Thank you, Christine, this is exactly what I needed to read this morning. Your stories of Ruby and Pete inspired me so much. As usual, reading something you post reminds me of a story I need to write. Reading your post reminded me of something Richard Rohr pointed out. Life is constantly changing, nothing remains static so why do we think our faith, our calling, our lives are not evolving also? Thank you again, Christine for feeding my soul today.
I'm touched that you were inspired by Ruby and Pete, they were beautiful souls. I look forward to reading that post of yours!
Also I thought of you yesterday, as I'm hiking in the Alps and passed a group of trail runners going up a mountain. It was hard enough to walk up, let alone run!! 🤣
I AM sitting on our small, sunny deck with palm trees and flowers on our first morning in Nice! We are not on vacation, we live here! Could it possibly be our calling after years of ministry in the church, transported to the beach!?!
Micro-callings remind me of Brother Lawrence and the Practice of the Presence of God. He endeavored to be in God's presence whatever he was doing. Lately, my calling is monthly and weekly. This week I have two funerals and all other callings go to the back burner. Thanks again Christine for your thoughtful writing.
I have half a post written about mindfulness and Brother Lawrence doing the dishes - I never thought about him amin connection to calling - I love it! I hope your funerals go well as you bring comfort and solace to those in mourning. That is a profound calling this week.
I look forward to your Brother Lawrence post. I few months ago I came across a doctoral dissertation comparing Brother Lawrence to Buddhist teaching and the spirituality of presence.
This is a wonderful, wise, insightful post. I'm sharing it with my Commission on Ministry (that's our name for the group who helps with discernment for people hearing a call to ministry lay or ordained. And thanks for sharing some of my thoughts about calling. It would be fun to do a deep dive together about calling and discernment for my podcast.
Thank you for writing a whole chapter on it! I'm the chair of our CPM (commission for Preparation for Ministry) so I know how important those conversations are to have with people in discernment. And I'd be honored to be on your podcast!
I love this idea of a 'macro'- calling and a 'micro' - calling - a discernment for a future trajectory as well as the calling of this moment right now. I also love the story of Pete. While I encounter myself as someone who deeply desires to offer meaningful work in the world that, in my mind, has a certain intensity of interaction among souls, Pete is an incredibly example of the 'how' of a calling being more important than the 'what,' meaning that his calling of infusing the sacred into the mundane is so clearly where he's called as he completes tasks to clean the spaces of the hospital. That example was really helpful for me.
I am excited to be with you as your discern both your micro and macro callings! I appreciate your articulation of the how and the what, I think that is a great way to distill it to make it applicable to whatever our circumstance.
This is such a beautiful and inspiring perspective on calling and discernment. Pete’s story truly highlights the importance of infusing the sacred into the mundane. Thank you for sharing this reflection.
"What might a bite-sized sense of calling look like? What are you called to do today, right now?" Thank you for these beautiful questions to ponder today.
Very insightful and it hit me thinking about my calling.
I love what you said about not knowing the meaning of things while they are happening. I have experienced it again and again and only later you connect the dots.
Veronica, it is cool to watch your calling unfold and evolve in real time! And at some point I plan on writing a whole post about meaning making (or not) while we are in middle of things!
I did a similar exercise a while back with my spiritual director and that is one of the first times that I came to see one of my core "I am's" is "I am a seer and sharer of beauty." I have come to hold that as one of my primary callings in my life.
It still drives me nuts when I hear people talk about my role as a pastor as a "higher calling" - ugh. I usually try to use that as a conversation entry into helping them get a glimpse into some of their own sense of call.
This is such a lovely, accessible way to explore what we are called to do. It’s so helpful to recall that we can start now, start small, to live our calling, without needing to see a grand plan for our lives. 🩵
Thank you, Christine, this is exactly what I needed to read this morning. Your stories of Ruby and Pete inspired me so much. As usual, reading something you post reminds me of a story I need to write. Reading your post reminded me of something Richard Rohr pointed out. Life is constantly changing, nothing remains static so why do we think our faith, our calling, our lives are not evolving also? Thank you again, Christine for feeding my soul today.
I'm touched that you were inspired by Ruby and Pete, they were beautiful souls. I look forward to reading that post of yours!
