Well, the 1st Round of the 2011 US Open at Congressional Country Club is in the books and all I can say is “WOW!!” This experience continues to get better and better. After the three practice rounds, dad and I developed a strategy for watching the tournament. The plan today, which was carried out with great precision, was to go and park ourselves in the grandstands behind 12 green. This was a perfect spot because from the grandstands at 12 green you can see all of 12th green, 13th tee and 13th green (it’s a par 3) and you can see the 14th tee. Plus you could see some of the 11th fairway and 11th green. It was a great spot to see great golf and the way the tee times are set up (they start groups off both 1st tee and 10th tee) we did not have to wait long to see golf.
Once we started watching golf at 7:00AM, we stayed in that place and watched all but 3 groups come through. That is over 11 hours of golf! It was a lot of golf and a lot of sitting but I wouldn’t trade it for anything to be honest. I get to hang out with my dad (which, as he would definitely confirm, would be cool enough on it’s own) AND watch one of my favorite sports to play being played by the best in the world on the most beautiful and toughest course on the planet. I’d say that is pretty tough to beat. We saw some great golf, we saw some not so great golf. We saw great shows (chip ins from the bunkers) and not so great shots (struggling to get it out of the bunkers). All of it added up to a great day.
The attire that the golfers were wearing today was also interesting to point out. Most golfers wore understated clothing but then you had golfers like Davis Love III and his florescent pink pants and Bubba Watson with his camouflage pants. These golfers definitely drew attention to themselves but fortunately their game lived up to it too.
That is all I have for right now. There is so much to say that I can’t do in about 20 posts. The thing is though; there will be even more to tell in the next three day.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
US Open Report #1
Well we’ve made it! This morning my dad and I rolled into Bathesda, MD to spend the next week attending the 111th US Open golf tournament at Congressional Country Club! My dad and I have only been planning this trip for the last 5 years so it is safe to say that he and I are more than excited about this coming week. In fact, I can even go as far as saying we are downright gitty. The journey started yesterday (June 12) when I took off from Cedar Lake after church and drove to Syracuse where I transferred my belongings to my parents’ car and started east toward Maryland. We drove for 6 hours or so and stayed overnight in a hotel in Mt. Pleasant, PA. First thing this morning, June 13, we headed out for the final leg of our journey to Maryland. We arrived at Herb and Joyce’s (our gracious hosts for the week) around 11:30AM. We picked up our ticket badges (which were like opening an entire room of Christmas presents on Christmas Day) and other necessary materials and we were at the gates of Congressional Country Club by noon. Herb took us to “the Club” and showed us around and took us into the clubhouse for lunch. Let me tell you something, the course was amazing and this clubhouse was incredible. It was a beautiful building and the course was in immaculate condition. I wish I could have just gone up and walked on a green just once but those greens are in fragile condition and don't need anymore foot traffic than they already had.
After lunch dad and I began our adventure investigating the course. There were not a lot of high profile golfers but there were a few (Padraig Harrington, Zach Johnson, Angel Cabrera, Dustin Johnson, David Toms, etc.) that we followed around for a little bit. Mostly, we wondered around the front nine of Congressional in awe that we were actually here, but we did chart some places that we want to watch a lot of golf action throughout the week and we found the practice tees and practice greens. I also bought a US Open hat (which is not a surprise to those that know me) and got some ideas for other things I want to get to remember this event.
Overall, it was a successful day and we are both pretty tired. But there is no rest for the golf nuts that we are. We will be back up and on the course to watch more practice tomorrow morning at 7:15. I will be blogging more of my experiences tomorrow evening and also look for pictures that I plan to post tomorrow night on my Facebook page. Stay tuned!
After lunch dad and I began our adventure investigating the course. There were not a lot of high profile golfers but there were a few (Padraig Harrington, Zach Johnson, Angel Cabrera, Dustin Johnson, David Toms, etc.) that we followed around for a little bit. Mostly, we wondered around the front nine of Congressional in awe that we were actually here, but we did chart some places that we want to watch a lot of golf action throughout the week and we found the practice tees and practice greens. I also bought a US Open hat (which is not a surprise to those that know me) and got some ideas for other things I want to get to remember this event.
Overall, it was a successful day and we are both pretty tired. But there is no rest for the golf nuts that we are. We will be back up and on the course to watch more practice tomorrow morning at 7:15. I will be blogging more of my experiences tomorrow evening and also look for pictures that I plan to post tomorrow night on my Facebook page. Stay tuned!
Friday, June 3, 2011
Ministry of Presence
Well, I now have two weeks of CPE under my belt and I must admit, it has been a fascinating experience. I am still adjusting and learning how to handle my newest classmates that come from far different life experiences and denominational history than I do. I am learning, as I am sure they are, to work together as a group, but I am confident that we will do just fine as a group.
Within my first two weeks of being a “chaplain intern,” working rounds and responding to various issues and emergencies, I have had many experiences and conversations that have been profound, deep, and I can already tell, the transformation of Chris, the seminary student/student pastor, is rapidly taking place. When I say transformation, I mean that these experiences are continually developing me into a better pastor, better leader, and most importantly, a better person. The most profound and life-changing experience I have had so far was recently when I was in the room when a patient died. I must admit, this was a profound and intense experience. I have never been in the same room when a person dies. I have officiated funerals and I have been to funerals so I have seen deceased people but to be there in the room, to see the raw (but surprisingly controlled) emotions of the family as this person passed away and to see the body lying there, not made up, not embalmed, not in a casket was truly a surreal experience to say the least. I had great compassion for the family and truly felt a deep sadness as the family grieved and began making plans.
