Perhaps if we all subscribed to the African concept of Ubuntu – that we all become people through other people, and that we cannot be fully human alone, we could learn a lot. There’d be less hatred and more harmony. Queen Rania of Jordan

Meditation: One of the illnesses in America is group isolation. People gather only with those who look like them, talk like them and share the same values like them. In some way they think that they are not alone because they have a group around them, but they really are alone. If all people around us are just like us, then we are really only an extension of each other. Those who are like me won’t challenge me or make me grow. Groups of sameness have the function of anxiously maintaining the status quo and to insulate a particular group from other people who are different and who they fear. And fear breeds hatred. What are we humans so afraid of? “Ubuntu” means “becoming ourselves through OTHER people”: people who are different from us, who challenge us, who make us think, who stir curiosity and new thinking… That is the openness that we are invited to learn. But this bridge building between groups requires leaders who do not induce paranoia while using nationalistic and xenophobic rhetoric for their political game. We mourn the current climate in our country!

Prayer: God, you see how racism and the oppression of minorities are raising their ugly head in our society. Uninhibited violence erupts. A culture of threats and uninhibited impulses is being modeled from the highest ranks. Groups are being stirred up against each other. Violent language, unrestraint prejudice and the use and abuse of people are becoming daily occurrences. God, all of this is not according to Your will. Let us speak up. God, have mercy. Amen

For God does not show favoritism. Romans 2:11

Your children need your presence more than your presents. Jesse Jackson

Meditation: A book worth reading is “The available parent” by John Duffy. One of the major obstacles for us parents of teenagers is often our own anxiety. Sometimes we listen to society’s dark predictions and negative stereotypes about teens. Then we fear the worst. We anxiously want to monitor every step our teenagers take… we feel similar to when our kids became two and started roaming around the house. It is natural that as the radius of our teenagers’ world increases, we want to protect them. However, the difference is that by now these children have lived with us for over ten years. They have internalized our voices, our reminders, our values and norms. And we have taught them to start thinking for themselves. My daughters tell me: “Stop hovering! Please, give us space!” And so, I am working on being aware without micromanaging. I am working on giving space and on trusting that they will take all they have learned while making overall good decisions. I am also allowing space for them to make mistakes. “Presence” does not mean “hovering”, “controlling” or “micro managing”. Indeed, being too close and too present would be hindering to their development. And so, in line with being an “available parent”, I learn to respect them by being distant enough. And yet I remain also present enough that they can easily find me, in case they need support.

Prayer: God, fill us parents of teenagers with the wisdom of how to give space. We give You our anxiety when we hear and read all those negative stories about teenagers. Help us expect the good. Help us see the growing, the creative, the wise, the amazing in our growing children. Help us focus on the good they do and embrace also their mistakes as part of their journey of becoming. Help us be available while keeping a respectful distance for them to become their own persons. And we are grateful. Amen

Parents, don’t make your children angry, but raise them with the kind of teaching and training you learn from the Lord. Ephesians 6:4

Your body hears everything your mind says. ~ Naomi Judd

Meditation: Looking up quotes about “I am my body”, I found several famous people who said: “I am NOT my body”… That struck me. Yes, they probably meant to say: “I am more than my body”. But I found this statement “I am not my body” troubling. Similarly as if an engaged person would betray the other by saying: “She/he is not my fiancé(e)”. To me the sentence “I am not my body” feels like a betrayal. Through years of learning to love myself, including my body, I have come to befriend my body. I have moved from saying: “I have a body” to: “I am my body”. This new relationship with my body shows in my Yoga practice and in the way I treat myself overall. I pay close attention to my physical needs and attend to them. I have stopped pushing myself so hard or functioning on too little sleep for too long. Like sharing the name of the person you love freely, our body wants to be claimed and not objectified. Our body is us. Spiritually we are invited to help our sometimes judgmental or controlling mind to befriend our body. It is the only body we have on this earth. It is precious and beautifully made. Even though our society and our mind often judge our bodies and tell us otherwise. Only in loving and in some way “marrying” my body will I find peace. Because: “I am my body”.

