A Labyrinthine Journey

A short night last night … up late prepping for a funeral … up early to be ready for same.

I don’t often remember my dreams, but this one must have flashed across my dream screen just before my alarm went off.

I had just finished doing something at the church (that even is pre-dream-memory) and was leaving to head home when an older woman in the church stopped me outside the door.

In front of us was on old blue enamel electric stove. I knew it was old, but it looked in fairly good shape. As we stood there and looked at it, she asked me if I thought I could fix it. “Could you renew this old stove?”

I didn’t even think twice about it, and answered, “If we have the parts, no problem.” Then we walked away.

That’s it. That is the snippet I remember, and my instinct tells me it is significant. My reflection leads me to consider why I see myself to be here in this place in this time … to plug in the parts that will renew the congregation so it will can again be a church that “cooks” with the presence of God.

I am reaching the end of my first 15 months here … not even halfway through my first 1000 days, but I find myself going deeper and deeper into a journey of faith and spirituality and inviting the congregation to come along for the adventure God has for us. One thing that has been amazing and wonderful is how many people seem to be hungering for that journey. Older members and younger families are searching and asking questions and wondering themselves what God wants them to be doing with faith and life.

My Spiritual Direction training is definitely helpful in providing a groundwork for what I preach and teach. My lengthy foray into the Enneagram lately has also incredibly deepened and broadened my ministry far beyond my expectations.

So I do see myself here to help the process of renewal and there are many who are showing their readiness. I hope I also keep in perspective that I don’t create the renewal … God is the source … my part is to help find the places to plug in the gifts of renewal that God supplies. It is exciting to have even that part to play.

Sorry, I’ve been so quiet lately. A few things have contributed to that:

• On Epiphany, I was walking along a road in a local State Park to take some nice photos and almost missed the edge (or is it almost hit the road). Anyway, part of my foot was on the road and part was hovering an inch and half over air. Gravity and the air won. I twisted my ankle and ended up breaking it (a couple chips broke off the outside of my left ankle). That has slowed me down a bit physically and emotionally.
• Related to that, I bought a new digital camera with Christmas money and have been exploring it’s use (you can follow the Flickr widget to the left to see what I’ve been doing with it) and that has taken some blog time.
• The winter freeze blahs.
• A major wrestling match with my Enneagram type. Now, that might not sound like much, but emotional resistance is emotional resistance, and I am resisting the type that my Spiritual Director thinks I am (and he is schooled in the Enneagram typology). My head agrees with him, but I don’t like it. (For those of you who know and care, I thought I was a 9 (Peacemaker) but the new direction is toward an 8 (The Challenger/Protector).
• Nothing has captured my attention to write about. I think that is related to the blahs and the emotional resistance. I am hoping to be unblocked soon and am looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. I know I have some things I want to write about (I just don’t know what they are at the moment).