I’ve decided to give myself a break from writing regular posts this summer. I may or may not get around to it, but nothing structured. My goal is to kick-off the fall with something new. I’ve got a few ideas and there has been some changes in my work this summer that I want to share later on.

Well, I’ve got to get at it. Time to finish that Pastoral Care paper.

Take Care!

Through my seminary studies and pastoral assistant duties at Faith Lutheran in Waconia, pastoral care is an aspect of ministry that I am now experiencing. As the website says, CaringBridge is a great way to share and learn information about friends, family and loved ones “during critical illness, treatment and recovery“. It is a very valuable and efficient site to find out information that is beneficial for prayer requests, family needs, visit planning etc. It also enables those who cannot be present a way to connect with the patients and their families. The website is located at www.caringbridge.org or you can click here

It is a website where you can limit access to certain people or you can give it open access. I thought I’d share a message written by a dad (on a open access site and with names removed) that is wonderful expression of a parent’s love. This is an example of the potential blessings that can result from this technology.

As I sit by his side in the wee hours, early in his sixth day of recovery, I understand that the key to his healing is to ‘find the balance.’

The balance of blood pressure and the temperature of the body, the fragile balance of pressure to the brain, the required rhythm of respiration and the harmony of medication.

Yes, my drummer boy knows the balance of sound, the rhythm of cadence and the harmony of a fine melody. But today, the nurses and doctors are playing their part to help his body learn that balance, that flowing rhythm, that synchronized harmony.

I pray for the day when everything is in concert and we can march him from the caring and able hands of the hospital, to the waiting arms of his family and friends who care so deeply for him.

He has always been energized and touched by people. One day soon he will realize that we have all been energized and touched by him!

Your caring has been overwhelming. Blessings to you all.

Take Care

This guy is the show’s host, Ben Bailey. The premise of the show is simple, you get in the cab, Ben asks general knowledge questions for the duration of the ride and you get cash for correct answers. The only catch is that yuo get the boot from the cab if you get three strikes, wrong answers, before reaching your destination.

My favorite part of the show is the “shout-out”. You have the option of using two “shout-outs”, a “mobile shout-out” where you can call a friend or a “street shout-out” where you ask for help on a question from someone on the street. I’m always disappointed if there isn’t a “street shout-out”. I love seeing how people are willing to jump in and help perfect strangers win money with nothing in it for them except maybe getting on TV.

So here is your exercise: How are you answering the spiritual questions in your life? Are you asking spiritual questions? Do you have all the answers? How many strikes do you have against you for making spiritual decisions that are wrong for you and your spiritual fitness? And here is the big one, Where do you go for help, where do you send your “spiritual shout-outs”? Family? Friends? Clergy? God?

Check out the show sometime, it’s a show that always makes me smile!

Bonus Exercise Question (of no spiritual value): Back when I was a patrol officer I used to watch a similar game show after middle shift, a show that few watched, but we were faithful. The Show was “Remote Control” Name the channel and host. (Not so hard with Google, but fun anyway)

Take Care

Much of what we do and how we spend our time is like this guy running from pole to pole trying to keep all the plates from crashing. We have family, job, self, community, home, health, financial responsibilities, all seeming to need attention at the same time. Where are our priorities? Which plates need the most attention? Which plates are we willing to let fall?

So, here is your exercise, take an inventory of the plates you are spinning. Are there plates that you can let fall? Are there some plates you should take the time to carefully set down until you have more time? Are there plates you can ask someone else to spin for awhile? But most of all, where is your “spiritual fitness” plate. Is it spinning? Has it crashed or did you never start it spinning? It is important that we take the time to take stock in how we spend our time. Our nature has us spinning plates, lots of them. Make sure they are the plates you want and need to spin.

Take Care!

This week I was drawn to the topic of “Honesty” by an article in the IACP Police Chief Magazine “Should Police Officers Who Lie Be Terminated as a Matter of Public Policy?” (click here to link to the story)

The article appears in the “Chief’s Counsel” column and contains a lot of information on the impact of employee lying. Case law is cited as well as how different situations of dishonesty create different consequences. It is an article well worth reading. I spoke with a chief just last week who was struggling with a situation where an employee had lied. Without going into detail, the chief felt compelled to fire the employee even though the cop was a good officer, a conscientious employee and (except for the lying) an asset to the organization. He knew what he was going to do, he knew his department policy was and that his decision would be supported. But that didn’t make the situation any easier to deal with. As public safety leaders I am sure you have all been faced with similar situations.

So here is your exercise. How important is honesty in your organization, your family, your life? What impact does honesty or dishonesty have on your spiritual life and the spiritual health of your organization? Even if you have a solid grasp on how to deal with dishonesty, as did the chief described above, how does your involvement in a situation like his impact your spiritual health?

