Been pondering the life of St. Paul recently – and particularly his apparent forsaking of his entire former life once he started following Jesus.
It occurs to me that this is a nonsense… much of his ministry was enabled by the fact he was such a strong theologian and understood the Jewish scriptures so thoroughly. His words had weight and authority because he was an expert on the law. And of course he made good use of his Roman citizenship, plus the fact he could speak Greek and Aramaic (and presumably Latin). One would imaging his tent-making skills weren’t learnt overnight either?
So this line of thought brought me to what happened on the Damascus Road. I suppose I’d always thought of it as being the big U-turn in Paul’s life. Like everything before in his life was thrown away as garbage, and only now was he truly living. But I’m not so sure this is the case – it seems to me that it’s not so much a U-turn as a course correction.
Paul had spent all his life to date studying the law, being a Jew among Jews, and was expectantly awaiting the Messiah and the fulfillment of scripture, the start of God’s majestic reign. So far so good. But then the Messiah actually comes – that is Jesus – and Paul doesn’t get it. In fact he reaches the only other possibly conclusion about Jesus and his followers, that they are evil (or mad), have deserted God, and are now a dangerous influence that needs stamping out. At this point he was earnestly and zealously pursuing what he thought was God’s plan…
… except of course he’d turned from truly following God (which would mean recognizing Jesus as the prophesied Messiah) – without realizing it. Jesus intervenes on the road to Damascus and says “Paul – hang on buddy. I am the Messiah you’ve been waiting for!”. This is no U-turn, but God stepping in and turning Paul back on the track he’d been following all his life, or at least up until the couple of years before that point.
Now I’m not saying this wasn’t a radical change of direction, and it certainly gave Paul a lot to think about, not least in terms of his understanding of God. But I see it as more the continuation of his life’s work, not a brand new start!
Time for an utterly trite entry, and I don’t care!
The weather for the last couple of days has been lurvely – and is set to get better and better this week. This is particularly good news as we’re all going to a barbie on Monday to mark the end of house-group term. The only slight fly in the ointment is that I’m at work all week next week, as it’s my hand-over week. I’ve still got a few weeks left on my contract, but my boss is away after this, so we scheduled it for now.
It’s actually been lovely being around at home so much recently – it’s not the way I would have chosen to leave academia, but needs must. There’s a part of me that’s a bit sad about having to throw myself back into full-time employment, and of course office life come September, but another part of that’s looking forward to the cut and thrust of commercial life once again.
Still, the air conditioning in my current office is severe (I’ve been known to wear a coat before now), and apparently impossible to alter, so at least I won’t be expiring from heat at work. The chap I’m handing over to is a good friend, and a smart cookie, so I think it’ll be a fun week.
They say that “it isn’t over until the Fat Lady sings,” and what a true word that is. Everything can seem to be perfectly in place and heading towards resolution, when suddenly a whole new plot-line comes along in (what you thought was) the final act, and it turns out the play might only just be begining!!
Then again, wouldn’t life be dull if it always went to plan?
Basic Types of Pastoral Care and Counselling, Howard Clinebell, SCM Press, 1984.
A very interesting and helpful book – quite daunting in many ways, but very illuminating as to the particular pastoral role that clergy have, and the crisis points that we all face in life. This is clearly a book that needs proper study to get the most from it, as it is fairly practical. There are a number of techniques presented on how to listen and counsel effectively, and good ideas for practical responses in a church setting. These include;
The “six dimensions of wholeness” – Mind, body, intimate relationships, relationship with nature, institutional-societal liberation, relationship with God.
The different counselor responses (EISPUA – Evaluative, Interpretive, Supportive, Probing, Understanding, Advising). Knowing these different responses can help us spot any “lopsidedness” in how we respond, and also help us assess which responses are most appropriate.
The “ABCD method” of helping in a crisis: Achieving a relationship, Boil down the problem, Challenge the individual to take constructive action, and Develop an ongoing growrth-action plan.
And many others; indeed this book is full of 8 or 9 point lists/breakdowns.
However, I had several problems with it. Firstly, I found it one-dimensional to a fault about the role of the pastor. The author seemed to say by far the most important – if not only role – of a pastor was in pastoral care and counselling. Of course this was a book on pastoral care, so this emphasis is expected – and I suspect he is right in saying this is a vital aspect of ordainded ministry that must be taken seriously and training sought.
Secondly, the author seemed to have bought wholesale into secular pyschotherapy without really balancing the need for personal wholeness against the fact we serve a holy God who depands holiness. This comes across most clearly in the area of sex, where he is apparently saying any committed relationship (co-habiting, homosexual, etc) is morally equivalent to marriage. I may have got the wrong end of the stick, and he was rather emphasising the important of uncritical acceptance of the person when counselling. My over-riding impression was more along the lines of “isn’t it great we’re free from the oppression of traditional hetreosexual monogamous relationships”, although I’m very much putting words in his mouth. Another example is actively encouraging “Eastern body disciplines” – e.g. yoga, T’ai chi, without any hint there may be an unhealthy spiritual dimension to these activities.
My last reservation is he seemed to drift off into “mumbo-jumbo”. Easiest to quote here:
The self of everyday experience is not our ultimate identity. It is a reflection of our transpersonal Self. Pyschosynthesis regards this higher Self as our creative center and essence. Making this true Self the integrating center for our being is the primary goal of therapy. The fundamental resources for growth come from the higher Self, which has potent superconcious spiritual energies, with a transforming, regenerating influence on the whole personality. The Self is the source of inner wisdom and the therapist’s main ally. (ch 15, pg 388)
and again
Finally, it is liberating to remember that all healing and all growth are gifts of the creative Spirit of life whom we call God.
