BrDevon

And now for the opposing argument: Forget Adam, forget Eve, forget their neighbors, Sally and Steve. Forget the critters forget the ark Forget the ones that fed the sharks. Forget the others and their sins, because I am a sinner within. So, let's talk about me. I'm a sinner. There. I said it. Not just a took a chomp off the fruit sinner, but sins too many to count. But I was given a choice. I can either believe in an Almighty God, who sent his son who was the only one to walk this earth sinless, and who went to his death taking on the sin of not only those who were, but those to come, and died in exchange for me, for any other sinner (for the record that would be all person kind). Yeah, it may be a bit warped, considering God could have done the Jeannie move, crossed His arms and blinked and made us all perfect. But He didn't. Why? Don't know, and really am not too bothered by it. So I was built from a flawed prototype. He knew I was going to give in to sin. Yup. I wish I had those odds at the casino. 100 per cent guarantee my files would be as corrupted as every other creation who had his or her wetware programmed. But here's my Control-Alt-Delete: I choose to accept that there is only one way to deal with this corrupt file, and He is the antivirus. I can give myself over to Him, accept His son as my savior, believe that He took the punishment I deserved and suffered that I might know joy. From the outside looking in, it's a complete mind **. I get that. But for me (and I am only going to worry about me for this argument), it's the best deal - the only deal - I'm going to get. Take it or leave it, and maybe if I'm lucky God will tell me why He planned it out that way. I accept He did not make me a mindless minion who was perfect and got to play with his earth and creation. He gave me challenges. He gave me a LOT of challenges, and all He asked in return is "trust me, accept my son, and let me worry about why." I can do that. I CHOOSE to do that. And that's the thing. It has to be a choice. I have lived my life saying that this works for me, and I will allow others to choose for themselves. Unlike many brands of Christianity, I do not - possibly to the point of a fault - try to get others to join me. I have been quoted, even on this forum, as saying if Christianity is so dang wonderful, then my own example should be enough to make others want to follow. I do not convert anyone. I would prefer anyone to make up their own mind. I promise you being Christian is not an easy path, and sometimes one just has to accept that nasty things happen to people who don't deserve it - at least in my own thinking. But I also accept that there are reasons for things I will never understand, and I can choose to trust that there is a God who loves me and even loved that person that died in whichever fill in the blank tragedy will happen today. Why do some people have to suffer and die painfully? Why did I have cancer so many times? Why am I partially (mostly?) deaf? Them's the cards that I was dealt. It's hard for me to put into words why I would choose to follow God, seemingly despite His creating the world the way it is (and yeah, I KNOW he knew it was going to happen - He is God, and all knowing). I'm okay with that. It sounds almost delusional to those looking from outside my path, and I can accept that just fine. All I can say is I did make the choice, it makes me happy, and each person with a sane mind has to make a choice for him or herself. I am not here to convince you. I won't try to sell you. I even wish you the path you are called to take and wish you great joy in all things in your life and for those who believe there is a beyond, I wish you joy there, too. I won't call you crazy whatever path you choose, all I ask is that you do not intentionally harm others in your path. Please afford me the courtesy of allowing me to enjoy the path to which I am called. I promise you I will hurt none deliberately. I'll even try to bring joy to a few along the way.

