Reverend Penny L. Jones
Essay on Master of Chaplaincy Studies
I have diligently procrastinated in starting and completing this essay, (for a year now) as I really struggled with the course. Not the content, but embracing the Christian overtones in the material. So how does one write an essay in a positive light when the theme of the course revolves only around Christian doctrine? It’s not that I am against Christianity; it’s just, the beginning of the course describes the importance of a Chaplain being well rounded in all world religious studies. Does “a keeper of the sacred”, have to know all scriptures in the bible to be considered a Chaplain? Does one have to embrace God as a separate entity from the human soul to wear the title of Chaplain? Reading the supplemental scriptures offered in the course, brought back those old, almost forgotten feelings of dread and ghosts from my past. Religion never satisfied me nor filled me with tranquil contentment. Just the opposite -- it perpetuated fear, guilt and unfounded shame. Written and practiced dogma lost its vibrancy when I was in my early 20’s and I began searching for my own personal truth -- my personal call to God -- a journey that has taken me to the current period in my life where I have enrolled in a Seminary program. During this past year of procrastination, I took a journey to past memories of attending an organized religion, thinking about the course, and wondering how I was going to approach my essay. Finally, the light bulb began to blink. In spit of my stubbornness, I had the realization that the highlights in this Chaplaincy course are already a huge part of what I do every day. I don’t have the title of Chaplain, but in my role as a parent of children with many health issues and my role as a Human Resources professional, I realize I am already engaged in the defined roles of a Chaplain as discussed in the lessons of the Chaplaincy course.
I am the mother of 3 beautiful adult children. My two daughters have blessed me with 3 granddaughters. All have beautiful souls and are quite free spirited and independent. My 2 daughters and 3 granddaughters have health issues that perpetuate a great deal of concern in our family and the need to reach out to our universal God source for comfort, and hope. (My son however is quite healthy. We all joke about the girls winning the “genetic reject” lottery). I find myself in the roll of the quasi Chaplain who must be available at a moment’s notice, to assist; to comfort; to be at hospital bed-sides; to pray with them; to offer them guidance; to cry with them; and to actively listen with empathy and compassion and to perform REIKI. The title of “parent” goes much deeper than our culture defines. All parents fill the roll of a “Chaplain” through each phase we experience with our children. It is an on-going title expressed in the indescribable love that we have for our children.
Another realization that came to me is the on-going Chaplaincy roll I preserve as a Human Resources professional. I continually have to build relationships, maintaining confidentiality regarding the issues encountered with my co-workers. With 440 employees in the company, there will inevitably be divorces, deaths, illnesses, and military personnel who have returned from Afghanistan, Iraq, or Pakistan. In addition, as in any community, we have diverse personalities, a mixture of religious or political backgrounds, and a variety of belief systems all which cause issues that fall in the hands of the Human Resources Department. We respect confidentiality, we encourage trust, and we advocate availability to listen and support. This includes understanding the 5 step process for grief that not only includes death but divorce. We deal with horrific illnesses and spend time on a weekly basis calling to inquire about an employee’s well-being. We have had individuals return from their military duties with severe Post Traumatic Stress syndrome resulting in performance issues and time away from work for mental rehabilitation. We use a great deal of compassion in our communications without enabling poor work performance. In a sense we have to communicate tolerance with kindness and without spiritual bias, within the legal boundaries in the Human Resources profession. All of these issues in the professional arena involve the defined duties of a Chaplain and in my case, embracing each issue with spiritual consideration.
