Thursday, June 6, 2013

     As I walked into Chaplaincy with formal Ordination from the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine (ChIME), I wanted to share a path of my journey and offer thoughts on how ChIME fostered this quest. There are many more offerings that ChIME passed to me, but I start with just one -  'Meeting me where I was, as I share a short speech that I delivered to the congregation and the ChIME Community at Ordination.

I came to Chime to find a box with the name of a Divine Being and all the detailed information about that Being in it. It would answer my questions about the mysterious nature of God and the religions and spiritual practices that trace the nature of that Divine Being. 

I thought, by the acquisition of this box and it’s contents, I would then be ready to help and teach others to find what I treasured and valued in my own curious mind. I love thinking and discussing these rhetorical concepts about religion and spirituality.

But, the trappings of the words and language used in religion and spirituality have been confusing and sometimes harmful in the world, thereby creating fear and anxiety to those wanting to investigate more.

I often think outside the box, but in regards to religion and spirituality, what was outside the box was way to vast and infinite. 

I figured Chime could help me get right to the point. 

I found no box at Chime.

American poet and songwriter Michael Franti wrote: 
“Life is too short to make one decision, 
music is too loud for just one station, 
love is too big for one nation, 
and God is too big for just one religion!”

God (or the Divine), however one might call it, is too big to be put in a box. 
And, this Blessed Concept is too expressive in all of Its mysterious personalities to have just one name. 

So I searched deep to try to figure out what is the best way to speak of this Blessed Concept to avail everyone to an experience with the spiritual nature of their life. I couldn’t. 

Words cannot be found to the detail and depth needed to have full understanding - without argument! We have not created such a language that is universally acceptable. 

The stages of Interfaith and Interfaith Studies has become important.  While we surge forward as humans relating to each other and all of the aspects of global awareness, we may want to try to loss the words and feel the essence of all that is good in love and blessings. Chime has helped me hear this wordless presence.

Chime met me where I was. We are encouraged in our studies to meet folks where they are. Chime modeled this for me. I was able to refine and redefine my understanding of that Universal Life Force.

To me, Chime is a big loom, weaving all of the threads of my life into one tapestry. All of the threads that are woven into my tapestry belong there, regardless of their weight or strength, faults or truths, past judgements or current emotions. 

The tapestry’s threads are my family, friends, spirit, life’s past journeys and of course the Divine. 

I see these threads represented in my clergy stole. Each time I wear the stole, I will live in the presence of all that I was and all that I am and will be. 

And I know that more threads will be woven into this tapestry as I journey forward, walking as Chaplain.


I am thankful for the opportunity to have had the staff and classmates who helped me forge forward, looking for those post-existent words.