The closest thing to a "reason" I have ever been given for the church stance against women in the pulpit was that it was based on Paul's writings that women should keep silence in church. Well, it then begs the question: do we follow the teachings of Paul, or should we allow women to answer their call to serve the Lord. You can put me in the column for service to the Lord. I have had the joy and privilege of knowing many women who could preach and were experts that many male clergy turned to as advisors, as teachers, and as preachers. I stood up and fought, almost to the point of my own excommunication, for the first female bishop to be ordained in Massachusetts. It was an honor to serve with bishop Harris as my district bishop, and to hear her preach a sermon was to take a walk with Jesus beside you. The church where I currently worship does not allow women to preach in the pulpit, but they are at least coming to a point where they do recognize the importance of allowing women to answer their call to service, and they do have women's ministry, mission work, and conferences specifically for women at the national headquarters. They have a beautiful conference center and possibly 3 out of every 5 items on the conference calendar is specifically for women. I am pleased that women are given respect, even polite deference. I hope to see a day where that progresses to allowing them a rightful place in the sanctuary. I will say with joy that my particular church has a very, very strong women's ministry, and the wives of the elders serve in roles as vital as their husbands. While not allowed to preach from the pulpit, they are allowed to testify and teach at church suppers, in the field, in the fellowship hall, and so on. These are the ones who make most of the house calls, and keep the church operating well. Our church allows them to use the pulpit to read scripture and lead prayer, and two elder's wives sing in our worship team (some churches call that a choir). More than three quarters of our music has direct references to scripture (not by accident), so it allows these vital members of the church a way to teach within the denominational lines. When they speak, they speak well and with knowledge. They are as wise and as learned as the males, and I am certain that if they were given the opportunities to attend seminary and seek the training afforded their male counterparts, they would serve as admirably, and in some cases more so.

Welcome home! I too walked away from my Christian path at times, and yes, I have always been drawn back like a deer panteth for the water. Sometimes I think God looks at His children the way parents have to look at a fussy child: I love you dearly, and I'll be right here waiting for you when you're ready to talk to me again. I am happy you have found the path that resonates for you, and wish you great joy. Sunday, when I sing "How Great is our God" during the service, I will smile all the more knowing you share His love as well.

I really like that. And 11 years into my own ministry, I can easily say I am still proving this to myself. It came as a surprise to learn that the growing doesn't end, and the more actively one ministers, the more one grows.

More than I do in my waking life. I have a host of spoken languages too. Funnier still, when I dream about my father I tend to use spoken Latin because he loved the language, and I was the only kid in the family who wanted to learn it. Most obscure is when I sing in foreign languages - most obscure offering: Romanian. A little ditty called Dragosta Din Tea (you may have heard of it as the "numa numa dance".) (I had a coworker years ago who came from Romania and ultimately became an American citizen. He taught me how to sing it with the proper accent. We used to drive our coworkers crazy singing it when I did prep). I also get back all my Yiddish when dreaming of my old neighborhood where the Bubbies (grandmothers) used to speak it all the time. I was conversationally fluent as a kid because it was easier for me to speak their language than have them try to learn mine. (It was also a sign of respect.) Here's a real weird one for you: when I dream of my early childhood, I revert back to British Sign Language, which was the first Sign I ever learned. I can't remember it when awake, other than some of the alphabet - the thing that gives it away is that the alphabet is signed with two hands instead of one. I always found that awkward, especially when one needs to talk and try to carry anything. I also dream of having my hands slapped when I try to sign as a child in my dreams. My parents would not allow me to sign in their presence until I was in college. The "experts" brainwashed them into believing that if I was allowed to sign, I would not learn English. What a load.

Here's one for all of you who are multilingual: Do you dream in your dominant language? Do you find yourself dreaming regularly in other languages? Have you ever dreamt in more than one language in the same dream? Have you ever tried to remember how to express a concept in a language, only to dream later and have the concept or phrase come to you in your dreams in the language? (Points if you dreamt it and it was "right" in your dream, bonus points if you woke up and discovered that the translation was truly correct in real life.) Is there a favorite language you dream in? Yes, I know these are random questions and thoughts, but it's been on my mind lately. I'll share my answers to these questions soon, but I would love to hear how others do with them first.

I don't want to hijack this thread or bring it off topic, so I will post an aside topic with a thought I was having.... We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.

Today is Armed Forces Day. Thank you to our active military, reservists and veterans.

Well played, sir.

