want to be? The following entry is provided by Rev. Dianne Lawhorn, a Spirited Life pastor from Cohort Two. She recently crafted a personal rule of life for herself and wanted to share her perspective.

I was given an assignment recently to create a “simple, sane, rule of life.”  As I looked over the instructions for this assignment, I saw words that resounded with my soul like “arranging our lives around our heart’s deepest desire . . .  patterns most conducive to leading full & joyful lives . . . getting a bodily sense of where we might be called to live most vibrantly.”

This is something that I have been considering for quite some time now.  I am convinced that the rhythm that our culture advocates is not good for our minds, bodies, or spirits.  It’s an endless hamster’s wheel of activity, responsibility, and availability that is anything but life-giving.  I think that Jesus desperately wants more for us and from us than this.  I believe Jesus wants new life for us and this life requires a new pattern for living; a new rhythm that incorporates work and rest, and one that results in wholeness.

This lesson has been a difficult one for me to learn, being a person who has pursued activity, productivity, and most of all, work, my whole life.  I feel that Jesus speaks tenderly to me in this saying, “Oh, dear one- your heart is so good, but this is not what I wanted for you, or what your calling requires of you. I want more for you than this- I want you to be well, healthy, and whole.  Then, what you’ll have to offer will be so much better than anything you can produce on your own.” 

PRETTY_AGAIN.cropped

This message has inspired me to look towards finding a better way to do life and ministry.  It has reminded me that what I need most is a new rhythm.  This draws my mind to what God’s dream for me in this might be.  This has not yet been revealed, but I believe in time, it will.  For now, my job is to create the kind of life that will allow me to be receptive to discerning whatever this dream might be.  My first step is to create a balanced rhythm, where work, rest, and play flow together in harmony.  This is the piece of the dream that is my work to do on this particular day.  The rest will come; it will be revealed in time. 

How I envision this rhythm is like a dance, to a Trinitarian beat, that is full of intentionality, but expressed with the kind of holy ease that I have been longing for.  So, the rule that I have created is a dance of things that I believe Christ wants for me like silence, solitude, and stillness.  I offer this to Christ and pray that the Spirit will lead my every step in the dance; that this rule will become my guideline for abundant living, thanks be to God.

– Rev. Dianne Lawhorn, M. Div.

—compiled by Angela MacDonald

“Nothing is lost, Jesus says”

Posted on by
1
Share

The spiritual discipline of Lectio Divina (www.lectio-divina.org) is a practice that was part of the winter workshops held for our final cohort of Spirited Life pastors. Kept alive by the Benedictine monastics, Lectio Divina’s four traditional steps are read, meditate, pray and contemplate. In the slow, deliberate reading of a selected passage, Lectio Divina is not used to gain scriptural information but “as an aide to contact the living God”.

DSC_0114The passage used at the workshops was John 6:1-14, the miracle of Jesus feeding the five thousand. Since we were in a corporate space, we dimmed the lights and invited the pastors to listen as the scripture was read slowly and thoughtfully. After each reading of the passage, the pastors were invited to speak a world thought or phrase that resonated with them. The full exercise was concluded with prayer and a moment of silence.

Rev. Dr. Tom Steagald, a Cohort 3 Spirited Life pastor, wrote a blog entry about his personal experience with Lectio Divina while attending his Spirited Life winter workshop. Through his experience, Rev. Steagald invites us to consider this passage in an interesting way. Instead of considering this story through the lens of Jesus or the boy that provided the fish and loaves of bread, Steagald invites us to consider that perhaps we are “the leftovers” collected after Jesus had fed everyone. He poses the question this way:

“But what if, on the other side of that, I am the “leftovers”: one of the scraps cast aside when the crowd is sated? A piece of what I used to be, just a crust? The best part of me, after all these years, just eaten up by the crowds; there is nothing much left to be done with me but to be cast aside, on the ground, away?”

507966355_75dec31ef2_b

Here is the link to his full blog entry entitled, “Nothing is lost, Jesus says” and read just how Pastor Tom’s experience with Lectio Divina revealed a different perspective for him.

-Angela M. MacDonald

(Top image by Donn Young for the Clergy Health Initiative, lower image by flickr user hoyasmeg via creative commons)

 

The Secret Pain of Pastors

Posted on by
4
Share

Through our research with Spirited Life, we discovered a particularly surprising finding: pastors show high rates of job satisfaction, along with high levels of job stress. While there are a few theories behind such a contrast, pastors admit their love of the Church does come with a unique combination of stressors. For example, most pastors devote well over forty hours each week to sermon-writing, hospital visits, and committee work, yet they continue to hear from church members that they “only work on Sunday mornings”. This misunderstanding of the nature of pastoral work is one of many consistent issues faced by clergy.

secret_pain_small_216226948In the article entitled “The Secret Pain of Pastors”, Pastor Philip Wagner names and explores six common problems that clergy face. Those problems are listed below and include quotations offered anonymously from various Spirited Life pastors.

