February 07, 2012
This weekend five of us from Hollywood attended a conference in
Seattle put on by Volunteers Exploring Vocation. While it a was a short
retreat, the time was spent doing some serious reflection and discussion
on what vocation means and how to discern vocation.
Before the conference, I simply associated the word vocation with a
career path. I expected to attend this conference and learn about
different ministerial and social justice vocations. Instead, we
discussed vocation in a way that I never considered. Vocation is more
than just a career; it’s your lifestyle. Throughout the weekend, the
definition of vocation revolved around this central theme: where your
greatest desire and the world’s great need meet.
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Site Coordinator
Young Adult Volunteer Program
Presbyterian Church (USA)
December 05, 2011
I want to add my voice among all of this Black Friday Holiday Gifts In Yo Face Must Have Deals Grouponcopious Ticking Time Bomb You Can’t Afford This Except for Today O M G Why Do We Do This Every Year Extreme Makeover Madness.
Gift-giving is great. Giving gifts that are meaningful is also great. But let’s be honest. If I were to tell you that instead of buying you something this year, I donated money to a charitable organization on your behalf, would we still be friends this time next year? Now you’re just envious of some Mongolian family who has a water buffalo that you could’ve used… or re-gifted to a co-worker. So instead of creating a spirit of covetousness, let’s meet in the middle...
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Volunteers Exploring Vocation Coordinator
October 25, 2011
I attended the funeral of Marion Zwicker. She was 80 years old. She
and her husband, Otte, and their 55-year-old son, Kurt are special
people. At one time, they were my parishioners and model church members
in terms of attitude, service, and support. You could also say they were
change agents, people who made things happen.
With four others, they started up an educational center for
developmentally disabled adults. Years later, the founded a jobs center
for the same population. They did what needed to be done to make sure
their son, Kurt, had the service he needed to have a full life as a
disabled adult.
Kurt was perhaps the most valuable member of our parish...
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Intern for Volunteers Exploring Vocation
May 24, 2011
What does freedom look like? I am a wind lover. As a child I loved
running barefooted in the wind and climbing a certain tree with my best
friend where we could feel the wind more intensely. We would compete to
see who could climb the highest and then we would stay awhile longer,
waiting for the wind to sway the branches back and forth. I don't have
quite as much freedom to do these things anymore but I continue to value
the wind and as I have come to see her as a metaphor for the Holy
Spirit, I learn to feel her presence in other areas of life.
Feeling her movement in the first event I attended with Volunteers
Exploring Vocation surprised and excited me. The few days I spent with
VEV participants in Atlanta were the best days of my year in service. I
was suddenly surrounded with other young adults asking many of the same
questions as I was.
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Site Coordinator
Young Adult Volunteer Program
Presbyterian Church (USA)
March 18, 2011
My Lenten discipline is far from original. In fact, I stole the idea
after hearing it from someone last November. BUT I will venture forth
and commit for the next 40 days to… writing a letter to the people in my
life for whom I am thankful for and have been meaning to keep in touch
with, but for many, many lame excuses have let the pages of the daily
Far Side calendar get torn and tossed in the trash before I’ve had a
chance to say, “Hello, again.”
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Associate Director of Lasallian Volunteers
February 16, 2011
The middle of the service year is a time for service programs to take
time and evaluate what could done better or in new ways to support our
volunteers. Volunteers have entered programs to serve those entrusted to
their care and enter into relationship with them – whether they are
children, adults, families or communities. Serving those in need,
volunteers face the daily realities of being worn down. Consistently
giving of oneself leads to a need for physical and spiritual renewal.
For a number of years, Volunteers Exploring Vocations (VEV) and its
member programs have been working together to provide that renewal for
our volunteers. On January 30th and February 1st...
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This post has multiple authors, please see post content for details...
December 06, 2010
by Garret Philbin, Jenn Tyndall, Joleen Wagner, and Alex Downes-Borowski
Discernment is like trying to put together a matching outfit when you’re
colorblind. You know that you need a top and that you need a bottom
but you have more than one option for each and trying to find a
combination that works, without the ability to recognize color, could
take some time. Physical and human resources become important as you
identify the appropriate apparel that will work for you. When it comes
to discernment, going it alone without the ability to identify the
unknown may not provide you with the best outcome. Long-term service has
the potential to offer the physical and human resources that can guide
you to your call. As a Lasallian Volunteer (LV),
you are given...
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