I don't know if you can read the sign in the photo below; I took the picture with my cell phone from a moving car, so it's not the best resolution. At any rate, the sign reads, "Don't Let Me Come Down There - God."*
I turned to One Ring and said, "Who would have thought? A church that is actually opposed to the Second Coming of Jesus!"
Of course, the big question is, how exactly does one prevent God from doing anything? After all, if God is all powerful, doesn't it necessarily follow that God can't be stopped? Well, this church apparently thinks that it can put a halt to any Divine plans. I'll have to call them and ask about it, because they must have one heck of a powerful ministry, if they can stop God cold!
* And yes, I know that the sign should read, "Don't Make Me Come Down There! - God." It's just far funnier imagining that the church actually wanted their sign's message to read the way it does!
Monday, June 30, 2008
I Think You Got That Wrong
Something to Think About As We Approach Independence Day
On Sunday, One Ring read a quotation from the "This I Believe" series on National Public Radio. I found it very powerful, so I thought I'd pass it along.
I believe in the pursuit of happiness. Not its attainment, nor its final definition, but its pursuit. I believe in the journey, not the arrival; in conversation, not monologues; in multiple questions rather than any single answer. I believe in the struggle to remake ourselves and challenge each other in the spirit of eternal forgiveness, in the awareness that none of us knows for sure what happiness truly is, but each of us knows the imperative to keep searching. I believe in the possibility of surprising joy, of serenity through pain, of homecoming through exile.Read more!
And I believe in a country that enshrines each of these three things, a country that promises nothing but the promise of being more fully human, and never guarantees its success. In that constant failure to arrive - implied at the very beginning - lies the possibility of a permanently fresh start, an old newness, a way of revitalizing ourselves and our civilization in ways few foresaw and one day many will forget. But the point is now. And the place is America.
It Is Decided
Going to be a lot of changes in my life. I just fired off a volley of emails in which I accepted a position as an addiction therapist here at the hospital. Unfortunately, the wheels of progress turn exceptionally slow, so it looks like I will be a chaplain for another month or so before all the red tape and paper work is sorted out. Then I get to start a completely new career.
Seems strange, really. For the first time in over fourteen years, I will not be engaged in a "ministry" related field. Oh, sure, it could be argued that addiction therapy is a type of ministry, but it does not really involve religion and spirituality (yes, I know the 12-step program is based on the Judeo-Christian spirituality / religions).
Okay, fine. I'm doing the same thing I've always been doing, just with a different group. But I will be doing it without the church. Why? Because this sort of work does not fall under the official rubric of ministry. So they do not endorse it as such. As far as their concerned, I've just fallen off the grid. Should I ever decide to re-enter church work, or hospital chaplaincy, I'll have to jump through all kinds of hoops and cut through gobs of paper work and red tape. So, for now and for the forseeable future, I'm performing live without a net. Not that they ever offered me much of a net to begin with.
At any rate, looks like at some point in the near future, the Pirate Chaplain is going to drop the "Chaplain" and become "the Pirate Therapist" or some such. I'll be keeping the same web address, never fear. It's only my life that's changing. The internet is eternal - so long as the bills get paid! : )
More later on today. I'm on the hunt for caffeine!
Friday, June 27, 2008
The Employment Dilemma
As the saying goes, it never rains, but it pours. So now I have a welcome, but difficult, dilemma.
Which is better, a job with little security and no benefits, but pays very, very well and involves interaction with a lot of people, or a job that doesn't pay that well, has benefits and security, but requires a great deal of solitutde and driving?
As I mentioned earlier, I had two interviews with the hospice firm. It's now down to me and one other person for at least one of the two positions offered. Thing is, the job involves a ton of driving in an area far from my home. Traffic being the way it is around here, we're talking a lot of time spent on the road, alone, with little interaction with colleagues. On the plus side, there's job security and very good benefits. My income will be just so-so, however.
Meanwhile, I was all but offered the addiction therapist "fee base" position here at the hospital. Fee base means that I work on a renewable 6-month contract for an incredible amount of money. On the down side, there are no benefits, including no vacation. So if I don't work, I don't get paid. I'll also have to pay for my own health insurance, retirement, and so forth. There are permanent positions that are coming open that I may be able to jump to, but until then, I can be terminated due to lack of work, funding, or any other reason (or lack thereof) with little or no notice.
