Beware low expectations—you just might feel foolish for having them.
Last Monday I began my spring semester with a five-day short course studying and practicing a system of governance called "Dynamic Governance" or "sociocracy." I've had quite a bit of first-hand experience in it since April 2012, so I really only took the class to get 3 credit hours out of the way. In fact, I expected to be doing more explaining to peers than learning anything new.
All that to say, I entered the week expecting to be bored.
I came out of it with gifts from God, a new desire to follow up some career leads, and excitement about summer opportunities.
I have two years left in seminary and no desire to make ministry my paycheck. So I need some guidance, and God, being God's paradoxical Self, simultaneously gave me just that while not speaking to me at all. I'll save the details, but God basically gave me a gift that I opened to find empty—which was exactly what I needed. By not giving me anything, God gave me rest, guidance, and told me that I was trusted (metaphorically, to fill the empty container; literally, to make a choice).
And that's where it begins: God tells me that I am trusted, that I am trustworthy, empowered to choose. Which beings me to some choices to make.
First, I have desired to speak to some local experts in journalism about places to begin discerning whether I want to write for a career or not. And due to a serendipitous e-mail, I had dinner with one of those people on Friday! I came out with sage advice, encouragement to practice copy editing or find a freelance niche, and an established freelance writer to use as a resource.
Can I say how encouraged I am by that? I've already signed up as a peer reviewer for ACU's Graduate School Journal and would love to try my hand as a General Editor next year. Plus, if I had a dream for writing at all, it would be to have the freedom to travel, to find the stories I desired, and have someone pay me for them—freelance journalism at its finest. Of course, that takes a lot of networking and other work on the front end. So I have to choose whether or not to start that work now.
Now, remember that class by which I expected to be so bored? Turns out even those low expectations became a smothering ruin under the fire of my own excitement.
Learning about this governance system, this style of (communal) leadership I might say, caused the old, dust-covered shelves of my Leadership Development and Theory undergrad education to begin to creak and groan. I've been inspired, perhaps in the biblical sense even, to investigate those old niches of learning, the old papers and notes, because I intend to use this as part of my Field Education component this summer. One idea for a vocational that I have had is to be a sort of bridge-builder or mediator within a network of faith-based organizations and house churches, and learning about this type of governance has made that very idea seem possible.
Now here's the poetical portion: I started this blog solely because it was required for a LD&T class on volunteer (nonprofit) leadership; I intend to spend part of my summer in Los Angeles volunteering, observing, and researching a faith-based nonprofit there.
It's like I'm going in circles... and I think I like circles! *shudder at the thought I might actually like NASCAR*
I would do this volunteer/observation time at HomeBoy Industries, a nonprofit that has services including a bakery, a diner, a coffee shop, embroidery, a farmer's market, legal and education services, and they seek to employ former convicts, school dropouts, and unemployed persons. It seems they seek to heal the social wounds that trap many people in poor, gang-controlled environments. It seems they also seek to heal the wounds keeping people from knowing God.
Holistic healing.
Holistic empowerment.
Holistic liberation.
Yeah, I could definitely be a part of that.
Now I just have to choose to make the necessary phone calls.
You've been too good to me this week, God. Too good.
It certainly has been a full week.
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