We are only limited when we fail to dream. We are only handicapped when we fail to work together. -- Another from the Book of Devon

Sorry... I like this one better: And they get bonus points for the synchronized chorus signing.

The decision to serve the Lord was at age 8. Of course there is serving as a child and serving as an adult. While a child, I served in roles fit for children: entry level acolyte positions, cleaning and polishing the church furniture, etc. As my age increased, so did my training and responsibility. But, from age 8 to my present ministries, I have lived a life serving others in the name of the Lord. The bigger decision was to live a celibate life. I first chose the life at 17 for a 7 year vow. Looking back, that choice was easy, because you don't really miss what you don't understand. It was a safe choice. I have since renewed my choice to be celibate, this time with full awareness. It is not an easy life, but it does allow one to focus on other things that require time that would otherwise be given to a partner. My life of service often has me running in the middle of the night, before the sun rises, on holidays, at other times that are not convenient. When the people you serve need you, they often need you right that moment. It is not fair to partners, to children, to family in general to up and leave every time you are called, so I chose to live without the encumbrance of a partner or children. It's a choice - not for everyone, but it works for me. Other decisions don't have as fixed a time stamp, but come up as needed. I have never done drugs and will not start now, so who do you put an age to that? It just is. I average one drink every two or three years, and then usually don't drink the entire beverage, so it is safe to say I do not "really" drink. I enjoy them when I have them, but I can be just as happy with a club soda with a twist of lemon or lime (orange is good too). I have had the good fortune to have been raised with excellent guiding forces (namely parents and other concerned adults), and they have instilled a moral compass that works well for me. But I only apply it to me. It shocked my parents when I was fresh out of high school to learn that I had more than a few friends that did drugs. I had no particular problem with it, as long as they followed the three rules: 1 - if you're going to get stoned, let me know so I can leave. You can choose to do drugs, but I can choose not to have to watch you. 2 - I will provide my own transportation. You will not ever drive me because I do not know how much residual drugs are in your system and how they affect your driving. 3. If law enforcement ever comes knocking and asks what I know about your drug use, I will not lie for you. Sorry, I know that is a tough one, and for some friendships it was a deal breaker, but if you are my friend, you would not put me in a position where I would have to break the law for you. Be satisfied that I don't report your use, which in some jurisdictions is enough to make me guilty by association. I try to live life to be an example to be followed, not shunned. I'm not Amish, but I have Mennonite friends who say I would fit in pretty well.

Mom was right.... There are children in every country that will go hungry any night. I lived in the wealthiest section of a city once, and didn't have to leave the floor of my apartment building to find the nearest child who was not receiving adequate nutrition. The part that makes no sense is how consuming your food is of any benefit to a starving child.

Every grain of sand on the beach was once part of a solid rock. Over time each drop of rain that fell upon it had its effect: minute as it was, each drop served its purpose. In the Creator's time, the rock was worn down, and all that remains is sand. So it is with each obstacle in our path. If it is God's will for us to accomplish a goal, be as the rain, and do what you are here to do, and be satisfied that you have done it. Not every obstacle is conquered immediately. The One who created rain also controls how much change it can accomplish. Sometimes it takes many drops and much time, but fear not - the goal will be achieved in God's time. Do not concern yourself with what other drops have to do - just accomplish that which is for you to do and let the One who controls all achieve the goal through you. --Brother Devon (excerpt from a Sermon called "Raindrops on Rock") /shameless plug

Don't stand near any knitting needles, or the magnets may draw them to you and knit you where you sit.

As long as they are sending the ordination requests to Modesto, that is not inaccurate, so no issue, and they are free to call anything their school, provided the school has no issue with the "affililation."

Counterfeit, no. Modesto (the Hensley's ULC)? Also no. As the saying goes, "we is us, they is them, them isn't us, we isn't them."

