Integrity

This is a five+ page “Integrity in the Ministry” paper that interacts with Peterson, my other research, appropriate Bbiblical texts, and other resources such as Dangerous Calling by Tripp. I will focus especially on areas where I have identified weaknesses. You will see it is like one of our readings, I “will not say, write, affirm, or distribute anything that distorts the truth.”

In his Praying by the Book chapter II Peterson mentioned Hebrews 4: 12-13 which states “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” I agree The Word can cause division in today’s world. Jesus can be controversial depending on the setting.

He also mentioned Revelation 1: 16 “In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun [a]shining in its strength.”. This can refer to the words of Christ having an impact in our lives. I shared this with an 11 September planner at his request at the Federal prison in Florence, CO.

Peterson wrote, “If we had kept our mouths shut we would not have involved ourselves in such a relentlessly fearsome exposure.” I am learning the importance of sometimes keeping my thoughts to myself. I am more introverted than I was when I was younger.

He wrote in his Prayer Time chapter III “The Deuteronomy reason for Sabbath-keeping is that our ancestors in Egypt went four hundred years without a vacation (Duet 5:15)” which is “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to observe the sabbath day.”

I take days off when I can, but I have not had a non-work-related vacation in years. I went to Israel this summer for two weeks, but it was a part of a mission trip. I tend to go to conferences which help me recharge. In the summer I tend to go to the mountains or lakes when I can on my days off.

Peterson wrote in his Practicing Spiritual Direction Chapter IX “For a start, I can cultivate an attitude of awe.” I try to worship God daily since I stand in awe of Him. Spiritual direction is becoming popular in the Vineyard, , but you know I am working on counseling.

He wrote, “Second, I can cultivate an awareness of my ignorance.” One benefit of being involved in two Doctor of Ministry Programs (Denver and Erskine Seminaries) is learning how much I do not know about Marriage and Family Counseling, etc.

“Third, I can cultivate a predisposition to prayer.” I pray every morning before I get up, before I drive, and throughout the day as I can, and I try to pray for the world before I go to bed.

I have several weaknesses on which I will elaborate. Patience – I am impressed with our Complex Warden who listened twice as long to an inmate’s complaints that I would have. I can learn from him. Some of the counseling sessions I give are more than an hour.

Working in an interfaith situation - It is challenging helping fifteen religions. I have written before if I must cross spiritual boundaries I will quit. This is like a question asked in our reading “Am I communicating the truth of my message”?

Dealing with injustice - Executives being overly strict at the Federal prison, not being able to graduate from Denver Seminary, and the Army Reserve not reimbursing more than five hundred dollars for travel are some examples of injustices with which I have had to deal.

Inefficiency – My previous supervisor did not have as much prison experience as I. My peer is currently my acting supervisor. He made a 2023 religious events calendar which had many mistakes we had to correct. He sometimes forgets the plans for our complex.

Incompetent leaders – Our medium-security warden moved the minimum-security Outdoor Worship Area to slanted land. I warned him during our big rainstorms it may move. He did the same at the medium and when he left it was moved back. Recently he had a questionable lockdown due to rumors versus physical actions at our high-security prison, which is still open. I realize he is trying to keep us safe, but the inmates suffer.

Nieuwhof wrote about burnout. I have gone through this a couple of times. I set limits and boundaries now and rest on my days off so prayerfully it will not happen again. Some things I need to think about are because I am single with no kids, is my life all about me or Jesus? This reminds me of a song, “It’s all about Jesus” by Scott Underwood about this.