For the first time in my young pastoral career, I truly practiced a “ministry of presence” to the family. If you would have walked into that room you would have found me standing in the corner with a tissue box, trying to blend into the wallpaper as best I could. There was nothing I could have said to the family to ease their pain. I knew that and I am pretty sure they knew that too. I did pray with the family when they asked, but to be quite honest, that was basically the extent of my speaking. I listened when someone spoke, handed out tissues to those that were in need of one, and provided a shoulder to cry on. So I was there, didn’t say much and honestly I don’t remember saying anything of real substance (outside of the prayer… maybe…) but the family expressed deep appreciation when they left and I was left feeling that ministry had happened and that God was truly there with us, even in the midst of death. I did, though, want to say, “I didn’t do anything,” but the more I thought about it, the more I felt God telling me, “yes, you did more than you will ever know.” For that, I am thankful and I am comforted.
While I was in the room and in the midst of the situation, I felt good. I was not as freaked out as I thought I would be. I was able to care for the family in a way that they needed and overall I felt my ministry to them, looking back, was successful. When I left the room, I felt myself coming down from an adrenaline kick. It was hard for me to focus the rest of the evening. I made a couple more visits that evening but then I just had to retreat back to the “night room” and call it a night. That event affected me more than I gave it credit for earlier in the evening. I had witness a person died right in front of me. I distressed by reading and watching my typical late night comedy shows (The Daily Show and The Colbert Report). The majority of my evening devotion/prayer centered on this event and then I struggled to get to sleep. The next morning I was able to “debrief” about my experience with my supervisor, which helped greatly. Once I was able to talk to my supervisor about it, I was able to realize my feelings about it and I was able to move on from it (but I will never forget it). The rest of my shift was uneventful and for that I was extremely thankful.
Does this death make me dread CPE? Absolutely not. In fact, I appreciate CPE and chaplaincy even more with this experience. This experience has taught me valuable lessons on the fragility of life, the importance of family, and the sanctity of life at the final stages. This experience also has given me an even greater appreciation for hospital chaplains and funeral home directors who face life in the face of death every day. I don’t think I will ever do chaplaincy as a full time ministry opportunity but this experience and the other experiences I have had are invaluable to my continued growth and development as a pastor.
The coming weeks are going to get adventurous for me. Stay tuned as I report from different places like Bloomington, Indianapolis, Muncie, and Bathesda, MD in the coming weeks.
Within my first two weeks of being a “chaplain intern,” working rounds and responding to various issues and emergencies, I have had many experiences and conversations that have been profound, deep, and I can already tell, the transformation of Chris, the seminary student/student pastor, is rapidly taking place. When I say transformation, I mean that these experiences are continually developing me into a better pastor, better leader, and most importantly, a better person. The most profound and life-changing experience I have had so far was recently when I was in the room when a patient died. I must admit, this was a profound and intense experience. I have never been in the same room when a person dies. I have officiated funerals and I have been to funerals so I have seen deceased people but to be there in the room, to see the raw (but surprisingly controlled) emotions of the family as this person passed away and to see the body lying there, not made up, not embalmed, not in a casket was truly a surreal experience to say the least. I had great compassion for the family and truly felt a deep sadness as the family grieved and began making plans.
For the first time in my young pastoral career, I truly practiced a “ministry of presence” to the family. If you would have walked into that room you would have found me standing in the corner with a tissue box, trying to blend into the wallpaper as best I could. There was nothing I could have said to the family to ease their pain. I knew that and I am pretty sure they knew that too. I did pray with the family when they asked, but to be quite honest, that was basically the extent of my speaking. I listened when someone spoke, handed out tissues to those that were in need of one, and provided a shoulder to cry on. So I was there, didn’t say much and honestly I don’t remember saying anything of real substance (outside of the prayer… maybe…) but the family expressed deep appreciation when they left and I was left feeling that ministry had happened and that God was truly there with us, even in the midst of death. I did, though, want to say, “I didn’t do anything,” but the more I thought about it, the more I felt God telling me, “yes, you did more than you will ever know.” For that, I am thankful and I am comforted.
While I was in the room and in the midst of the situation, I felt good. I was not as freaked out as I thought I would be. I was able to care for the family in a way that they needed and overall I felt my ministry to them, looking back, was successful. When I left the room, I felt myself coming down from an adrenaline kick. It was hard for me to focus the rest of the evening. I made a couple more visits that evening but then I just had to retreat back to the “night room” and call it a night. That event affected me more than I gave it credit for earlier in the evening. I had witness a person died right in front of me. I distressed by reading and watching my typical late night comedy shows (The Daily Show and The Colbert Report). The majority of my evening devotion/prayer centered on this event and then I struggled to get to sleep. The next morning I was able to “debrief” about my experience with my supervisor, which helped greatly. Once I was able to talk to my supervisor about it, I was able to realize my feelings about it and I was able to move on from it (but I will never forget it). The rest of my shift was uneventful and for that I was extremely thankful.
Does this death make me dread CPE? Absolutely not. In fact, I appreciate CPE and chaplaincy even more with this experience. This experience has taught me valuable lessons on the fragility of life, the importance of family, and the sanctity of life at the final stages. This experience also has given me an even greater appreciation for hospital chaplains and funeral home directors who face life in the face of death every day. I don’t think I will ever do chaplaincy as a full time ministry opportunity but this experience and the other experiences I have had are invaluable to my continued growth and development as a pastor.
The coming weeks are going to get adventurous for me. Stay tuned as I report from different places like Bloomington, Indianapolis, Muncie, and Bathesda, MD in the coming weeks.
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