Don't mind if I fall apart. There's more room in a broken heart. - Carly Simon (As I have said a few times, given my work with elderly persons with dementia, you have to be willing to have your heart broken, be willing to cry, and be willing to love, or you need to choose a different career path. Sometimes the staff are the only ones left to show these folks love. Yes, I have been torn apart emotionally, especially this past month, where I have lost literally one third of my unit to death - when you hit a population all around a certain age, it can happen like that - but if even one person went to their creator knowing that in their last days there was someone who loved them unconditionally, and wanted them to live as happily as they were able, then every tear was worth it and then some).

Take a lesson from vacuum cleaners: sometimes life is dirty and you have to suck it up. Don't ever give up - every diamond was a chunk of carbon who was under a lot of pressure.

Ya know, ya'll's bring up a good point. I left the church of my youth because there was so much emphasis on the wrong things. It all came to light one Sunday morning as the rector said to me, "Ready to put on the show?" The light went on then and there - to him there was no longer a reverence or a call to service. It was just another performance in a series, and he was there to entertain the audience instead of enlightening the congregation. I knew in that instant that I was never going to minister like that. I love how in the course of my work at the facility families are initially shocked to learn that I am a minister. Usually, the shock wears away quickly, especially with family members of residents near death. One family member was very pleased to learn that I had had extensive conversations with one of my residents prior to her passing, and this resident's faith path was such that she had no doubts what the next step in her life was. I had no problems discussing this with the resident. The key is to be sensitive and to let the resident take the lead. I do not attempt to impress my values on the situation, but I will be honest when asked if I believe ... or ... . I will state that either yes, I do share that belief or leave it simply that my belief is different. I have found that my residents often want to talk about death, but have a hard time finding people who will listen. They usually get the perky "Oh, let's talk about something happy...," or a change of subject. I am not afraid of tough talk. And I have enough love and respect for my residents to talk about things that no one else is willing to take on, and I have the professional wisdom to tell them when it's time to take the discussion to someone better equipped to assist. I have gotten my residents mental health care when it was needed. It is my obligation not only as a minister but as a worker in a facility dealing with the elderly to ensure their welfare is always primary. I also minister to families - not directly, as in quoting scripture, but indirectly, such as caring for their emotional being. Tonight I have a resident who is near death. His daughters are at his side. I know they are not going to leave, and I also know they have not had a chance to eat. Since I work in dietary services, I made certain to chat with the chef and had a tray of sandwiches, something to drink, and a few snacks put aside in the nurse's station that they can bring to feed the daughters as an opportunity arises. I have done this many times with many family members over my two years at this facility. It has been 25 years since I lost my father, but I have never forgotten those who were there for me when I needed the most care. Now it is my turn to pay it forward - sometimes multiple times over. I am not seeking any special recognition, but I do appreciate that many times families have written to the corporate offices mentioning that I have made a difference to the resident and also to the family, especially as a resident came to the end of their life. I think it makes it easier on many people that I have a different relationship with death than most. I don't fear it, and I don't think of it in negative terms. If anything, for those with Christian beliefs, I should be called upon to celebrate their joining their creator in Heaven. But beliefs aside, I do want every resident to feel loved, and sometimes I am the closest thing to family they have. My management sometimes gets angry with me (tough!) because I have been known to shed more than a few tears with or about a resident. If I have learned nothing more about people, I can offer this: you can not honestly say you love someone and not be willing to have your heart broken. I am willing to have my heart broken over an over, because I can not do what I do, and certainly can not do it with any integrity unless I offer my whole heart, and love these folks unconditionally. Yes, I admit I have favorites - I am human - but even the ones who are difficult to love are in fact loved. Management has finally given up on trying to correct me for two things I have said to residents: "I love you," and "God bless you." The former because they need to hear it, and I truly do feel that way (if I don't I am not going to say it), and the latter if their beliefs are such that they believe in a loving God who cares for them, there is nothing wrong with reinforcing what they believe. I am happy that my executive director is not a jerk and the corporate mentality of the parent company for our facility has a strong respect for the spiritual aspect of life as one of the life quality issues we directly address. We are allowed to embrace spirituality in the presence of our residents, provided we are respectful of differences in path and do not attempt to steer a resident in any specific direction. Usually the advice of the house is if you don't know how a resident believes or you can't keep your own opinion to the side, don't talk of spiritual matters. I have had plenty of residents who do not share even a shred of my belief set. And that is their right, and I do respect that. I am not the one to talk to them about matters of faith. I am happy to have appropriate clergy called in for them if they want, or leave it alone as benefits the resident. At the end of the day, the most important thing is to remember it is never about me. It is always about those I serve.

