Filed under: Advice, Comparative Religion, Family Ministry, Graduate Theological school/PSR, Ordeals and Observations of Pastor Cranky not elsewhere classified, Sermon Archives and Excerpts, Stewardship & Finances | Tags: childhood, debt, family feuds, family strive, finances, generosity, gratitude, inheritance, Jacob and Esau, Jacob Needleman, loan shark, stewardship
Filed under: Advice, General Assembly 2011 in Charlotte, Inspiration, Rituals, Prayers, Elements of Worship Services, UU Denomination and Pacific Central District News and Views | Tags: leisure, perfectionism, rest, Rev. Richard Gilbert, sabbath, shirk ethic, spirituality of rest, women who do too much, work ethic
This is an excerpt from remarks given June 22, 2011, by the Rev. Richard Gilbert, at the yearly meeting of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association. Every year we recognize those ministers who were ordained 25 years earlier and those ordained 50 years earlier. Dick had begun divinity school as a Universalist and by the time he was ordained (1961), his denomination had merged with the Unitarians.
He’s kept very busy in his 50 years of paid ministry and retired ministry. He says:
“Retirement is a mixed blessing. It is a full-time job, with no coffee breaks, no days off, no vacations, no sabbaticals and no pay checks. It is not for the faint of heart. I probably have too many irons in the chalice, if you know what I mean.”
I think this next excerpt works well for those “who do too much,” those who worry and work and think we can’t ever stop. It comes from earlier in that same talk (published in UUMA News Fall 2011).
He says:
[From] time to time I practice the shirk ethic, counterpoint to the work ethic, at which we are so proficient.
O God of Work and Leisure
Teach me to shirk on occasion,
Not only that I may work more effectively
But also that I may enjoy life more abundantly.
Enable me to understand that the earth
Magically continues spinning on its axis
Even when I am not tending thy vineyards.
Permit me to breathe more easily
Knowing the destiny of the race Rests not on my shoulders alone.
Deliver me from false prophets who urge me
To “repent and shirk no more.”
I pray for thy grace on me,
Thy faithful shirker.
Filed under: Advice, Comparative Religion, Magazine & Newspaper Articles, Ordeals and Observations of Pastor Cranky not elsewhere classified, Reflections, Trends in Religion | Tags: AA, alcoholism, loneliness, religious leader
I thought this was an important article. Makes me miss the old days, when there was a whole section on religion, ethics and community life. (In the late 1990s it was a Saturday section in the San Jose Mercury News, before they chopped it down and then killed it off.)
Of course, celibacy or other kinds of singleness can add to loneliness in the occupation of religious leadership. But the sometimes overwhelming demands and schedules, the ache of pastoral tragedies and losses, and the lack of much personal time–combined with the accumulation of others’ needs, their expectations of you, and your expectations of yourself–can make religious leadership lonely and painful for even partnered and parenting leaders, and for their loved ones. And of course, being in any kind of leadership role (in any kind of organization or community) often is a very lonely and misunderstood experience. Just ask Spider-Man.
I posted the following on the Bee’s comment list after finding the article on the website.
Well, I’m not going to read all 370 comments but I’ve read enough to confirm my thinking that online reader comments are not a good idea. Too much mean-spirited and poorly-considered shooting from the hip, too much name calling, and very little good will. I am glad I get the paper printed on paper, so I can trust that someone has edited the letters to the editor, and that most folks have taken care with writing them, and I can avoid online rantings most of the time. I’m not Catholic and not in AA.
I came online only to thank the Bee and Ms. Garza for raising this important issue, and to thank the priests for their courage. I am sure this will be a surprise for some of their parishioners, and may cause controversy. At the same time, such honest self-disclosure by a community leader may give help, reassurance and inspiration to others with similar struggles.
Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/09/10/3898378/for-some-priests-the-solitary.html#ixzz1Xa17empU
Filed under: Advice, Family Ministry, Stewardship & Finances | Tags: couples communication, engagement, family finances, investment, money and marriage, newlyweds financial mistakes, stewardship
I received this blog link in a Vanguard mutual fund email. Misunderstandings about money are a major cause of stress in marriages and families.
And in the posting is a link to a Wall Street Journal article: The Financial Mistakes Newlyweds Make. If you’ve been married a while, and see some of those mistakes in hindsight, don’t despair. There’s no time like the present to start healthy conversations about money.
If you find this helpful–or unhelpful–please feel free to add your COMMENTS below.