The Chaplaincy course discusses many situations we all face in our daily interactions so in a sense we are all Chaplains which, perpetuates comfort and contentment. This course was not about the ghosts of organized religion from my past. My journey continues to erode past barriers and erode my ghosts from the past. I will continue on my personal journey as a quasi Chaplain, helping others, in addition to reading sacred texts from many ancient and present teachers. “The common thread running through the lives of God’s many messengers is love, compassion, understanding, commitment and respect for all living creatures”. Arum Ghandi (God Without Religion, by Sankara Saranam)
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Essay on Master of Chaplaincy Studies
I have diligently procrastinated in starting and completing this essay, (for a year now) as I really struggled with the course. Not the content, but embracing the Christian overtones in the material. So how does one write an essay in a positive light when the theme of the course revolves only around Christian doctrine? It’s not that I am against Christianity; it’s just, the beginning of the course describes the importance of a Chaplain being well rounded in all world religious studies. Does “a keeper of the sacred”, have to know all scriptures in the bible to be considered a Chaplain? Does one have to embrace God as a separate entity from the human soul to wear the title of Chaplain? Reading the supplemental scriptures offered in the course, brought back those old, almost forgotten feelings of dread and ghosts from my past. Religion never satisfied me nor filled me with tranquil contentment. Just the opposite -- it perpetuated fear, guilt and unfounded shame. Written and practiced dogma lost its vibrancy when I was in my early 20’s and I began searching for my own personal truth -- my personal call to God -- a journey that has taken me to the current period in my life where I have enrolled in a Seminary program. During this past year of procrastination, I took a journey to past memories of attending an organized religion, thinking about the course, and wondering how I was going to approach my essay. Finally, the light bulb began to blink. In spit of my stubbornness, I had the realization that the highlights in this Chaplaincy course are already a huge part of what I do every day. I don’t have the title of Chaplain, but in my role as a parent of children with many health issues and my role as a Human Resources professional, I realize I am already engaged in the defined roles of a Chaplain as discussed in the lessons of the Chaplaincy course.
I am the mother of 3 beautiful adult children. My two daughters have blessed me with 3 granddaughters. All have beautiful souls and are quite free spirited and independent. My 2 daughters and 3 granddaughters have health issues that perpetuate a great deal of concern in our family and the need to reach out to our universal God source for comfort, and hope. (My son however is quite healthy. We all joke about the girls winning the “genetic reject” lottery). I find myself in the roll of the quasi Chaplain who must be available at a moment’s notice, to assist; to comfort; to be at hospital bed-sides; to pray with them; to offer them guidance; to cry with them; and to actively listen with empathy and compassion and to perform REIKI. The title of “parent” goes much deeper than our culture defines. All parents fill the roll of a “Chaplain” through each phase we experience with our children. It is an on-going title expressed in the indescribable love that we have for our children.
Another realization that came to me is the on-going Chaplaincy roll I preserve as a Human Resources professional. I continually have to build relationships, maintaining confidentiality regarding the issues encountered with my co-workers. With 440 employees in the company, there will inevitably be divorces, deaths, illnesses, and military personnel who have returned from Afghanistan, Iraq, or Pakistan. In addition, as in any community, we have diverse personalities, a mixture of religious or political backgrounds, and a variety of belief systems all which cause issues that fall in the hands of the Human Resources Department. We respect confidentiality, we encourage trust, and we advocate availability to listen and support. This includes understanding the 5 step process for grief that not only includes death but divorce. We deal with horrific illnesses and spend time on a weekly basis calling to inquire about an employee’s well-being. We have had individuals return from their military duties with severe Post Traumatic Stress syndrome resulting in performance issues and time away from work for mental rehabilitation. We use a great deal of compassion in our communications without enabling poor work performance. In a sense we have to communicate tolerance with kindness and without spiritual bias, within the legal boundaries in the Human Resources profession. All of these issues in the professional arena involve the defined duties of a Chaplain and in my case, embracing each issue with spiritual consideration.
The Chaplaincy course discusses many situations we all face in our daily interactions so in a sense we are all Chaplains which, perpetuates comfort and contentment. This course was not about the ghosts of organized religion from my past. My journey continues to erode past barriers and erode my ghosts from the past. I will continue on my personal journey as a quasi Chaplain, helping others, in addition to reading sacred texts from many ancient and present teachers. “The common thread running through the lives of God’s many messengers is love, compassion, understanding, commitment and respect for all living creatures”. Arum Ghandi (God Without Religion, by Sankara Saranam)
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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have various classes in Christianity, one on Wicca, along with several Pagan courses, more than a few courses about Metaphysics with more being added regularly.
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