Prayer: God of creation, our bodies are often neglected, talked badly about, abused and objectified. Your Spirit is the one that wants to free us from our mind-body split. Loving our body is a huge step towards finding life and peace. You created our bodies. You love our bodies. Help us love our body as You do. And we are grateful. Amen

To be controlled by human nature results in death; to be controlled by the Spirit results in life and peace. Romans 8:6

Death is what takes place within us when we look upon others not as gift, blessing, or stimulus but as threat, danger, competition. Dorothee Soelle

Meditation: Four years ago I took one of my daughters out of her competitive gymnastics group. This was a difficult decision as my daughter is very athletic. The climate was such that the gymnastic girls were part of a team, but they were seeing each other more as rivals. The culture of permanent individual scoring and judging enforced this perception. Only in moments when it came to the overall score of the team competing against another team, the girls united – yet when one of the girls could not keep up or let the group down in any way, she would be socially punished or publicly shamed. My daughter is naturally ambitious and competitive in a good way. However, remaining in the described climate her soul might have taken on the life diminishing view of seeing others only as threats, and she might have started engaging life in permanent competition mode. So we parents decided to take her out. For four years we “wandered” around looking for a life giving athletic home without much success. Last week (after two months of motivated practicing) my daughter made it onto the Volleyball team of her High school. She especially likes to be the one passing the ball on to her peers, so that they can score. There is a lot of “high-fiving”, encouragement of each other and team spirit. I am glad we waited. I am grateful my daughter is back in athletics, but with a team spirit of building each other up and truly collaborating.

Prayer: Life giving God, we thank you for groups and communities that are life giving. We pray for our children, teens and for ourselves that we always have a group that builds us up and that conveys Your Spirit of appreciation and support. We pray that our sport, school and church communities become such places where it is safe to be, and where each person is being celebrated as a unique contribution to the group. Thank You for Your Spirit that blesses us with being part of such communities. Amen

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4

Our Western society is showing its technological muscles in ever more threatening ways, but the experience of fear, anxiety and even despair has increased in equal proportion. Indeed, the paradox is that the powerful giants feel as powerless as a new-born babe. Henri Nouwen

Meditation: For some time I could not fall asleep last night. The threat language that is being exchanged between two leaders of countries that both have nuclear weapons is deeply disturbing. Both leaders exhibit the developmental emotional state of a 12 year old. Both are paranoid and afraid to be bullied, while ready to bully anyone at any given moment. The tragedy is that they both have enormous power. Both can press the nuclear button. Both are impulsive and unpredictable, and do not listen to anybody. Both do not seem to have a “Higher Power” that guides them. Henri Nouwen describes it correctly. The world is anxiously watching as two instable leaders are throwing out bullying phrases, threatening to attack each other with nuclear weapons while hiding their deep seated feelings of powerlessness. The tragedy is that whole nations, the lives of millions of people and humanity itself is at stake, caught between these two reactive and fearful bullies . How has our collective unconscious paranoia, our fear, our anxiety and despair contributed to, produced and tolerated those two particular leaders?

Prayer: God, we feel close to despairing when we see the destructive potential of our current time. We want to deny what is happening, close our eyes and “hope for the best”. God have mercy. We have no leaders. We need mature adults to be in charge. We witness men who think and act like children. They have power but no compassion. They don’t think, only react with deeply destructive instincts. They do not know You and deny anything or anybody above them. They have no respect. They do not care about anybody but themselves. God, we plea for mercy and for a divine intervention, as this is madness! God, have mercy! Amen

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy. Psalm 130: 1-2

One of the main tasks of theology is to find words that do not divide but unite, that do not create conflict but unity, that do not hurt but heal. Henri Nouwen

Meditation: Yesterday nine members of our German church council wrestled with how to negotiate between traditional and contemporary elements and language in our worship services. The challenge was that the emotions advocating for both sides were strong. We had two opposite needs expressed, and then also several people who were “in the middle”. We began our session with prayer. Then we intentionally took time to listen. We listened to all voices and opinions. It took us a few hours to actually understand what the needs of the opposite desires were about. In the end we chose to leave the structure in a more traditional way, yet find a few creative solutions to make our service more contemporary. We decided to intentionally watch out before each service for ancient language that could be harmful and that either needs to be explained or at times even left out or changed. We ended with prayer all feeling heard and taken into account. The Spirit helped us remain passionate and engaged with each other instead of turning against or away from each other.

Prayer: God of unity, I thank You for our diversity in unity that we experienced yesterday. Thank you that what looked like possible conflict actually became an opportunity to get to know each other better. Thank you that Your Spirit helped us through open listening to overcome the divide. Your Spirit is the creative energy that helps us bridge the gap between our two thousand year old Christian tradition and our present everyday life. And we are grateful. Amen

The Spirit’s presence is shown in some way in each person for the good of all. 1 Corinthians 12:7

It is remarkable how easily children and grown-ups adapt to living in a dictatorship organized by lunatics. A. N. Wilson

Meditation: Usually adapting to change is a healthy survival mechanism. However, if humans adapt to toxic and destructive environments, the outcome is not necessarily health. Survival possibly, but not health. A worrisome development of the recent past is that world center stage is being taken by several “lunatics” whose use of their power and position threatens the well being of whole nations. Dictatorship can be experienced either literally or implicitly.  Dictators are unable to relate in a mutually beneficial way. They demonstrate the inability to listen to anybody. Dictators take huge risks without taking humanity into account. All that is being decided only serves themselves and a few who are loyal to them. Others are being eliminated quickly. A dictator fears threat and therefore becomes a threat. I wonder if institutions and the media have not caught up or might even collude with what is happening. Are we pretending “all is normal” when things are really “crazy”? How can societies adapt that quickly to dictator (like) realities?

