It's Thursday night, which means I'm getting in my last bit of computer time for the next 24-36 hours. Those of you who know me will remember that when I returned from Sabbatical last fall, I planned on taking my Fridays as "Tech-Free Sabbaths". I'm happy to report that they've stuck.
It took a while for me to understand the difference between the grace of tech-free sabbath and the law of tech-free sabbath. In the beginning, I was anxiously full of questions. Could I take a phone call? Could I make a phone call? Could I check the weather forecast on the computer? Could I watch a show with my family? After several weeks of this, I realized that I was getting so caught up in following the law of the sabbath that I was missing out on true sabbath. So I relaxed and did what made sense, what feels authentic, what seems faith-full.
So I do continue to use the grocery list on my iPhone. And I do check in for my airline flights. And I pick up calls from my kids' schools.
But I don't check or send e-mails. And I don't work on my sermon. And I don't shop or waste time with all the technology around me.
My Friday Sabbaths also include doing things in expansive time instead of in a hurry. Each Friday, I try to see my mom at the nursing home and have a long visit--not rushing off to get anywhere. I now normally do our week's grocery shopping on my sabbath and it is no longer a "chore" but it has become an act of loving service which I do for our family. I also plan our meals for the week and mix up a batch of Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day which we'll use throughout the week. I take my kid to preschool. I'm home when the other one gets off the bus. I'm around for them to have fun with. And I thank God for all of it.
Sabbath blessings to you.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
Doctoral Course First In-Residence Course Complete
My first 2-week in-residence course for my Doctor of Ministry from Austin Theological Presbyterian Seminary will be complete today. This first course has "been more than I can ask or imagine" (Ep 3:20). I'm part of a great cohort of seven students. The five women in the class have shared living the Dorm Life and we've bonded, becoming true friends and companions on the way.
The course material has been challenging, exciting, and manageable.
Between now and April 15th, each of us will complete a project using the tools and guidelines we have studied in this course. I am proposing a project which looks at Harcourt Parish through the lens of hospitality. (I'll share more details when my project has been approved.) Because I'll be doing some interviewing, my proposal must be approved by the seminary's Institutional Review Board. Because my office is on Kenyon's campus, and because I propose to interview some folks who are Kenyon staff or students, I must also get approval from Kenyon's Institutional Review Board.
While researching my topic, I came across the book, "Good Fences: The boundaries of hospitality" by Caroline A. Westerhoff. It captured me! Harcourt Parish is energized around issues of hospitality these days. A few years ago we helped to start the Winter Sanctuary and continue to volunteer. We have created a Parish House Use Committee to focus on the Parish House and how we are and can be hospitable there. And we are just beginning a Home Stay program to host visitors to Kenyon.
I hope to lead a book study this semester on the book Good Fences. If you would like to be part of this study, please let me know.
The course material has been challenging, exciting, and manageable.
Between now and April 15th, each of us will complete a project using the tools and guidelines we have studied in this course. I am proposing a project which looks at Harcourt Parish through the lens of hospitality. (I'll share more details when my project has been approved.) Because I'll be doing some interviewing, my proposal must be approved by the seminary's Institutional Review Board. Because my office is on Kenyon's campus, and because I propose to interview some folks who are Kenyon staff or students, I must also get approval from Kenyon's Institutional Review Board.
While researching my topic, I came across the book, "Good Fences: The boundaries of hospitality" by Caroline A. Westerhoff. It captured me! Harcourt Parish is energized around issues of hospitality these days. A few years ago we helped to start the Winter Sanctuary and continue to volunteer. We have created a Parish House Use Committee to focus on the Parish House and how we are and can be hospitable there. And we are just beginning a Home Stay program to host visitors to Kenyon.
I hope to lead a book study this semester on the book Good Fences. If you would like to be part of this study, please let me know.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Doctoral Course Introduction
I'm now in residence for my first Doctoral course at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. With two days under my belt, so far so good. I'm in a cohort with six other clergy including Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran, Disciples of Christ, and Episcopal. We come from churches that worship 30 on a Sunday morning and churches that worship 1,300 on Sunday mornings. To prepare for class, we each read six books and wrote five papers.
This first course, taught by Chuck Mendenhall, is called "Ministry and Context." On our first day of class, we shared our papers with one another. During the rest of the week we will explore different ways of engaging our congregations in qualitative, narrative research. We will get to know one anothers' congregations by the five papers we have shared with one another. So far, I have shared a brief ethnographic description of our choir and an even briefer family systems analysis of the parish house. I will also be sharing a narrative research about the chaplaincy, a paper on culture and identity which is very similar to what I shared at our Advent suppers, and finally I'll be sharing the timeline we created together during the second Advent supper.
Our classes meet from 8:30-12:30 each weekday for two weeks. Our professor will give us an assignment on Friday which will take much of the weekend to complete to be presented on Monday. This weekend work will be the background material we will work with in Week 2, and the basis of a research project we will do in our congregations in the next several months. Our final project for this course will be due April 15th. Currently, there are many exciting possibilities in our congregation. I haven't yet decided what the focus of my paper will be but I am confident that it will be both informative and useful as we look into Harcourt Parish's future together.
This first course, taught by Chuck Mendenhall, is called "Ministry and Context." On our first day of class, we shared our papers with one another. During the rest of the week we will explore different ways of engaging our congregations in qualitative, narrative research. We will get to know one anothers' congregations by the five papers we have shared with one another. So far, I have shared a brief ethnographic description of our choir and an even briefer family systems analysis of the parish house. I will also be sharing a narrative research about the chaplaincy, a paper on culture and identity which is very similar to what I shared at our Advent suppers, and finally I'll be sharing the timeline we created together during the second Advent supper.
Our classes meet from 8:30-12:30 each weekday for two weeks. Our professor will give us an assignment on Friday which will take much of the weekend to complete to be presented on Monday. This weekend work will be the background material we will work with in Week 2, and the basis of a research project we will do in our congregations in the next several months. Our final project for this course will be due April 15th. Currently, there are many exciting possibilities in our congregation. I haven't yet decided what the focus of my paper will be but I am confident that it will be both informative and useful as we look into Harcourt Parish's future together.
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