On Thursday, November 26 Carrie and I created a small Thanksgiving feast for ourselves.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Thanksgiving dinner for two...
On Thursday, November 26 Carrie and I created a small Thanksgiving feast for ourselves.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Birthdays part 2...
On Sunday evening we had part 2 of the November birthday celebration. This year as a group of friends we've been creating "?? Things We Love About You" books for each person's birthday, counting one thing we love about the birthday girl for each year of their life, for example, "26 Things We Love About Cara" and "33 Things We Love About Carrie". We got together to present the books (Carrie got a collage instead)and had chocolate peanut-butter fudge cake. As always, we had lots of laughs! I'm so thankful for my friends here at AMBS.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
November birthdays...
Both my roommate, Carrie, and friend, Cara, have birthdays in the next couple of weeks. This evening a group of us friends decided to celebrate so we went out to Das Essenhaus, an Amish restaurant in Middlebury, IN. They have family style dining where they just give you large serving bowls of food and then you can serve yourselves at the table. Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, noodles, stuffing, and gravy were on the menu, not to mention that we could each choose a piece of pie for dessert. After supper we wandered around in the gift shop for a bit and a few of us even put on a puppet show! Good times!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Shedding light on darkness...
This morning I had the opportunity to attend an Oaklawn Professional Series workshop entitled, Shedding Light on Darkness: Understanding Depression and the Dark Night, with presenters Daniel Schrock, D.Min. and Timothy McFadden, M.D.
The seminar objectives included: (1) learning more about the "dark night" experienced by many Christians, (2) better understanding the differences between depression and the dark night, (3) to hear about new advances in the treatment and understanding of depression, and (4) to explore strategies for responding to depression and the dark night.
This was a workshop geared for pastors, but was also available to social workers, psychologists and other helping professionals for continuing education units.
What a "dark night" you may ask?
According to Dan Schrock, "The dark night is one of God's tools for transforming us so that we more closely resemble the people God wants us to become. It has 3 signs, and if we experience all 3 at the same time, then we may be in a dark night. (1) You can't pray or worship in the ways that you have usually found meaningful; (2) Your spiritual life, and probably your life in general, feels dry and fruitless; (3) You feel a growing desire to be with God, often through silence and solitude."
The dark night and depression are similar in that they both involve loss. One of the main differentiations between the two is that in depression there is a loss of function, whereas in the dark night functions remain relatively normal but there is an experienced loss of God's presence.
The workshop was invaluable and I'm so glad I went.
For more information on the "dark night of the soul", see Dan Schrock's new book:
The Dark Night: A Gift From God
The seminar objectives included: (1) learning more about the "dark night" experienced by many Christians, (2) better understanding the differences between depression and the dark night, (3) to hear about new advances in the treatment and understanding of depression, and (4) to explore strategies for responding to depression and the dark night.
This was a workshop geared for pastors, but was also available to social workers, psychologists and other helping professionals for continuing education units.
What a "dark night" you may ask?
According to Dan Schrock, "The dark night is one of God's tools for transforming us so that we more closely resemble the people God wants us to become. It has 3 signs, and if we experience all 3 at the same time, then we may be in a dark night. (1) You can't pray or worship in the ways that you have usually found meaningful; (2) Your spiritual life, and probably your life in general, feels dry and fruitless; (3) You feel a growing desire to be with God, often through silence and solitude."
The dark night and depression are similar in that they both involve loss. One of the main differentiations between the two is that in depression there is a loss of function, whereas in the dark night functions remain relatively normal but there is an experienced loss of God's presence.
The workshop was invaluable and I'm so glad I went.
For more information on the "dark night of the soul", see Dan Schrock's new book:
The Dark Night: A Gift From God
Monday, November 9, 2009
A beautiful day for a walk...
After an unusually cool and rainy October, the beginning of November has been beautiful here in Northern Indiana. Over the weekend we had temperatures in the low 20s and today we reached 18 degrees. I'll enjoy every moment of it while I can since I know the damp cold is going to be upon us soon enough.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Life lately...
So, I realized today how long it's been since I've written a real post. I could list all of my excuses but that's a waste of good screen space so I'll cut straight to the chase.
When people ask me how classes are going I have to honestly say that I feel as though I'm hardly ever in class. I only have one regular class this semester - Biblical Perspectives on Suffering and the Atonement. Everything else is practicum. So although I do a lot of reading and report writing, my "class" sessions for my practicum are actually supervisory groups. I have begun meeting with my first directee and am looking for a second one. I found it amazing how second nature spiritual direction felt to me. I am a relatively young spiritual director (one resource I looked at listed 35 as the young end of the spectrum for directors) and do not anticipate practicing spiritual direction straight out of seminary, but I do want to take the class while I have the opportunity and I have found it helpful in other areas of my life, particularly in my chaplaincy practicum.