Prayer: God, our current reality is “mind boggling”. We are unconsciously adapting and conforming every day a little more. You call us to not conform, but be transformed. You want to be the one to renew our minds. Help us discern what Your will is. And Your will is good and pleasing. Your will is for us to be of sound mind. You want us humans to be whole and not fragmented. Liberate us from all “crazy” things we are seduced to adapt to and that are destructive. We seek refuge in Your presence. Amen

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

And now let us welcome the new year, full of things that never were. Rainer Maria Rilke

Meditation: Starting a new chapter in life is a big deal. It is like opening a new blank journal with hundreds of pages waiting to be written on. I could see the experience of “new” on the faces of many parents and children yesterday. The parking lots were beaming with back to school excitement. Kids showed off their first school backpacks. Their faces held wonderment and a little fear of the unknown. Parents marked the day by giving their children new items to use, extra snacks to take and special attention on this important last day before transitioning. How do we as adults mark new beginnings? I hope that we can share with friends and loved ones our range of feelings when starting anew. Maybe we need an extra hug. Maybe we need to start a new journal. Maybe we take a moment to grieve the ending of something, or we allow ourselves an extra treat to celebrate the new beginning. Whatever lies ahead we are surrounded by compassionate and faithful powers that will sustain us.

Prayer: God of new beginnings, we pray for protection, support and joy for all children, teens and adults who start something new this fall. Bless those who are moving, those who are entering unknown buildings and communities and those who are still longing for former times and comforts. Surround all who are feeling initially lost with your compassion and reassurance. You are the One leading us to green pastures and to fresh waters. And we are grateful. Amen

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

When we clear the physical clutter from our lives, we literally make way for inspiration and ‘good, orderly direction’ to enter. Julia Cameron

Meditation: This Monday school will begin again. The Atlanta traffic volume will pick up and the hustle and bustle of the fall schedule will initially overwhelm many families. I can’t wait until the new schedule will become manageable and a new routine will be established. Until then, I anticipate feeling overwhelmed. I noticed that when I feel overwhelmed, one thing helps me feel better: “I declutter”! Today I decluttered the freezer, the fridge, our pantry and the coat closet. Over the summer many things had accumulated that suddenly feel like a burden. Giving away bags of clothes to “Goodwill” or food items to the food pantry at church makes me feel free again. Free from things that I do not need, but that somebody else might. Letting go of clutter is a freeing way to start the fall semester. God invites us to let go of “stuff” so that we can be freed up and focus on what is really important. Decluttering helps us focus and only keep what we truly need. I am grateful for taking time out to declutter today!

Prayer: God, You want to free us from things we do not need. Letting go of “stuff” feels liberating. Help us prevent the clutter to begin with, and let us experience that “less is more”. Thank You for inviting us to freedom from “clutter” physically, emotionally and spiritually. Help us focus on You in the midst of our hectic and sometimes overwhelming lives.  Amen

“One thing you lack,” Jesus said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Luke 10:21

People tend to dwell more on negative things than on good things. So the mind then becomes obsessed with negative things, with judgments, guilt and anxiety produced by thoughts about the future and so on. Eckhart Tolle

Meditation: How do we not allow negativity to invade our thinking and our feeling? Every day we are being bombarded with negativity, news of crisis and with ugliness. Our current President is using the media intentionally to feed the public a daily dose of anxiety, anger, rage and abusive language. He lives in chaos and in crisis, and he creates exactly that. Becoming aware daily of the spiritual hazard that is coming our way is the first step towards spiritual and emotional immunity. Monitoring our exposure and thought processes is the next step. And then the last spiritual step is to replenish our mind, body and Spirit with life giving energies. God wants to protect us from all destructive forces. Even as we focus on the life and values that God provides, we cannot avoid the chaos to “swarm around our head”, but we can hinder the forces of negativity from “building a nest” in our head.

Prayer: God, we pray that the destructive and vindictive energies that are “swarming” around will not have the power to infect our country. We pray for You to strengthen our country’s spiritual immune system. Help us recognize the threat to our communal and individual health. Help us set limits to the amount of exposure we allow, and help us as a nation to build resistance against all destructive forces. You are our resiliency. And we are grateful. Amen

Brothers and sisters, continue to think about what is good and worthy of praise. Think about what is true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected. Philippians 4:8