… at best a counselor is a finite and often fractured channel for the healing power of the universe! (ch 17, pg 429).
Of course this perspective is coloured by my own prejudices, and I could hardly review a book that majors on self-awareness without acknowledging this – but it still made my spirit uncomfortable.
Nevertheless a very insightful and useful book that has broadened my understanding of pastoral care and counselling, and the very special role the church has in ministering to a broken world.
Funny old thing – we bought this house 4 1/2 years ago, knowing it was never going to be our ‘ultimate’ family home, and also knowing it was in a bit of a state (“in need of modernisation” according to the estate agents). I fully concede that we expected to have finished “modernising” the house sooner than 2 weeks ago, but there we go. So the estate agent came around to value it this morning, so we spent considerable effect yesterday “staging” the house – de-cluttering, cleaning, tidying, etc..
Please don’t interpret amazement as arrogance – but it looks fantastic. It’s stylish, clean, smart – really well presented. And we both hate it!!!! Suddenly it’s a boring/stuffy/formal house, not our home that we’ve grown to love. There’s none of little “ownership” stuff, like half drunk cups of tea, or journals, or toy cars. The dining room actually looks like a proper dining room, instead of the useful general dumping ground that can be blitzed to provide eating space if friends are coming round.
I know that this is the whole point of staging a house, so it looks attractive and fresh, and like it can be instantly lived in – but it’s a little bit sad, to be honest. We’ve taken a deliberate view that we’re not trying to “sell a lifestyle” – you’re apparently supposed to buy expensive stuff and try and sell the lie “if you live here, you’ll lifestyle will be like this”. But it’s still only sensible to maximise it’s appeal as a house that a buyer can turn into a home, which does mean removing much of our “ownership”. To be blunt, it’s a really nice house to live in, and one which we’re both going to miss.
I guess the other thing going on is that this is quite possibly the last house that we’ll live in and own until I retire in 35 (or so) years time.
Another proud parent entry. Well actually it’s a parenting anecdote.
I try and to tell Ben a lot that I love him, and I have a little spiel every night at bedtime that’s something like “Night night Ben, love you lots, God bless you, and sleep tight.” Anyway, a couple of nights ago, I got as far as “love you lots”, and the little voice squeaks out
“Love you Daddy.”
Momentous occasion – 2 1/2 years old, and he’s just told me for the first time that he loves me. My little heart melts, but also catches in my throat… I’m not the only parent in the room. Will he… will he…
“Love you Mummy.”
Ah bliss – my joy is complete. He has told us both that he loves us!
I feel like such a Hermione Granger; I’ve managed to find nearly all the books on the reading list (at least for the 1st year modules), and have no reason to think I won’t have skim read all of them by the start of term. It does help that I work at a university with a theology department, and hence had many of the books in the library!
Current book is Basic Types of Pastoral Care and Counselling, by Howard Clinebell, which so far has been very interesting. I think the pastoral side is one of the weaker aspects of my ministry, and hence something that will need more work on during training. There was a very interesting line in the book that leapt out at me:
The choice is not between counseling and not counseling, but between counseling in a disciplined and skilled way and counseling in an undisciplined and unskilled way.
(actually it would seem this is a quote from Wayne Oates, An Introduction to Pastoral Counselling, 1959)
God’s been speaking to me about waiting recently – both waiting on Him and spending time with Him, but also what goes on when we wait. Interestingly, I’m speaking at church tomorrow on Acts 1:15-23, which is about the believers waiting in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit to fall. It’s actually amazing how much waiting there is in the bible when you get down to it!
Being a good evangelical, I came up with with 4 “T”s as to what a period of waiting might be about:
Telling
Is God trying to tell us something? Perhaps about unconfessed sin or disobedience, or perhaps some other message.
Timing
God has a plan, and perhaps the time is not yet right?
Testing
Are we serious about what we’re asking?
Training
Patience is a gift of the spirit (Gal 5:22) and part of the nature of God (e.e. Psalm 145: “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love”.
One of the outcomes of A.’s and my personal period of waiting for her recovery is that we now spend 10 or 15 minutes every day just listening to God together – spending time with Him as a couple. I’m ashamed to admit it’s taken over 6 years of marriage to get this point! But there are amazing times – in only a few days of doing it, God has spoken to us, and even when he doesn’t say anything, I feel so much closer to Him and A. as a result. Our vicar was encouraging us to “drink together”, and I think we’re finally starting to do it.
On a different note, I’m very excited because I got the reading list from Trinity College yesterday. Utterly bamboozled by the modules to choose from and books to read, but I’m hugely excited. Hopefully I can borrow most off the library at work, or friends at church, but I’ve already ordered 2 that look like they would be very useful reference book. I guess I’ll need to start a folder to scribble down notes about each one!
Had a trip to Ikea on Wednesday, to buy up some bits and pieces for the house. By three-quarters of the way round I’d decided I’d become a zen master of self-control, as I hadn’t got anything which wasn’t on my list…
… ’till a pot-plant leapt out at me that was just perfect for the spare room. Sigh.
Actually I still felt pretty good, because the plant was nearly on the list anyway (we knew we needed one, but hadn’t planned on getting it from Ikea) – plus they didn’t have one of the other items that was on the list, so I ended up spending less than I’d originally planned.
Can’t say I wasn’t very tempted by a whole host of fiddle-faddle, mind!