My practicum at the hospital is going really well. I am starting to feel more comfortable there and am getting to know my way around. I love every opportunity I get to shadow staff members - I learn so much for observing their interaction with fellow staff and patients. I have been blessed with an amazing supervisor, from whom I have already learned so much. I was invited one afternoon to shadow an Oncology Experience Guide which was a great expereince. And last Saturday I spent an 8 hour day with the nursing supervisors (one of them is a student at AMBS so I really lucked out with this opportunity!).
I had struggled at the beginning with issues of "Who am I here?" and "Where does my authority come from?" These questions are still at the back of my mind, but I have had the opportunity to walk alongside a number of patients and hear their stories. I am honoured by their willingness to be so open. Their gratitude is a confirmation to me that I am where I'm supposed to be for the time being. That's not to say that I haven't had my fair share of patients waving me off too. The chaplain is the one person on the hospital staff with whom they can exercise complete control and just say NO - and if I can help patients regain a sense of control by giving them the opportunity to kick me out of the room, then I guess I can be used in that way as well. However, even in my short time there, I have seen God work in amazing ways and have a number of stories that I hold as sacred moments. Perhaps I will share glimpses into chaplaincy ministry with you someday.
I am spending Monday's in the Admissions office and have cut my hours down by quite a bit, but enjoy being able to still be involved in that work. I am still "coordinating" weekly potlucks, a job that I never anticipated would be mine but, alas, that's what happens when you take an idea and run with it. I anticipate any opportunity to hang out with friends, which seems to be a rare occurrence these days. My neighbours/friends just had a baby boy a week and a-half ago so I try to get down there to hold the new baby once in a while :) A group of us ladies here on campus who have tended to hang out together, have now developed "First Sunday Sabbaths." The first Sunday of every month we get together for an evening of relaxation. Last month we made pretzels, coloured pictures and watched Corner Gas. This past Sunday was "Swiss Menno Nite" so we had apple dumplings, pumpkin woopie pies, popcorn, and watched For Richer or Poorer (because of the Amish connection). Our "First Sunday Sabbath" rule is that we are not allowed to complain about church, work or school.
So there's my update for now. Feel free to drop me a note and let me know what you've been up to lately.
When people ask me how classes are going I have to honestly say that I feel as though I'm hardly ever in class. I only have one regular class this semester - Biblical Perspectives on Suffering and the Atonement. Everything else is practicum. So although I do a lot of reading and report writing, my "class" sessions for my practicum are actually supervisory groups. I have begun meeting with my first directee and am looking for a second one. I found it amazing how second nature spiritual direction felt to me. I am a relatively young spiritual director (one resource I looked at listed 35 as the young end of the spectrum for directors) and do not anticipate practicing spiritual direction straight out of seminary, but I do want to take the class while I have the opportunity and I have found it helpful in other areas of my life, particularly in my chaplaincy practicum.
My practicum at the hospital is going really well. I am starting to feel more comfortable there and am getting to know my way around. I love every opportunity I get to shadow staff members - I learn so much for observing their interaction with fellow staff and patients. I have been blessed with an amazing supervisor, from whom I have already learned so much. I was invited one afternoon to shadow an Oncology Experience Guide which was a great expereince. And last Saturday I spent an 8 hour day with the nursing supervisors (one of them is a student at AMBS so I really lucked out with this opportunity!).
I had struggled at the beginning with issues of "Who am I here?" and "Where does my authority come from?" These questions are still at the back of my mind, but I have had the opportunity to walk alongside a number of patients and hear their stories. I am honoured by their willingness to be so open. Their gratitude is a confirmation to me that I am where I'm supposed to be for the time being. That's not to say that I haven't had my fair share of patients waving me off too. The chaplain is the one person on the hospital staff with whom they can exercise complete control and just say NO - and if I can help patients regain a sense of control by giving them the opportunity to kick me out of the room, then I guess I can be used in that way as well. However, even in my short time there, I have seen God work in amazing ways and have a number of stories that I hold as sacred moments. Perhaps I will share glimpses into chaplaincy ministry with you someday.
I am spending Monday's in the Admissions office and have cut my hours down by quite a bit, but enjoy being able to still be involved in that work. I am still "coordinating" weekly potlucks, a job that I never anticipated would be mine but, alas, that's what happens when you take an idea and run with it. I anticipate any opportunity to hang out with friends, which seems to be a rare occurrence these days. My neighbours/friends just had a baby boy a week and a-half ago so I try to get down there to hold the new baby once in a while :) A group of us ladies here on campus who have tended to hang out together, have now developed "First Sunday Sabbaths." The first Sunday of every month we get together for an evening of relaxation. Last month we made pretzels, coloured pictures and watched Corner Gas. This past Sunday was "Swiss Menno Nite" so we had apple dumplings, pumpkin woopie pies, popcorn, and watched For Richer or Poorer (because of the Amish connection). Our "First Sunday Sabbath" rule is that we are not allowed to complain about church, work or school.
So there's my update for now. Feel free to drop me a note and let me know what you've been up to lately.
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