Friday, June 5, 2009

Fantasy Life


1. Move to island community a couple of hours and a ferryboat ride away.

2. Pastor small church there. Host occasional island retreats of a day or a few. Write.

3. Come into the city for two or three days a week to do part-time chaplaincy at Giant Famous Hospital and some spiritual direction, maybe teach a college class as an adjunct, see my friends and go to dinner or the orchestra or the art museum (not all in the same weeek!).

Needs met: Solitude. Quiet. Church. Migratory birds. Kayak. Intensity of hospital on a reduced-time basis. Just enough big city culture and companionship.

Gifts offered: Worship leadership, preaching, teaching, congregational and hospital pastoral care, spiritual direction, writing.

Questions: Is there even a church of any kind on one of those islands? Would GFH take me on as a part-time chaplain? Would anyone be interested in publishing my writing?

In between me and there: Summer Hebrew. One last year of seminary. One year CPE residency. Debt. The garage that's falling down.

Just some thoughts, inspired by
today's Friday Five.

8 comments:

Carol said...

Sounds like a wonderful plan to me. And yes, some of those churches do exist. But I think they're somewhat seasonal.

My dream has always been to have a small apartment in Manhattan to which I could "retreat" every couple of months for a culture, food, and shopping fest.

Karen said...

After reading your blogs yesterday, I am truly surprised the publishers aren't begging and pleading at your feet for everything you have. I think in God's time your fantasies, or at least some of them, will come true. You have a gift to give the world, for sure. I am so glad I found you.

Mike Farley said...

Sounds wonderful! I get the strange feeling that a lot of this is a real description of what God's actually calling you to... you may look back in a few years' time and be astonished at how much of it has come true!

~Noelle said...

San Juan Islands, WA? Ferry is about an hour and a half outside of Seattle and it is a beautiful location. Always one of my dream destinations.

Elaine (aka...Purple) said...

Maybe there are two such islands...

Kathryn J said...

I have been there. It is beautiful. Is it possible to live in a place like that as a minister?

Terri said...

I think all of this is possible.

Lisa :-] said...

For a fantasy life, this looks immensely do-able to me. My fantasy life looks a lot more like...fantasy.