Also I thought of you yesterday, as I'm hiking in the Alps and passed a group of trail runners going up a mountain. It was hard enough to walk up, let alone run!! 🤣
I AM sitting on our small, sunny deck with palm trees and flowers on our first morning in Nice! We are not on vacation, we live here! Could it possibly be our calling after years of ministry in the church, transported to the beach!?!
That is such an awesome calling! And I love that I got to see it unfurl for you. Welcome home. Now send pictures of your view!!!
Micro-callings remind me of Brother Lawrence and the Practice of the Presence of God. He endeavored to be in God's presence whatever he was doing. Lately, my calling is monthly and weekly. This week I have two funerals and all other callings go to the back burner. Thanks again Christine for your thoughtful writing.
I have half a post written about mindfulness and Brother Lawrence doing the dishes - I never thought about him amin connection to calling - I love it! I hope your funerals go well as you bring comfort and solace to those in mourning. That is a profound calling this week.
I look forward to your Brother Lawrence post. I few months ago I came across a doctoral dissertation comparing Brother Lawrence to Buddhist teaching and the spirituality of presence.
Oh, that sounds intriguing! Was it online, do you have a link for it?
Here is the link to the article: https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:534651/fulltext01.pdf
Thanks, I'm excited to check it out!
Pete. 🥺❤️
I know, he was such a gem.
Listening along tonight was the perfect way to wrap up my weekend. Thank you for the I AM practice, I hope to try it out very soon.
I'm glad to know the listening is working! And I hope you find the practice meaningful, let me know how it goes!
This is a wonderful, wise, insightful post. I'm sharing it with my Commission on Ministry (that's our name for the group who helps with discernment for people hearing a call to ministry lay or ordained. And thanks for sharing some of my thoughts about calling. It would be fun to do a deep dive together about calling and discernment for my podcast.
Thank you for writing a whole chapter on it! I'm the chair of our CPM (commission for Preparation for Ministry) so I know how important those conversations are to have with people in discernment. And I'd be honored to be on your podcast!
Love this and love that I am practice. I’m going to take that to my journal!
Oh yes, it would make for a good journaling prompt. Let me know how it goes!
I love this idea of a 'macro'- calling and a 'micro' - calling - a discernment for a future trajectory as well as the calling of this moment right now. I also love the story of Pete. While I encounter myself as someone who deeply desires to offer meaningful work in the world that, in my mind, has a certain intensity of interaction among souls, Pete is an incredibly example of the 'how' of a calling being more important than the 'what,' meaning that his calling of infusing the sacred into the mundane is so clearly where he's called as he completes tasks to clean the spaces of the hospital. That example was really helpful for me.
I am excited to be with you as your discern both your micro and macro callings! I appreciate your articulation of the how and the what, I think that is a great way to distill it to make it applicable to whatever our circumstance.
This is such a beautiful and inspiring perspective on calling and discernment. Pete’s story truly highlights the importance of infusing the sacred into the mundane. Thank you for sharing this reflection.
"What might a bite-sized sense of calling look like? What are you called to do today, right now?" Thank you for these beautiful questions to ponder today.
Glad those questions gave you something to ponder today!
Very insightful and it hit me thinking about my calling.
I love what you said about not knowing the meaning of things while they are happening. I have experienced it again and again and only later you connect the dots.
Veronica, it is cool to watch your calling unfold and evolve in real time! And at some point I plan on writing a whole post about meaning making (or not) while we are in middle of things!
I did a similar exercise a while back with my spiritual director and that is one of the first times that I came to see one of my core "I am's" is "I am a seer and sharer of beauty." I have come to hold that as one of my primary callings in my life.
It still drives me nuts when I hear people talk about my role as a pastor as a "higher calling" - ugh. I usually try to use that as a conversation entry into helping them get a glimpse into some of their own sense of call.
Right! Pastors aren't the only ones who are called! Trying to get others to embrace their call is meaningful work!
And what a fantastic "I Am" statement. I love that you share your beauty for all to see here on substack!
This is such a lovely, accessible way to explore what we are called to do. It’s so helpful to recall that we can start now, start small, to live our calling, without needing to see a grand plan for our lives. 🩵
Thanks Lori for reading and sharing! Yes, starting small is key!