We work hard in life.  We work hard at our jobs, at our health, at our relationships, at our finances, at our homes, at our learning, at our faith… but how hard do we work at our “fun?”  And if we are working at having fun, does that take the fun out of it? Last week I heeded the doc’s advice when we had the whole family at the cabin for the day.   The kids were wake-boarding (in the cold and rain) and it looked like fun.  So I took a shot at water-skiing.   It’s been many years since I’ve skied, and I often plan on getting in shape to take it up again, planned to have fun, but never did.  So I just did it, and it was fun!  (It wasn’t pretty, but that made it more fun for the kids. Fun can be infectious)

So I am with the Doc here, go have some fun.  Don’t spend a lot of time working at it, don’t over plan it and over think it, just go do it… have some fun.

The Scene of the Fun

Take Care!

Take Care

I’ve got a couple different versions, with the same components, just moved arond a bit.  If I still like it (and don’t get a lot of negitive feedback) in a few days, I think I’ll look for someone with better skills that I have to make it more professional.

So let me know what you think!

Take Care!

First of all, I want to let everyone know that the ministry is thriving!  That is the primary reason for the absence of posts, too much going on, not enough time to do everything the way I’d like it to be done.  But the model for this ministry is one of traditional chaplaincy: A Ministry of Presence, Service and Relationships.  This website provides a ministry presence to a larger public safety community so again, time to get “Back At It”.

Here are some of the ministry services that have been filling my time:

MESCA – The recently established Minnesota Emergency Services Chaplain Association that was developed by Dr. Jeff Stewart of the Minneapolis Police Chaplain Corp and endorsed and supported by the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association.

MN National Guard Yellow Ribbon Communities Initiative -  I have been working on a variety of Yellow Ribbon initiatives for almost three years now.  As we gain more experience the project has grown and seen significant tangible results.  This increase in activity has resulted in a partnership between Public Safety Ministries, The MN Chiefs Assoc and the Upper Midwest Community Policing Institute.  We have created a training curriculum that will be implemented throughout the state in the coming months.

Spiritual Fitness Gatherings – We have started to gather public safety professionals and those who support the professions for monthly (fourth Wednesday of the month, noon to 1:00 pm) gatherings at Oak Knoll Lutheran Church in Minnetonka.  It is a time to gather specifically to grow in our spiritual fitness.

The business and devlopment part of the ministry has also filled much of my time:

ELCA Ordination – I continue my seminary studies and internship responsibilities.  I can now see the end of that journey.  With a little luck (class availability) I’ll be ordained by this time next year.

PSMI Board Expansion – We have expanded our board of directors adding  business, fire service and clergy perspectives to the group.  I am excited about learning from the additional insights.

Ministry Partner Affiliations – We are establishing more formal ministry partneships with organizations supportive of the mission “Serving Those Who Protect”.

Well, that’s a brief overview.  More detail to come on the above initiatives.

I want to close with a prayer I try to say every day:

Dear God,

I ask for the strenght to serve, the peace to rest, the wisdom to discern and most of all the humility to acknowledge that all that I am and all that I have are gifts of Your gracious love.

Amen

And let’s all say a special prayer for our troops as they prepare for the withdrawal of US troops from cities in Iraq.

Take Care!

The day before the presentation I was reading for a book that I received from one of our police chaplains, Father Tim Power, at my retirement from Eden Prairie PD.  My Grandfather’s Blessings by Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D. holds a regular place in my collection of books I use for meditation and devotional reading.

In one of the stories she shares she tells of how she struggled with an assignment she had where she was supposed to “build community” among the employees of a hospice organization.  They set aside one morning of a retreat to accomplish the task. When she sought out advice from a colleague she was give the following advice: “You don’t need to make that happen (building the community), Rachael.  You just need to make it visible.”

As I described the efforts we have made towards identifying and coordination chaplain services around the state I have found the same thing to be true.  We don’t need to create a chaplain services community, we just need to make the existing one visible.  Of course there is a lot of other work to do as we strive towards building continuity of services, standards and identities and professionals in police chaplaincy, but the community is there and it is active.  Making it visible, first to ourselves and then to others is a great first step.

There always seems to be plenty of visibility in our society of the problems and challenges we face.  A simple story in a book has given me an image, an image of making visible all that is good in life, that will become a guiding light of this ministry.

Take Care.