Which would you choose? Obviously, we're all in different places in life, but if you were married (with no children) to a wife who was a Ph.D. student (so we're going to be moving in roughly 3 years), which would be more appealing? By the way, the chaplain job opportunities here with which I've been fighting for the last several months are all but dead and buried. Looks like there's just no way I can make that work.
More on this as I find out more. I'll probably be making a decision within the next week or so. I'm exhausted from the job search limbo. One of my deciding factors is based on my contemplating this question: where can I do the most good for the most people?
In the meantime, though, I'm trying to get the advice of as many people as possible. So, again, what do you think about this?
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Oh, Where to Begin?
The day is over, thank the Lord! As promised, here is the running update of all the drama in my life. I'm serious, I really need to get this shirt:
First, The Job Drama!
After being told to get my paperwork in to human resources, I spent this morning preparing the last of the paperwork, printing out reams of documents, looking up addresses, and so forth. Only to be told by human resources that no, I could not apply for the chaplain positions at this time. Why? Because first round goes to the chaplains who already have jobs and are in the system! The people who don't need employment are the first to be considered. Yeah, that sounds fair.
Over on the hospice agency end of things, the interviews went well. Although I was less enthusiastic after the second interview, I was told that it is down to me and one other person. In fact, one of the questions the interviewer asked was, "Why shouldn't I hire the other person?"
My response was, "Well, not knowing the other person, I can't really give you specifics ..." She laughed and then I gave a BS-laden response on why I'm the best possible hospice chaplain since sliced bread. I was told that I should have a response from them within the next two weeks.
Meanwhile over in the addiction therapy ward, I spoke with the director today about a rumor of a position opening up. She said that there is a precarious temp job open that does not have benefits, but pays extremely well. They have a position possibly opening up in August, but that depends on the powers that be over on Mahogany Row (where the really nice offices are!). The downside of applying for that position is that I would have to jump through all the hoops that I've just spent the last several months leaping through. Again. For a different department. For the same HR department. Sigh!
In other non-work news, Tigger and Pooh and baby Boo came and went. They arrived Tuesday evening, and left Wednesday afternoon. Way too short a visit, though it was great to spend what time we could with them. Boo is super cute, and Barney got along great with her, which was quite the relief. Anyway, we're looking forward to October, when One Ring and I are travelling down to Disney World, are meeting the gang there, and can spend time with them again!
There may be more stuff to report on, but the clock says 4:00 now, and I really want to end this day. So if I forgot to mention anything, it will have to wait until tomorrow. Have a great rest of the day!
Peace.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
On My Way!
Today I have my second interview with the hospice firm. Miracle of miracles, my boss happened to call last night to tell me that he wouldn't be in until later and to cancel a meeting. I reminded him of my interview and told him that I'd be taking a long lunch - and he told me to just take the rest of the day off! Coolness and happy dances all around!
All of this is really fortuitous, because Tigger, Pooh, and baby Boo are arriving this evening. One Ring and I did some straightening up, but there's still a lot of cleaning to be done. Barney is shedding like a fiend due to the warm weather, so the fur is flying. Which means that this afternoon will be spent cleaning and vacuuming. I'm just hoping that I have some energy left when company finally arrives!
Monday, June 23, 2008
And the Day Improves Even More!
Huzzah! My 1:00 meeting was cancelled. Not only that, but there aren't any crises on my floors. Woohoo! That means I have time to take a break and get ready for my assessments at 2:30. Those should last until 4, and then the day is done!
In the meantime, I'm doing more religious research. I need to find a transcript of a lecture that the Rev. Dr. Walter Brueggeman gave to the Southeast Conference of the UCC a few weeks back. In it, he supposedly said (I wasn't there, so I'm hearing this second or third hand), "God isn't omnipotent, omniscient, or omnipresent," which of course flies in the face of orthodox Christian views. According to the story that our pastor told One Ring, the next day the minister who was giving the sermon at the morning worship service said, "God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent!" Ahh, you got to love passive-aggressive religious debate! : ) Anyway, we'll see if I can find the talk.
Okay, time to wander over to the other building and see what I can stir up. I have to present a verbatim this week, so I hope that something interesting happens (in a good way, of course!).
Peace.