Not surprisingly, the ones who took me least seriously when I was ordained were my own family, which is sad, seeing as I had been in the commissioned lay ministry for almost 20 years prior to the ULC. Now, thankfully, they realize I chose the ULC for the freedom to minister to those the church often forgets: homeless, homebound, ill, mentally unstable, the elderly.... One couple who are the main reason I became ordained were "abandoned" by their church or many years. They became too disabled to make the trip to the church building, and when they requested a clergy visit, they were informed that "father is much to busy for that sort of thing." Sickening. One needs to reassess one's calling to the ministry if one is not willing to wind up in an ER at 2 am after working a double shift. Since I follow a Christian path, I always relate my willingness to serve to this: what if the Lord said "Father, I would rather not go to the cross."? As far as clergy shirts, they have their place, but I tend not to bother, unless I am going to an ER or someplace where one needs to clearly convey the status of minister quickly. Most of my "flock" are just plain folk who take me in whatever I'm dressed in. As a mentor once said, "you are as much a minister in a clerical shirt as you are in sweat pants. It is not the outfit, but the service that makes one a minister."

As a double survivor, I celebrate with you, and will continue to hold you in prayer that this cancer will always be something that remains in the past.

The last time I took the test and received my master certification on the Chicago Editor certification (the standard used by such publications as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and a host of others), the publication standard was as stated by our own Dorian Gray. One pre, one post-nomial. The only major exception to the standard was for health care professionals crossing disciplines - for example a medical doctor who also is a dental surgeon might be required to use both M.D. and D.D.S. in order to show that he or she is legal to practice in both fields. The only other place one would list one's multiple degrees and postnomials is on a curriculum vitae or resume, and then unless requested otherwise, it is standard to only list those relevant to the job the applicant seeks. Of course, when talking shop, I would technically be "Brother Abbot" to my familiars, and "Brother Devon" to those outside my circle of ministry. I am usually not overly hung up on titles, though, as long as one addresses me politely. I find it interesting that the people who use my title most are the ones least expected to, such as my residents at the nursing home, who usually call me Brother or Sir.

The name is Devon. You may addresss me as Brother Devon. And yes, I have read the thread. I stated what I did, because the more recent posts made it appear that you were supporting the use of both forms. Apparently, I have misread. Humankind have been known to be flawed that way. Perhaps you will be appeased in knowing that as of the time of that post, I had just finished working a 105 (yes, that is ONE HUNDRED FIVE) hour week over the three jobs and just had three people close to me die. My mind was not completely on reading the entire thread at the time, just the more recent posts. So sorry if I offended. Perhaps next time, I'll ask my interpreter to sign your posts to me.

Actually, methinks you just supported the arguement rather than refuting it. I have seen his name written and spoken as "Rev. Doctor Martin Luther King Jr." What would be awkward construction would be to add D.D. to that, making it Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr., D.D. It is also rather redundant. If the specifics of the doctorate were needed or desired, such as to determine whether a Ph.D., D.D., or other discipline, one would use the form of Name, and degree designation and omit the title Reverend Doctor. It is the same with a medical doctorate: You might see it written Marcus Welby, M.D.; or you might see Doctor Marcus Welby, but it would be overkill and awkward to write or say Doctor Marcus Welby, M.D.