1. Criticism. With so many structural changes within denominations, pastors are often assigned fault for a church’s lack of growth, sermon length, service length, and lack of interest in community outreach, among other complaints. We have heard from many of the pastors in Spirited Life how criticism can come in many forms, either directly or indirectly, including withheld offerings.  The sense that pastors should be perfect often feeds into this tension.

2. Rejection. Pastors face rejection based on race, gender, age, ideas, etc. Wagner explains that “one of the most difficult conditions to achieve is to have a tough skin and a soft heart.” Although the rejection can oftentimes feel very personal, Wagner encourages pastors to “love people, hold them lightly, and don’t take it personally.”

3. Betrayal. Pastors learn to trust their church members, but they also experience violations of that trust, sometimes in the form of “telling the pastor’s personal issues to others,” according to Wagner.

4. Loneliness. One SL pastor has said that many clergy are warned to expect feelings of loneliness. “Clergy are told in seminary that their District Superintendent is neither their pastor nor their friend. This leaves clergy with no one to cover their back so to speak. Who can clergy turn to for support?” For more on this theme, check out Wellness Advocate Tommy Grimm’s blog post about the isolation experienced in ordination.

5. Weariness. A SL pastor has described feeling weary from dissatisfied parishioners: “When members become dissatisfied with clergy or antagonistic, they choose to withhold their offerings because they believe it will punish the clergy.”

6. Frustrations & Disappointments. One SL pastor has said, “If you bring in 10 new members, but you have 11 members die (no control on that!) then clergy are deemed inefficient because of a negative growth rate.”

Below are some suggestions of how pastors can counter some of this secret pain they face:

  • Remember the Call. Think back to your first hint that you were Called to ministry. Was it a ‘Damascus moment’ or a ‘Slow Glow’? Remember the first time someone called you Pastor. Too often, pastors deal with emotionally draining situations; reflecting on your Call may bring back a renewed perspective on why you entered ministry.
  • Steal away and pray. Take your Sabbath!
  • Kate Rugani reminds us in her article that ‘Self-care is not self-ish’.
  • Remember that you are NOT alone. You are not the first member of clergy to face any of these challenges. Seek counsel of clergy outside of your denomination. If you are a pastor in the Spirited Life program, this is an area where your wellness advocate can provide a listening ear while also helping you find ways other support resources.
  • Laugh! While Spirited Life researches improvements for a pastor’s mental and physical health, WebMD maintains that laughter is one of the most reliable of medicines.  Here’s something to get you started:

http://youtu.be/GuRN2LL3fBs

–Angela MacDonald

(Quotations shared with permission from current SL participants; video clip from YouTube)

Time for another walk

Posted on by
1
Share

Over the past few months, we’ve been reacquainting the pastors in our Spirited Life program with the spiritual practices of contemplative prayer and lectio divina. We have demonstrated both practices at our workshops, hoping that they prove useful to clergy who are choosing to incorporate spiritual disciplines into their individual wellness programs.

I’d like to augment this spiritual tool kit with yet another practice: walking a labyrinth.

Labyrinth.com explains that “the labyrinth reshapes a 12th-century ritual for the 21st century. Its maze-like path takes you on a symbolic journey, creates space to unwind and think – in particular about our relationships with ourselves, one another, our planet and God.”

I was introduced to the practice of walking the labyrinth while in divinity school.  A labyrinth had been placed in Duke Chapel, and at first glance, it looked like a maze or crop circle. Fortunately, a benevolent classmate entered the labyrinth first, allowing me to follow.

As I walked, I began to relax and pray. It was so quiet: the swishing of our stockinged feet was the only sound. I remember bowing my head, but praying with my eyes open so that I wouldn’t accidentally run someone over or step into someone walking in the opposite direction. There was something special about the solitude and the openness of the labyrinth. I felt that, despite the fact that we were each whispering our own prayers, we were all part of a prayer community, petitioning God en masse. I believe that we all felt the same peace, the same satisfaction of our prayers being heard, the same faithful anticipation of our prayers being answered.

This wonderful introduction to labyrinths opened up a whole new world to me! I fell in love with being able to weave my prayers into the pattern of a labyrinth. So you can imagine my excitement to find a stunning labyrinth at the New Hope Camp and Conference Center in Chapel Hill, N.C. The path of this labyrinth is lined with broken glass of many colors. When the sun beams brightly, the labyrinth sparkles so beautifully, like a collection of mini-prisms creating a breathtaking kaleidoscope. Staring at it in awe, my first thought was, “Wow God, you do some great work!”

