I read a good book this past weekend while in Duluth with Amy at the sled dog race. The book is “the Wisdom of Yawdy Rum” by Michael Lane.

My dad lives next door to the author and bought me the book. He saw a lot of similarities in the story and what has been going on in my life, a transitioning life. The story is about a man who is frustrated with his career and is exploring his options for the next phase of his life. He meets and old New Orleans jazz musician who shares some of the wisdom he has acquired throughout his life. He is looking for a balance with work and family, looking for purpose and fulfillment in career, and clearly he is looking for change.

I was very fortunate in my personal transition to leave the EPPD on a positive note. We often don’t have that choice. This book shares a lot about the process of discovery that leads a person to the conclusion that change is inevitable. Often we wait until we are pushed out (which is the case in this book) but often it looks as though we are asking for the push.

It is a very good read, especially for anyone facing a midlife career transition. It ends with a sharing of his “secret”, some simple ideas of Yawdy’s wisdom. I won’t share them now in case you want to read the book. The first time through I read it as a novel (I often study the books I read), the next time I read it I’m going to study it and pull out some of the wisdom and share it in a weblog post or two.

Check it out, you’ll be glad you did.

Two days ago I had the opportunity to have lunch with a pastor friend of mine and a friend of his, Jack Fortin. As I navigate the world of ministry, theology, non-profits, seminary…. I have been blessed with the opportunity to meet a lot of different people and share my story and hear theirs. We had a great conversation and I was thrilled with the opportunity to hear and share stories regarding real life and in the real world ministries.

Jack Fortin is the Executive Director of The Center for Lifelong Learning at Luther Seminary in St. Paul MN. He is also the author of “The Centered Life: Awakened, Called, Set Free, Nurtured”

I learned a lot during our meeting and I’m sure I’ll share more in the future. But the message I want to leave with you today is the idea of living a “Centered Life”. This idea is the foundation of the book. The book describes how often we are told to “balance” or “find balance” in our lives. But with the overwhelming demands in life, the sheer quantity and magnitude of life, we shouldn’t focus on balancing our lives, but focus on “centering” them. Centering our lives on God.

I’m not going to go into further detail right now. I need to do some more research on the idea and look at potential applications for “A Centered Life” in the Public Safety Ministries ministry. But at first glance, it seems to me personally, that I can have more success in bringing order to my life by “centering” it rather than “balancing” it.

This website and the weblog posts that I make are intended to share my faith and ministry journey as it happens. Yesterday was a very “influential” day in my journey. And in the next couple of day’s I’ll share an experience I had yesterday that also had a great impact on my “calling”. It has to do with my involvement with a project called “Beyond the Yellow Ribbon”. Click on it for more information on this project designed to support Minnesota’s deployed and returning military personnel. More to come…….