Yesterday was my birthday. It was the first birthday in many years that included multiple people guessing or asserting/assuming my age.
I’ll save you that effort: I’m now 46 years of age.
Midlife
The stage of life called midlife is generally understood to be from age 40 to 60. So, mathematically, it appears I’m now well into this phase.
As I reflect on my midlife experience so far, it has been a time of clarity rather than crisis.
Last night on several social media platforms I shared a birthday selfie showing what 46 looks like for me. And, I added these words, “Thanks for all of the birthday wishes! My focus for this new year of life is to live fully each day, love extravagantly, and cultivate hope. “
MiD Life
I’m also in a stage of my religious life without a universal timeline. It is a season that in my tradition – United Church of Christ – calls Member in Discernment. This is a designation for lay folks who are seeking authorized ministry in the denomination, including ordination.
For me, MiD life has come at midlife. It’s one of the ways I’m clarifying who I’ve long understood myself to be. And, it is also my way of making permanent my place in the United Church of Christ – a denomination I’ve called home since 2010.
I’ve now completed what’s been asked of me by the North Texas Area Committee on Ministry with the exception of submitting my ordination paper. I will finalize that document and submit well in advance of my next meeting with the NTA CoM, which should be in September.
My timeline is becoming more clear; I hope to be ordained this fall.
So What?
My personal aspirations for the year ahead ask much of me. They call me to be intentional about how I live and love.
My vocational clarification and pursuit of ordination also asks much of me. The process has many steps for good reason.
If the lines between personal and professional appear blurry that means I’m doing something right. As I strive to be and to increasingly become my authentic self, I recognize that I am the same me in all of life’s many interactions and opportunities.
For more on my experience of seeking ordination in the United Church of Christ, check out
- Seeking Ordination – Update #8 (May 2023)
- Preaching Abundant Life (April 2023) [a related post not counted in the series]
- Seeking Ordination – Update #7 (April 2023)
- Officially a Member in Discernment (March 2023)
- Week by Week, Step by Step (March 2023)
- Back in the Pulpit Again! (March 2023)
- Pilgrimage: Sharing my Story (March 2023)
- Update: My United Church of Christ Ministry Discernment Journey (February 2023)
- A Story of Stoles: Discerning What Next (January 2023)