Henry - Well, we're back, and we're gonna talk about spiritual rhythms for the  chaplain, Advent as formation.  

Abby - Interesting, all right, the invitation of Advent. So Advent means coming a  call to pause, prepare and realign  

Henry - three dimensions, remembrance, anticipation and formation, so and  again. These are just critical spiritual pieces that the you know, Advent season,  Advent candles, the Advent all of that could be integrated into a chaplain's  curriculum.  

Abby - Yeah, this formation shapes chapels to recognize and respond to  Christ's presence. And these ministry science insights, spiritual rhythm nurtures  resilience and high demand. Ministry seasons  

Henry - for me. Formation endures. Ministry flows from authentic relationship  with God. So ultimately, what this is saying is this, it is about God, okay. This is  not about just giving therapy or an encouraging word alone. You know, those are all the entrees. This is about God, connecting to God, and helping people  connect to God during the holiday seasons. Yes, the Father Son and Holy Spirit, the narrative of Christ coming into the world to take on flesh, incarnation that we  might know God. So that's what Advent. Advent is really all about,  

Abby - yeah, four rhythms of Advent. So the waiting with hope, act of trust in  God's timing, reflection with scripture. So we're feeding people's souls, not just  preparing messages for them, praying with simplicity, the honest, gentle  communion with God and then serving with margin, so protecting rest to sustain  ministry impact. And I think that's a good clarification on that fourth one. You  know, there's a lot of ideas we're giving, but this is why we encourage you to  raise up a team of chaplains, because there's only so much that you can do in  one holiday season as one chaplain with you may have a family and you may  have a lot of other commitments as well, and so you know, again, do what you  can do within your capacity and raise up more chaplains that come alongside  you so that more can be reached.  

Henry - Exactly intentional practices preserve emotional and spiritual health.  Margin creates capacity for Spirit led responsiveness. So let's first of all talk  about that first waiting  

Abby - with hope, chaplaincy lives in the in between of promises and fulfillment.  So we have God has fulfilled his promises of sending a savior, of sending Jesus  Christ, that promise has been fulfilled, but we also have more promises that 

Jesus is coming back, and we're in the in between of that. And so we have a  hopeful waiting. And when we hopefully Wait, that strengthens people's patience and their trust in God, their belief in the light before it is even visible at times.  

Henry - Wow, that's so powerful to believe belief in light before it's visible, and  many people fulfill that at Christmas. But as we march through these rhythms,  God shows up in people's hearts and ways. That is the miracle of the gospel.  

Abby - Yeah, I love this insight here, waiting disciplines the chaplain to embrace God's pace. I mean, I think we all wish that we had the timing that we wanted to  have, but it's so important as we are as chaplains, showing this waiting for Hope attitude that as a chaplain ourself, that we're having that waiting discipline so  

that we can embrace God's pace for us.  

Henry - Wow, patience fosters deeper empathy for those in long seasons of  pain so powerful. Reflecting with scripture.  

Abby - Read scripture for personal formation, not just public ministry. Think  again. Another important, important clarification. I mean, as a chaplain again, I  think we just want to do so many things for other people. We want to help other  people, but you need to make sure that you have your personal formation, of  reading scripture, of being in prayer, that your family's formation is occurring if  you're married and have children. And so again, make sure that not just in this  public ministry, but that you are able to have that personal formation. So really,  

Henry - the it's the stewardship of chaplaincy for yourself.  

Abby - Yes, make sure as a chaplain, you're also taking care of yourself, being  a chaplain to yourself as well.  

Henry - Slow, reflective readings, open fire to encounter key passages. Isaiah  9, Luke 1-2. John 1, Matthew 2 and really to at Christmas time to embed in your  life the Christmas narrative, in the scriptures, in your devotions, your  connections with God. And you're in with your family in a lot of ways too, with  your family, this is so important as you are creating in them the rhythms of  Christmas,  

Abby - absolutely and I think that immersive engagement with scripture  deepens your own spiritual authenticity, and that personal encounter with the  word enriches how you are applying that as a as a chaplain,  

Henry - wow, powerful 

Abby - praying with simplicity. You know, short heartfelt prayers over needing to  say the perfect thing or have the perfect speech. Again, God wants that  authentic heartfeltness, so focus on intimacy with God over just outputting some intercessory thing or this or that, or both. But, you know, I think again, all of us  have a tendency to maybe even want to over complicate things where, again,  God just wants that real, raw relationship  

Henry - with us. And even for the Christmas season, to have an Advent journal  for gratitude, Scripture and reflection. And I have a friend who has been  journaling for years, and he at every season, Hey, have you done a Christmas  journal and and, you know, and write down the names of people to pray for.  

