Recommendations and Excuses

I'm not going to write much today - not on the blog, that is. I've written tons elsewhere! Mostly, responding to suggestions from a placement person at the CBF to rewrite my resume, plus writing cover letters to go with it. It's a strange and conflicting process - all the resume advice says to really sell yourself, and talk boldy about what you accomplished, and how you led and implemented and innovated and revolutionized and all those other action words. Yet being a minister - or a Christian - ought to be more about being led, being quiet, being obedient, being humble - and the action word is "served." So it's a disturbingly schizophrenic process. What's more disturbing is that about two weeks ago I finally felt good about my resume - and now, all the concerns I originally had about it are raised by this placement person, and all the work I did to address those concerns is unnoticed. I'm grateful to have it pointed out, I guess - and at the end of a long day, I do think that, once again, my resume is better. But it's been time-consuming, tedious, and occasionally discouraging.

Luckily, that's done!

But I still don't have much energy to write about a lot of stuff. Remind me to tell y'all about my meter maid pondering; plus I'm still getting lots of requests for more info on my job situation. (In brief, I need one, and I'm focusing on church, not chaplaincy.) But that'll have to wait.

For now, I'll wrap up by stealing thoughts from others. First up we have my friend K-chaney - yet another friend whose email I didn't have before starting this blog. Go, community, go! K-chaney told me about:

"this website called caringbridge.com....It's basically a blog that people who are sick/recovering/whatever can use to post updates on their condition. It's pretty cool because one person in the family can post updates on the caringbridge website and just tell all friends, family, etc. to go there to check on the person's condition. That way, you don't have a million people calling to get the latest details. For example, the daughter of a girl in my mom's SS class had a horseback riding accident last year. She had traumatic brain injury (TBI), and it has been a slow year of recovery. They post on the caring bridge website and anyone can check on her progress. It's really cool because even people who don't know her (me) can check in and pray for her on a regular basis....It's a free service, and I wish I'd known about it when ... was having all his surgery stuff two years ago (wow, can you believe he's been totally well for two years now! Praise God!). Well, I hope the blog is going well for you. "

Thanks, k-chaney, it's going just fine since you wrote my blog entry for me. It's a useful website, added to my links, and it helps simplify things for people dealing with ongoing/chronic/serious health crises. Check it out!

My other friend - gee, guarding identies is tough, let's call her Culpable. Culpable mentioned some books to me, and since they sound cool, I'm passing on the recommendation to you:

Book recommendation here - you'll adore the blend of vivid and believable characters, a touch of sci fi, and some deep religious ponderings. You'll thank me. Really. Mary Doria Russel: The Sparrow, and Children of God.
Also, if I can ever get it back from Mark to whom I've loaned it - upon whom I've imposed it, I should say - I will thrust upon you Margaret Wheatley's Leadership and the New Science. It's about fractals and physics and though I don't think there's a religious word in it, it's awe and wonder stuff.

Thanks, Culpable. I'll hold you responsible if I don't like them. Kidding. I love the descriptions, as in separate ways they remind me of some of what I love so much about Madeline L'Engle. Looking at their descriptions on Amazon, they seem weird (not in a bad way) and possibly over my head and like stuff I wouldn't have come across on my own. So I look forward to checking 'em out.

Today I've been listening to: Songs for a Revolution of Hope, and rediscovering the Indigo Girls, namely Nomads, Indians, and Saints. "Hammer and a Nail" helping me get to/keep working, Watershed and World Falls to make me laugh and get me down. Good stuff.

Thanks, friends, for whistling your tunes while I've been doing other stuff. Blessings.