And finally, how do you define honesty? Is it ALWAYS the best policy? And for extra credit, how about honesty with yourself? What are the spiritual health consequences, of being dishonest with yourself?

Take Care

Boisen describes “living, human documents” as concrete experiences of pastoral care of living persons, that are sources of theological insight of equal importance to those of the historic texts of the Judeo-Christian tradition. (from An Introduction to Pastoral Care by Charles Gerkin)

I never intended these spiritual fitness exercises to become academic theological discussions, however I do like to share the context of my current learning. I am a long way from understanding the depth of the above statement, but it did catch my attention. Maybe it is because our profession is so focused on the value of street smarts rather than book smarts and values real life experience over academic learning. Regardless, I was drawn to the idea of “living, human documents”.

So here is your exercise for this week. We all have favorite books, authors, written texts that we go to for comfort and spiritual guidance, how about non written documents? Think back to a time when you provided or received spiritual care. Who were you interacting with? Was it a positive or negative experience? Would you spend time with that person in a future time of need? Why or why not? And lastly, are these living, human documents worth retaining, worth actually taking the time to document them? Or are they better just being put out with the trash and recycling?

Take Care

I had to write a “creed” customized to the faith community I serve for a recent seminary course I was taking. Most members of my class serve in an ELCA Lutheran parish, so their creeds were ELCA based and customized to the demographics of their congregations. The faith community I serve, law enforcement professional of the state of Minnesota, created a little different challenge. What follows is what I came up with.

The Peace Officer Faith Community Creed

We believe that we are a faith community called to serve by a power greater than self.

We believe in an expression and application of faith that is personal. It is a faith that is not regulated by government nor political correctness, but by the mutual respect of our individual beliefs and cultures as we come together in service of a common mission.

We believe that we are called to protect life as it exists in this world in accordance with the values established by society. We will attempt to bring a degree of order to the inevitable chaos that occurs in a world and society that exercises free will.

We understand that we may be called upon, at societies direction, to decide who will live and who will die. We are willing to sacrifice our own lives in order to carry out our established mission.

We believe that it is critical that we maintain a personal fitness level that is necessary to perform our duties to standards imposed by society and our own personal beliefs. This fitness must address all components of life, Body, Mind and Soul. We vow to be physically, intellectually and spiritually strong, and to be gentle in the application of that strength.

Here is a definition of a creed just for reference:

Creed

1: a brief authoritative formula of religious belief
2: a set of fundamental beliefs
3: a guiding principle

So here is your exercise: Read the creed above. Spend some time thinking about what the different statements mean to you. Agree? Disagree? How would you change it? How would you write a creed for yourself? Your agency? Your peers? Should we stay away from trying to write a creed?

What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear them!

Take Care

Click here to read it if you are interested.

Take Care

Anyway, she sent me this prayer and I want to pass it along. I go back to it now and then and always find something new in it that gives me inspiration. She told me “Please take this Seneca prayer with you today and every day”. And I say the same to you, enjoy!

O Great and Generous God, you have given me this day as a special gift.

I step into this day and accept everything that is in it whether it is a part of my plan or not.

Teach me to accept every gift that comes my way today.

Help me to use each gift wisely, to care for the earth and the world, and to care for and love my brothers and sisters.

Help me to walk respectfully into people’s lives today in such a way that they will be nurtured and edified.

You, God, have created me with a sense of of mystery. I embrace the mystery and surprise of this day.

You, God of mystery and surprise, I embrace all things that will happen this day.

Help me to accept and weave them into a closer walk with you on this earth with my brothers and sisters.

You will also notice I took the dog box off the back of the truck officially ending the race season. It’s with mixed emotions that I end the season, but a beautiful spring day in the 40’s is cause for happily moving on to spring and summer activities.

The drive up and back, about an hour each way, also gave me some “quiet time” to think and reflect. I’ve been retired and working on the ministry project for over a year now and things don’t seem any slower. However I had lunch with a couple of my former peers yesterday and one said I seemed much more relaxed, so I guess I’m settling in a little.

As I drove, I first listened to the news on the radio, then moved to music from my ipod (not with headphones, but plugged into the truck stereo, a fancy new option) which keeps my mind from racing. When I got home I did a little reading and reflecting. I pulled out a book given to me by a friend several years ago. Let Your Life Speak is a great little book by Parker J Palmer.

Here is a passage that I had underlined several years ago that really fit with this morning’s quiet time (from page 7-8):

The soul is like a wild animal-tough, resilient, savvy, self-sufficient and yet exceedingly shy. If we want to see a wild animal, the last thing we should do is go crashing through the woods, shouting for the creature to come out. But if we are willing to walk quietly into the woods and sit silently for an hour or two at the base of a tree, the creature we are waiting for may well emerge, and out of the corner of an eye we will catch a glimpse of the precious wildness we seek.

Quiet time…good for the soul.

Take Care