Friends for the Journey

Reflection: Change is Hard. Here's Hoping for the Future

Change happens during the course of our lives. Regardless of the form in which change appears along our road, there’s a certain time of upheaval followed (we hope) by a growing sense of comforting familiarity. Change is afoot in the world of the Ministering to Ministers Foundation! A new home, a renewed commitment, a renewing sense of a purpose in the world, all of this begins to unfold for Ministering to Ministers in the halls of the Center for Lifelong Learning in Columbia Theological Seminary. And there is some change unfolding for Kathrin Gabriel-Jones, too!  A new podcast, which is introduced in this episode. Thank you for being a Friend for the Journey! Some links to share: To learn more about the Center for Lifelong Learning at Columbia Theological Seminary, please click here [https://www.ctsnet.edu/tag/center-for-lifelong-learning/]. The Here’s Hoping: Conversations with Kathrin [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/heres-hoping-conversations-with-kathrin/id1554700559] podcast is available on most podcast platforms.  Be sure to subscribe to learn what’s happening next! Kathrin Gabriel-Jones is proud to continue developing and hosting this Friends for the Journey podcast. To contact Kathrin, you are welcome to send her a note here [https://www.gabrieljonescoaching.com/contact-kathrin]. Many thanks to Ministering to Ministers, who produce and support this podcast.  Please check out the resources available through this fantastic foundation: Ministering to Ministers [https://ministeringtoministers.org/] Ministering to Ministers Wellness Retreats [https://ministeringtoministers.org/attend-a-retreat/] Ministering to Ministers Resources: Forced Termination [https://ministeringtoministers.org/category/forced-termination/] Ministering to Ministers: The Problem [https://ministeringtoministers.org/category/the-problem/] Ministering to Ministers Resources: Books [https://ministeringtoministers.org/books/] Music for this episode has been legally purchased from AudioJungle. License available upon request

Reflection: On Being A Friend for the Journey

If we’re lucky, we discover some friendly people along the path, some friends for our journey.  Having those friends can provide a sense of calm to our waters, and we can experience the still deep waters of our lives settling into something familiar, something we begin to trust. Yet, even with our luck of having friends, we all experience upheaval in our lives, when those still, deep waters of our lives are broken by unexpected change, leaving us in the choppy waves of that wake left by change. Some links to share: Kathrin Gabriel-Jones is proud to continue developing and hosting this Friends for the Journey podcast. To contact Kathrin, you are welcome to send her a note here [https://www.gabrieljonescoaching.com/contact-kathrin]. Many thanks to Ministering to Ministers, who produce and support this podcast.  Please check out the resources available through this fantastic foundation: Ministering to Ministers [https://ministeringtoministers.org/] Ministering to Ministers Wellness Retreats [https://ministeringtoministers.org/attend-a-retreat/] Ministering to Ministers Resources: Forced Termination [https://ministeringtoministers.org/category/forced-termination/] Ministering to Ministers: The Problem [https://ministeringtoministers.org/category/the-problem/] Ministering to Ministers Resources: Books [https://ministeringtoministers.org/books/] Music for this episode has been legally purchased from AudioJungle. License available upon request

One Retrospective of Friends for the Journey

2020 surprised the world, taking everyone completely off guard.  The entire world became plunged into the wake of unexpected transition and upheaval. As 2021 dawned across the world, the upheaval of the pandemic continues.  Yet the world, our world that still swims upstream against the upheaval of the pandemic and the unknown, remains united in confusion and the unknown. Throughout each of the conversations with Friends for the Journey, we’ve explored a lot of different aspects of how, after the unexpected transition, we can continue moving through our lives and into our future. So, the Friends for the Journey will begin weaving these threads of wisdom together over the next months, crafting a network of friends to hold us as we move into this new future together. Today, we take threads from Dr. Rev. Skip Irby, Dr. Roberta Damon, and Pastor AbbyLynn Haskell.  Happy Weaving, friend. Some links to share: Kathrin Gabriel-Jones has been proud to develop and host this Friends for the Journey podcast. To contact Kathrin, you are welcome to send her a note here [https://www.gabrieljonescoaching.com/contact-kathrin]. Links to the full episodes can be found below: Pastor Skip Irby: Grief, Fatigue, and Pandemic [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1363012/5525242] Roberta Damon: Warming Ourselves at the Hearth of Hope [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1363012/5899255] AbbyLynn Haskell: Hope Changes [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1363012/5525236] Many thanks to Ministering to Ministers, who produce and support this podcast.  Please check out the resources available through this fantastic foundation: Ministering to Ministers [https://ministeringtoministers.org/] Ministering to Ministers Wellness Retreats [https://ministeringtoministers.org/attend-a-retreat/] Ministering to Ministers Resources: Forced Termination [https://ministeringtoministers.org/category/forced-termination/] Ministering to Ministers: The Problem [https://ministeringtoministers.org/category/the-problem/] Ministering to Ministers Resources: Books [https://ministeringtoministers.org/books/] Music for this episode has been legally purchased from AudioJungle. License available upon request