Abby - I think again, when you're practicing something yourself, then it becomes from testimony you can share to someone. Hey, yeah, have you done an Advent journal? You just want to encourage you to do that in this season, I've been  doing it, and it's really blessing me. You know, it's like, again, as a chaplain, you  have that opportunity to do things and then be a testimony to others on that and  for many of them, they might have built that Chaplain trust to you, where they  might be willing to do it and take your you know idea  

Henry - well and again, when it starts with you yourself, and they see that you're connected and being transformed, there is a almost a holy, maybe the word is  not good jealousy, but a drawing to like, whoa.  

Abby - Want to be able to have that same thing and excites them.  

Henry - And how do I do that? And then, hey, you know, have you tried a  journal? And then what you can do is even have little journals that you pass  around. Hey, you know, here's here's another opportunity. So now you are  growing and now you get little journals to pass around. Hey, would you like a  Christmas journal? You know, those are all those things that the Christmas  journal might have, some scripture passages, yeah, just take  

Abby - it away. There's tons of these products you can find. You know, have  Bible verses at the top of each page, and then people can write in whatever they want. So yeah, equip yourself with the these tools that can open up these  conversations with people. And as we're saying in this presentation, most of all,  again, have those consistent acts of prayer, nurturing your own formation with  God,  

Henry - basically serving with margin. 

Abby - Yeah, this is busyness. Can erode your own spiritual vitality. And so you  need to protect and have sacred space for your rest, your retreat, your listening  and reading God's word, and so when you input these margins or boundaries, it  really allows for Spirit led interruptions and attentiveness when you've actually  

given time to be in the word, be in prayer, be in communion with your own  church or family.  

Henry - Healthy boundaries sustain long term ministry capacity. Ministry  sciences confirms rest as essential to cognitive and emotional functioning. So  we know from the study of psychology and all that, that you know there's a  moderation. There's six in from the Bible, Six days you shall labor and do all  your work. But the Sabbath is a Sabbath.  

Abby - So God designed it in the very DNA of creation. And I think again, as a  chaplain, especially if you are very involved in the holiday season, be very  tempting to push yourself to work the seven days, but that's again, going to end  up being a crash and burn for you  

Henry - really becoming what you proclaim authenticity and ministry flows from  personal experience with God, receive peace, joy, light and hope before  proclaiming them. Integration of inner life and outer services increases  credibility. And I think there's if anything, in the last four decades, five decades  where we've seen like these mega superstars who run this incredible church,  only to find out that they their personal life is a shambles, and their personal  walk is a shambles, and then it so discredits and. Lot of times these large  churches are fragile because they're dependent upon one person who is out  raising money. This person is running the elders and deacons. This person is  the pastor in chief. This person has a staff and there's no margin and and that  that can happen to a Christmas chaplain, or a seasonal chaplain, or any  Christian leader is to live it. First, you can only become the others. Can only  become what you are. I mean, in a sense, your leadership  

Abby - turn to the example. Again, Jesus gave us the example, and we're trying  to just model that example. And so again, you see Jesus model all that time of  personal prayer with God. And so there is that congruence between message  and life strengthened from your own pastoral trust in God, your own formation  needs to be ongoing. It needs to be authentically fostering, then more relational  impact,  

Henry - the Insight congruence between message and life strengthens personal trust Absolutely, formation is ongoing. Authenticity fosters relational impact. You 

know, would you say that's so true? like someone, you can see when  somebody's real, right?  

Abby - They really live what they're saying, you know? And I can think of many  scenarios where I've had somebody's telling me, oh, this person blah blah, they  act this way, but they really are this way. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, yeah, you  

just kind of then, yeah. That discredits that person, like you said. It makes  people feel a negative way. And so as a chaplain, again, it is of the utmost  importance that you are living this in your own personal life.