Friday, February 16, 2007

Future revgal?

A revgal, for those who are not in the know (as I wasn't a week ago), is a woman who has a vocation in the ministry. From the blogs I've seen, these vocations can range from minister to Catholic sister.
Well, much as I hate to admit it, I'm discerning that very vocation, myself. Minister of some kind, that is. I like preachers, and have no objection to women in the ministry--I just never thought I'd be one of them. In fact, I proclaimed vehemently to my parents when my sister went to seminary that I. Was. --NOT-- called to the ministry. I was going to teach college English. And I may yet. I don't know.
I talked to my pastor about it, after having the Lord poke me several times with various things, including a posting for a scholarship specifically for women over 35 who are considering a second career. I don't know if that would exactly fit me, since I never got my first career off the ground--I've just been working at the same place for 14 years.
A week ago, I went to a conference on church growth, and in looking for some feedback on that conference, ran into a blog by a woman pastor in this area. I left a comment on her blog, she left a comment here, I e-mailed her, and she said I could join the revgal ring if I wanted to. Sometimes, the Lord's sense of humor is downright mean.
There are things that don't excite me about pastoral ministry. I don't know that I could sit with parishoners at the deathbed of a loved one. Hospitals depress me and make me nervous. I admire those souls who are hospital chaplains. They are true angels of mercy.
I feel like I'm too blunt and opinionated to be very diplomatic with some difficult people. It's generally acknowledged in my family that if you don't want to know what I think, don't ask me, because I will absolutely tell you. Perhaps not in the terms I would have told you 20 years ago, but clearly and with emphasis. My dear hubby is the same way.
There are other aspects of my personality I don't feel are very compatible with pastoral ministry. I just don't know exactly what else the Lord might have in mind for me. Sometimes, I do wish His habit was to send me a note in the mailbox! E-mail, maybe? IM? It would help.
On cold days like today, it would be nice to have an appointment to the Tahiti Conference. No luck there, either.
So, I pray, I discern, I go to work in the media jungle every day. Just a-waitin' on the Lord.

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