Today I have spent the majority of the day on what I will call "maintenance".
It sometimes takes a lot of effort to simply maintain my health. I visited with my neurologist this morning and we spent some time talking about what else we could try to see if we can get my migraines under control. They have been "out of control" (read - happening more than 3 times a week) for about a year now. We've tried a variety of treatments and while we have reduced the frequency, longevity and severity a little, we have not yet had the major break in the cycle we have been hoping/praying for. Today I started yet another new medication to try to prevent the onset of the migraine, and got a new prescription for another "abortificant" for when I do get a migraine. We'll see if this makes any difference, or if it even makes them worse (which has happened in the past).
In addition to trying out new medication and keeping my eye out for any side effects, I have also been working on "maintaining" my search for a job.
Now, this is where it gets tricky. I am clergy, that is my job. I am called by God to care for the least, the lost, the lonely, etc. I am called by God to serve as a minister of social justice. I have a part-time position at a local United Methodist church (one I was "appointed" to in July 2011 after being commissioned). But - it is only part-time and there is no salary (though they do offer me a little financial gift, or "love-offering" about once a month). In addition to my part-time duties, I have been keeping very busy with some other volunteer duties as clergy in the community - working with a community organizing group and a community ministries group, not to mention duties as a member of the Baltimore-Washington Board of Church and Society. In fact, I have so much that I could be doing with those ministries, that it could easily be considered a "full time" job. But - it's not.
I'm not allowed to work full-time without pay according to my district superintendent. So, every now and then, instead of doing the good work of ministry with folks in my community, I need to spend time updating my resume and applying for (paying) jobs, even though I don't feel called to one.
According to paragraph 331 (Appointment of Deacons and Provisional Deacons to Various Ministries) of the 2012 Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church " 3. "Deacons and Provisional Deacons shall be appointed to settings that allow fulfillment of their call..." and 6d. "Deacons and Provisional Deacons at their own request or with their consent may be appointed to a nonsalaried position. Such missional appointments will serve to express the church's concern for social holiness, for ministry among the poor, and for advancing emerging needs of the future. In such cases, the bishop will carefully review plans for expressing this appointed ministry and will consult with the deacon or provisional deacon about the well-being and financial security of his or her family."
God has called me to be a deacon. God has called me to be in mission in my community. And, God has called me to the United Methodist Church. So I'll stay where I am and keep on keeping on until one day I finally convince the (very earthly) "powers that be" that my ministry is valid or I find a "real job" that won't kill me in the commute, or I die trying... but all that really matters is that I do what God has called me to do. The rest is just semantics.
post edited 2/20/13
It sometimes takes a lot of effort to simply maintain my health. I visited with my neurologist this morning and we spent some time talking about what else we could try to see if we can get my migraines under control. They have been "out of control" (read - happening more than 3 times a week) for about a year now. We've tried a variety of treatments and while we have reduced the frequency, longevity and severity a little, we have not yet had the major break in the cycle we have been hoping/praying for. Today I started yet another new medication to try to prevent the onset of the migraine, and got a new prescription for another "abortificant" for when I do get a migraine. We'll see if this makes any difference, or if it even makes them worse (which has happened in the past).
In addition to trying out new medication and keeping my eye out for any side effects, I have also been working on "maintaining" my search for a job.
Now, this is where it gets tricky. I am clergy, that is my job. I am called by God to care for the least, the lost, the lonely, etc. I am called by God to serve as a minister of social justice. I have a part-time position at a local United Methodist church (one I was "appointed" to in July 2011 after being commissioned). But - it is only part-time and there is no salary (though they do offer me a little financial gift, or "love-offering" about once a month). In addition to my part-time duties, I have been keeping very busy with some other volunteer duties as clergy in the community - working with a community organizing group and a community ministries group, not to mention duties as a member of the Baltimore-Washington Board of Church and Society. In fact, I have so much that I could be doing with those ministries, that it could easily be considered a "full time" job. But - it's not.
I'm not allowed to work full-time without pay according to my district superintendent. So, every now and then, instead of doing the good work of ministry with folks in my community, I need to spend time updating my resume and applying for (paying) jobs, even though I don't feel called to one.
According to paragraph 331 (Appointment of Deacons and Provisional Deacons to Various Ministries) of the 2012 Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church " 3. "Deacons and Provisional Deacons shall be appointed to settings that allow fulfillment of their call..." and 6d. "Deacons and Provisional Deacons at their own request or with their consent may be appointed to a nonsalaried position. Such missional appointments will serve to express the church's concern for social holiness, for ministry among the poor, and for advancing emerging needs of the future. In such cases, the bishop will carefully review plans for expressing this appointed ministry and will consult with the deacon or provisional deacon about the well-being and financial security of his or her family."
God has called me to be a deacon. God has called me to be in mission in my community. And, God has called me to the United Methodist Church. So I'll stay where I am and keep on keeping on until one day I finally convince the (very earthly) "powers that be" that my ministry is valid or I find a "real job" that won't kill me in the commute, or I die trying... but all that really matters is that I do what God has called me to do. The rest is just semantics.
post edited 2/20/13
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