My life has changed a great deal over the last year:
- Ash Wednesday 2010 marked the final day of serving my last church. I spent most of the morning packing up my office and saying goodbye to other members of the staff.
- Ash Wednesday 2011 marked two and a half months working for a university. I spent most of the morning leading a workshop for faculty.
As I started my Lenten journey last year I did so having just resigned from a position without having first accepted another position for the first time in my life. I found myself searching for a new position in a struggling economy with a regional unemployment rate well in excess of ten percent. Now, as I start my Lenten journey this year, I find myself not serving in a local congregation (in a position for which I am compensated) for the first time since the first semester of my seminary studies. I find myself intrigued by the possibilities that are developing, which may lead to my once again being a part of a church staff within the next few months (while also retaining my full-time position at the university).
So What?
Everything has changed and nothing has changed over the past twelve months. Put in other words, I remain who I am and am gaining clarity about who I am becoming.
- While I still label myself a progressive postmodern postdenominational follower of Jesus, I find myself more and more at home within the life a denomination.
- While I still understand my primary gifts to be teaching and administration, I find myself exercising them primarily in academia and secondarily in a local congregation.
Take a few minutes to reflect on the changes in your life over the last year. What new opportunities helped you see yourself more clearly? How does any newfound clarity offer guidance for the coming year?