Today has the look and feel of what can become a very busy day. There are two things however, that are highest on my priority list, they are, preparing for a funeral tomorrow and getting my sermon done for Sunday. I am certainly looking forward to graduating so that hopefully my sermon preparation can be done a little earlier in the week. That sounds like it should be able to happen since I won’t have the 8 hour round trip to Ohio and school work to contend with, but who knows, this time next year I may still be telling you on Friday morning that I need to work on my sermon for Sunday:)
I also want to share with you something that has been weighing heavily on my heart for the past couple of days. While I was in the middle of my joy and exuberance over passing the Board, I found out that a very dear friend of mine was denied by the board. You might remember me telling you that the board has three options. Approval, Delaying for a year and Denial. If one is Denied, they are no longer eligible to even reapply in the future, their journey in the United Methodist Church is over.
My friend has completed nine years of college and seminary education, seven years in the Candidacy process, attended three Annual Conferences, and served two Appointments and now he has been Denied by the Board and informed that his License will be allowed to expire on July 1. I share this with you for two reasons. The first is that I have tried to be as open and honest with you as I could about how I have been feeling throughout this entire journey that we have been on together, and second is that I wanted you to know that when I was expressing my most profound fears to you throughout this process, that they were indeed founded upon reality and not some desire to garner sympathy or assurance from you.
I understand that when we look at this Candidacy process, we are only able to look at it though our own unique lens. None of us are privileged to truly see all sides. As a Candidate, I can not possibly know the pressures and stress that the Board is under. I am also not privy to the information contained within the voluminous files that the board members had to carry around and be intimately familiar with. With that being said, I also understand that the board members only have a short period of time to truly get to know each candidate and they ultimately have to rely a great deal on what we write in our answers and what others may say about us in letters of recommendation and conversation.
Throughout this process I have been assured by one important thing and that is my knowledge that God is Good all the time, and that no matter what happens, God will always be there for me. My heart goes out to my friend, but I also have the assurance that God has very great things planned for him and his wonderful young family.
Blessings
I also want to share with you something that has been weighing heavily on my heart for the past couple of days. While I was in the middle of my joy and exuberance over passing the Board, I found out that a very dear friend of mine was denied by the board. You might remember me telling you that the board has three options. Approval, Delaying for a year and Denial. If one is Denied, they are no longer eligible to even reapply in the future, their journey in the United Methodist Church is over.
My friend has completed nine years of college and seminary education, seven years in the Candidacy process, attended three Annual Conferences, and served two Appointments and now he has been Denied by the Board and informed that his License will be allowed to expire on July 1. I share this with you for two reasons. The first is that I have tried to be as open and honest with you as I could about how I have been feeling throughout this entire journey that we have been on together, and second is that I wanted you to know that when I was expressing my most profound fears to you throughout this process, that they were indeed founded upon reality and not some desire to garner sympathy or assurance from you.
I understand that when we look at this Candidacy process, we are only able to look at it though our own unique lens. None of us are privileged to truly see all sides. As a Candidate, I can not possibly know the pressures and stress that the Board is under. I am also not privy to the information contained within the voluminous files that the board members had to carry around and be intimately familiar with. With that being said, I also understand that the board members only have a short period of time to truly get to know each candidate and they ultimately have to rely a great deal on what we write in our answers and what others may say about us in letters of recommendation and conversation.
Throughout this process I have been assured by one important thing and that is my knowledge that God is Good all the time, and that no matter what happens, God will always be there for me. My heart goes out to my friend, but I also have the assurance that God has very great things planned for him and his wonderful young family.
Blessings
1 comment:
I understand the sense of fear. I think we all get that feeling in the pit of our stomach...thanks for sharing. Also, I really enjoy your blog. :)
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