I've often wondered why there is so much resistance in the Episcopal Church to using overhead projectors. Many other denominations use them, and have been quite successful. The few times I've brougt up the idea, I've received the most vehement reactions.
While I was serving at one parish in Arlington, VA, we tried to have the Liturgy of the Word on a projector screen. One particular Sunday the equipment wasn't working, and the Priest announced that we would have to use the Prayer Book that day. At least one person began applauding. I was discussing this incident with some other parishioners, and one said to me, "I don't know what it is, but I like having the Book of Common Prayer in my hands."
I thought of this incident today after my kettlebell workout. I was having a difficult time packing my shoulders down, and recovering my heartbeat in between sets. Eventually I realized that I was looking down at my watch in order to monitor my heart rate, which of course caused it to increase.
In his RESET video, Scott Sonnon describes that posture as the "Prey Posture." Your head is down, your shoulders are rounded, and your getting ready for fight or flight. This is fine for when you're going to face a saber-toothed tiger, but in general it interferes with our performance. Unfortunately this is the exact posture we adopt when we're reading a book.
In contrast, if we're looking up at a projector screen, we'll adopt what Coach Sonnon describes as the "Predator Posture." Our head is up, our spine is aligned, our shoulders are back and down. This posture isn't designed so much for aggression, but for confidence and flow. The predator posture sends a signal to our nervous system that we have the skills to handle whatever situation is in front of us.
So you might think that changing the posture from a book to a screen would be a positive experience for prayer right? Actually I've experienced the exact opposite. Years of habitually slumping over a book causes us to adapt to this posture. Neurotransmitters can become locked inside our muscles and work to maintain themselves. When we change our posture, even to one that's more adaptive in the long run, we release these neurtransmitters and experience immediate anxiety. Don't worry, this will pass.
If we are to move from one posture to another, from slumped over to standing up tall, we're also changing the way we relate to God. We're no longer like the tax collector beating his breast saying, "Have mercy on me Lord, a sinner" (Luke 18:13). Instead we take the attitude of the Epistle to the Hebrews, "Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence ... (Hebrews 4:16, NIV)." Neither one is better than the other, they just are.
So the next time you find yourself looking up and thinking you'd rather have a prayer-book in your hands, remember that there may be more going on here than simple preference. The prayer book is a tool - it's not something that will validate or invalidate a sacrament. I promise that the anxiety will pass as long as you don't make to much out of it.
Thanks for reading and feel free to post your responses.
God's Peace,
Fr. Conor+
While I was serving at one parish in Arlington, VA, we tried to have the Liturgy of the Word on a projector screen. One particular Sunday the equipment wasn't working, and the Priest announced that we would have to use the Prayer Book that day. At least one person began applauding. I was discussing this incident with some other parishioners, and one said to me, "I don't know what it is, but I like having the Book of Common Prayer in my hands."
I thought of this incident today after my kettlebell workout. I was having a difficult time packing my shoulders down, and recovering my heartbeat in between sets. Eventually I realized that I was looking down at my watch in order to monitor my heart rate, which of course caused it to increase.
In his RESET video, Scott Sonnon describes that posture as the "Prey Posture." Your head is down, your shoulders are rounded, and your getting ready for fight or flight. This is fine for when you're going to face a saber-toothed tiger, but in general it interferes with our performance. Unfortunately this is the exact posture we adopt when we're reading a book.
In contrast, if we're looking up at a projector screen, we'll adopt what Coach Sonnon describes as the "Predator Posture." Our head is up, our spine is aligned, our shoulders are back and down. This posture isn't designed so much for aggression, but for confidence and flow. The predator posture sends a signal to our nervous system that we have the skills to handle whatever situation is in front of us.
So you might think that changing the posture from a book to a screen would be a positive experience for prayer right? Actually I've experienced the exact opposite. Years of habitually slumping over a book causes us to adapt to this posture. Neurotransmitters can become locked inside our muscles and work to maintain themselves. When we change our posture, even to one that's more adaptive in the long run, we release these neurtransmitters and experience immediate anxiety. Don't worry, this will pass.
If we are to move from one posture to another, from slumped over to standing up tall, we're also changing the way we relate to God. We're no longer like the tax collector beating his breast saying, "Have mercy on me Lord, a sinner" (Luke 18:13). Instead we take the attitude of the Epistle to the Hebrews, "Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence ... (Hebrews 4:16, NIV)." Neither one is better than the other, they just are.
So the next time you find yourself looking up and thinking you'd rather have a prayer-book in your hands, remember that there may be more going on here than simple preference. The prayer book is a tool - it's not something that will validate or invalidate a sacrament. I promise that the anxiety will pass as long as you don't make to much out of it.
Thanks for reading and feel free to post your responses.
God's Peace,
Fr. Conor+
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