We Are Not Meant To Do Life Alone

Greetings to all in the blogosphere, and Happy New Year to you as well.  Seems that it's been a while since I've posted, and I sincerely hope that an extended period of silence will not occur anytime soon.

It is with very good reason that it has been 'dark' on the blog site.  I have been diligently working on the paperwork and projects that encompass my commissioning process in the United Methodist Church.  The best way I feel I can describe the process is to compare it to a dissertation process.  Granted, I have not been through a dissertation process, but I sure feel like I have with this one!  I had to answer about 24 questions - some with multiple sections - with various theological, cultural, and personal twists.  It really is quite an endeavor, but I have to say that I appreciate the level of accountability to which UMC ministers are held. 

And as I was proofing (and re-proofing, and re-proofing) into the wee hours of the morning, it dawned on me how many people crossed my path (and/or I crossed theirs) in order for me to able to accomplish this task.  I truly cannot mention them all, because there are so many!  And I realize the many gifts - visible signs of God's love - that I have been blessed with over the last 6+ years.  The amount of family, friends, professors, colleagues, pastors, mentors, etc., etc., etc. that were involved along my journey is mind boggling. 

And this is how God intends for all of us to live - in community.  I recently read something that I found profound and beautiful: Companionship gives human form to the movement of the Spirit

(Paraphrased from Craig Rennebohm with David Paul, Souls in the Hands of a Tender God: Stories of the Search for Home and Healing on the Streets (Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 2008), 46.)

Companionship.  This word finds its root in the Latin cum panis, which literally means 'with bread.'  And for those of you who know me, I believe one of the best ways to make friends is to break bread with each other.  Because we get to know one another's stories when we eat together.  We often let down our guards at the dinner table, open up a little more, share food, and we share ourselves.  This is how companionships start and how they are maintained. 

Thinking back on the amount of people involved in my commissioning process, I see that I have broken bread with nearly every person.  And I think about the stories, the laughs, the tears, the frustrations, the food, and the company we shared.  This is companionship; this is not living life alone; this is giving up the illusion that I am strong enough not to need anyone else.  If I think that I can live this life alone, I fool myself.  But not only that, I rob myself of the gift of other people.  And, I rob other people of the gift of me.  Sometimes I have a hard time thinking of myself as a gift.  But I realize that I am part of God's mysterious creation.  And the fact that I can't find the On/Off switch on me highlights that I am a unique gift - one that is not meant to be hidden, but shared with all the other unique gifts in this world.

So...my sincere thanks goes out to all the unique gifts who have shared their lives with me.  I cannot express how grateful I am to include you as my companions.  I owe each of you more than I can repay, but I also know that you're not keeping score.  Well...some of you might be :-). 

I'll keep you informed as to how this all plays out.  Everything has been mailed out, and the next step is the face-to-face interviews with the Board of Ordained Ministry.  That'll be in March.

Till then...I'll keep bloggin.