Reflection: When the Wind Blows...Step by Step

When unexpected change overtakes us, it’s sometimes difficult to tell what’s up and what’s down. After all, when things are happening fast, it’s hard to keep track After the upheaval has ended, we’re left standing in the debris, still wondering how to go on. But you can.  Even if you need to take a beat and take a breath before you take another step. Kathrin shares a gift of wisdom she received from a trusted mentor, which helped her take a beat and take a breath before taking another step. What is some wisdom you’ve received along your journey? Some links to share: Covid-19: Resilient Educator Toolkit [https://resilienteducator.com/covid19/] is dedicated to the support of teachers and educators, students, parents, and families. (last accessed 01/21/2021) “Too Many Pastors Are Falling on Their Own Swords” [https://baptistnews.com/article/too-many-pastors-are-falling-on-their-own-swords/], by Jakob Topper explores the line pastors walk between caring for congregations and sacrificing themselves for congregations (last accessed 1/21/2021) HelpGuide, a nonprofit mental health and wellness website, shares the following article that includes five tips for dealing with anxiety during the Covid-19 pandemic as well as anytime anxiety and uncertainty occur in upheaval: Dealing with Uncertainty During the Coronavirus Pandemic [https://www.helpguide.org/articles/anxiety/dealing-with-uncertainty.htm].  (last accessed 1-21-2021) Many thanks to Ministering to Ministers, who produce and support this podcast.  Please check out the resources available through this fantastic foundation: Ministering to Ministers [https://ministeringtoministers.org/] Ministering to Ministers Wellness Retreats [https://ministeringtoministers.org/attend-a-retreat/] Ministering to Ministers Resources: Forced Termination [https://ministeringtoministers.org/category/forced-termination/] Ministering to Ministers: The Problem [https://ministeringtoministers.org/category/the-problem/] Ministering to Ministers Resources: Books [https://ministeringtoministers.org/books/] Music for this episode has been legally purchased from AudioJungle. License available upon request

Roberta Damon: Gratitude, Generosity, and Hope, Oh My!

Promises made, promises kept: the foundations for friendship and heartfelt conversations.  As promised, Roberta Damon and Kathrin sit down for a meandering dialogue through the forests of thought, feelings, and belief.  Stories are shared, discoveries are made, and they encounter gratitude, generosity, and hope….oh my! Some links to share: Here’s a link to the movie, Pay It Forward [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0223897/] Roberta’s Four Thoughts about Gratitude (and Generosity & Hope, but mainly Gratitude): 1.      Gratitude can help us not be defined by the injustices in our lives.  Don’t let the injustices define us and who we are. 2.      By being Grateful, we become more Generous…. Likewise, by being more Generous, we become more Grateful. 3.    What kind of Person do You want to be? Look around you, Observe how others treat people, and Decide the Person you wish to be in the world. 4.      Gratitude (and Generosity and Hope) can make you more compassionate and selfless. Roberta’s quote about people…The nicest people in the world are in church. Aaaaaand…..The meanest people in the world are in church. Kathrin used the phrase, Lord, protect me from your followers. Did you know there’s a movie called, Lord, Save Us From Your Followers [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1237900/]? Well, there are bumper stickers that say Lord, save me from your followers. Here’s an article titled, “Please Lord, Save Me From Your Followers” [http://www.kubik.org/vcm/stickers.htm] written by Lorelei Nettles, which asks a great question. Kathrin found it challenging to find a biography about Alice L. Humphrey, author, so if you have any information about Alice L Humphrey, please let Kathrin know!  Here is the list of books Roberta mentioned: Angels in Pinafores [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5267955-angels-in-pinafores?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=mJVcLrKXbP&rank=1] Heaven in My Hand [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2117852.Heaven_in_My_Hand?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=E8CfTpNiEs&rank=2] The Lady in Red (a story in the book, Heaven in My Hand) And both Angels in Pinafores [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0804222568/ref=x_gr_w_bb_sin?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_sin-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0804222568&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2] & Heaven in My Hand [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0804223521/ref=x_gr_w_bb_sin?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_sin-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0804223521&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2] are available at Amazon! Edgar Allen Poe The Cask of Amontillado [https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/the_cask_of_amontillado.pdf] (acknowledgment to AmericanEnglish.Englich.Gov) Edgar Allan Poe House [https://www.poemuseum.org/poe-in-richmond] in Richmond Happy Birthday to Pastor Peter James Flamming [https://richmondsftf.wordpress.com/2014/02/03/happy-birthday-dr-flamming/], Pastor Emeritus of First Baptist Church! Pastor Jim Sommerville [https://www.fbcrichmond.org/staff/jim-somerville/] Love Lives On [https://www.loveliveson.com/about-us/] is an online resource center dedicated to educating families in end-of-life issues, including Writing Your Own Epitaph [https://www.loveliveson.com/epitaph/] Roberta’s epitaph: “Y’know, She Left It Better Than She Found It.” &n