The Celtic Monk

I've spent the past few weeks reading and researching burnout in people who minister to others. While most of the research focused on ordained clergy, anyone in ministry, anyone whose livelihood puts them at the service of others, fit the criteria and the potential for living focused outside of themselves. After a while, that's what causes the deep tiredness that makes us wonder if we really want to continue or if we might be ready to throw in the towel. One of the significant causes of burnout for people in helping professions is called "Vision Conflict." That's a really fancy phrase that simply means: what I see and desire is not what you see and desire. The result is tension and stress; the perpetual kind like the little pebble in your shoe. Another cause is "Compassion Fatigue." Compassion fatigue happens when we keep helping others even when we are no longer able to help ourself. While it works for a while, maybe, sooner or later we become so...

There’s a program running on my computer called “Progress Thru Processors.” It silently, usually invisibly runs in the background. It runs all the time. If my computer has been idle for a while the program comes up as a screen saver—to show me just what its doing. It’s easy to sign up for the opportunity to allow this program to run on a computer anytime its not in use. I was able to pick from a list of worthwhile agencies all needing processor time to do huge studies requiring millions of hours of computer time. It would not be feasible, or cost effective, for them to buy all the computers it would take…so they simply ask folks to ‘lend’ them time on their personal computers. To date, these silent programs have logged over 5,000 hours of processor time on my computer alone. It’s mind-boggling. Three different agencies use my processor while I’m not using it. Rosetta@ home is studying proteins & their affect on disease like Alzheimer’s and HIV. Climateprediction.net is...

On Saturday I walked into Health Park Hospital with Grandson Isaac and Granddaughter Lauren to see their new brother Liam Thomas, born at 8:30 on Friday night. He was only 14 hours old when we arrived for our sibling visit. We exited the elevator on the birthing floor and of course turned left when we should have turned right. A passing physician pointed us in the right direction. New big sister Lauren, in her best "Type A - extrovert" fashion said to the doctor: "We're going to see my brother Liam Thomas, we love him." The physician, who likely has heard a lot of sibling bravado, instantly got the biggest smile on his face. As he looked up from her prouncement I said, "Yes, we love him and we haven't even met him yet." While big sister's spontaneous declaration of love was precious there was more to come. It seems there are responsibilities that accompany such an outpouring of love like being the first to hold her little brother. When all...