I am sure there are far simpler and far grander labyrinths to be explored (click here for a World Wide Labyrinth Locator). Have you come across one?  Is it time for another walk?

– Angela M. MacDonald

(Image credits: Duke Divinity School, New Hope Camp and Conference Center)

‘Tis the season…

Posted on by
2
Share

For some, faithfulness to God’s call to ministry includes the very humbling journey toward ordination.  Many of you following that path have written and submitted the requisite papers, along with the Bible study lesson plans and the video-recorded sermons. Now it is time to go before the Board of Ordained Ministry for provisional or continuation interviews.

Let us take a few moments to pray Psalm 111. May God bless the candidates, the board, and everyone who has provided support along this journey.

Psalm 111

Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. Full of honor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. He has gained renown by his wonderful deeds; the Lord is gracious and merciful. He provides food for those who fear him; he is ever mindful of his covenant. He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the heritage of the nations.  The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. They are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever.

– Angela MacDonald
(images courtesy of www.nervousspeaker.com and www.klove.com)

 

Is there a nest in your hair?

Posted on by
4
Share

As soon as I saw the title, it was impossible for me to pass up reading Dr. Mike Bechtle’s book, People Can’t Drive You Crazy if You Don’t Give Them the Keys. And I was not disappointed!

One the highlights for me is summed up in the following quote:

“You can’t stop a bird from landing on your head,
but you can keep it from building a nest in your hair.”

In other words, you cannot always prevent a negative thought from entering your mind, but you do have the ability to prevent that thought from taking root. I find this encouragement incredibly liberating because it acknowledges a struggle.  Negative thoughts inevitably arise. They cannot be completely avoided, no matter how hard we try. And yet, we have the ability to to combat them. Spiritual warfare, anyone?

I’m sure a few pastors have had to wrestle against thoughts like, ‘They think I am a bad leader!’ or ‘I wonder if they think I’m qualified for this?’ or ‘There is no way I’ll ever get this weight off!” or “Did God really call me for this?” Negative thoughts exist.

Behavior change is hard, and our society can be pretty unforgiving about our humanity, our propensity to try and fail. And try again and fail again. Rinse and repeat. But a lot of the challenge is in our heads. And we don’t need to let a nest form by dwelling on our failures.

Regardless of where you are in your pursuits of health and wellness, please consider encouragement from Philippians 4:8 that says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”

I would also like to offer a less theological, but nonetheless insightful perspective from a 3-year old named Jessica who takes a more proactive approach to positive thinking.

– Angela MacDonald
(Image courtesy of bibledrivethru.blogspot.com)

Pastor Spotlight: Rev. Laura Hayes Mitchell: Minister, Mom and Marathoner

Posted on by
Reply
Share

This piece is offered by my fellow wellness advocate, Lisa MacKenzie:

I first met the Rev. Laura Hayes Mitchell, pastor of Burgaw UMC in Burgaw, NC, at the 2011 Spirited Life winter workshop at Oak Island. While there, she shared with me that she had a vision of where she wanted to be with her health and what she wanted to do about it.

Before having children, Laura was a runner; therefore, her vision included wanting to run a 5K. But when you have a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old, how do you find time to get yourself conditioned for a race?  Talk about a challenge! Laura explained, “It’s fine if you have a live-in nanny, but some of us have to learn how to juggle responsibilities, and it’s particularly difficult if you’re a pastor without a predictable schedule.”

So Laura set goals based on her vision.  She made time for the gym, followed Naturally Slim, and began to think a 5K was within reach. She began to see that she needed to carve out the time regularly for herself. She noticed that she felt good and had more energy when she exercised.

Then, it was time for the first race. “What a hoot!” Laura reported. She finished the race with a “respectable time,” but more importantly, she emerged with even more motivation for longer races.

Since then, her family has cheered her on at her races, and her boys have discovered that Mom is quite the athlete. In fact, Owen, her youngest child, likes to stretch with her, and TJ, the big boy in the family, runs the last block with his Mom on her way home on Saturday mornings. After two years of hard work and perseverance, Laura has moved on to half-marathons and is feeling well. She says that “running has now become a habit.”

I found her last statement interesting, especially as I’m reading The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. Duhigg draws on research in experimental and applied psychology along with neurology, highlighting just how interesting — and powerful — the brain really is!

Thanks, Laura, for inspiring us. It’s amazing how quickly habits can change!

— Lisa MacKenzie