Notes from the minister
We would be better than we are, but …. we are not sure that we really want to be better
than we are. There is so much reassurance in the comfort of our lives; so much confidence
has been built up in us in the familiar roles and familiar style of our lives. If under the
aegis of your spirit our lives were changed, we are afraid of what might become of us.
— Howard Thurman
I was amused and encouraged to read about a recent study that purports to demonstrate that our
personalities improve with age. I hope that’s true. I think most of us want to live according to our
values. Most of us want to be our best selves.
I recently returned from the last of a series of workshops entitled “The Soul of Leadership,” a program that combined spiritual practices with leadership theory and practice. Ten participants and
two facilitators met four times over the last 18 months, once in October and once in April. We applied our understanding of adaptive leadership and different models of personal and organizational change. We shared stories and situations from our personal and professional lives. We spoke
and listened, we prayed and were silent, we wrote, we sang, we took walks, and we had fun together.
At the last workshop we were encouraged to develop a personal Rule of Life – a way to help us
“be better than we are,” and to see our spiritual practices as supports on that way. I was reminded
of our adult credo service, as I tried to articulate for myself the key values that guide me, and then
to see my spiritual practices as a means to help me live those values more fully and faithfully.
We found a perhaps unlikely source of inspiration in medieval monastic traditions, and especially
in modern adaptations of the Rule of St. Benedict. The phrase conversatio morum is part of Benedict’s rule. Conversatio morum is translated and interpreted in many ways, including “way of life,”
“conversion of life,” “conversion of self.” My favorite interpretation is “dedication of self to
change,” which I rephrase as “dedication to continuing to learn and grow and become one’s best
self.”
It was a bit of a daunting task, drafting a personal Rule. I was inspired by conversatio morum to try
to live with more focused intention to be my best self, being grateful for my gifts, honoring my values, and being open to change. I was reminded that spiritual practice is a servant of a Rule of Life,
not an end in it itself.
And I was grateful. As I am grateful to be here, as your minister.
TO CONTACT THE MINISTER: Please email or call for an appointment Mondays, Tuesdays, or Thursdays. [email protected]; 584-1390 x202 (office); 727-8497 (home – before 9 pm for non-emergencies)
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