Passing fancy & lifelong commitment
31/01/16 05:08
Recently I was thinking of the many interests I have pursued for a short while that were interesting, but that somehow didn’t become lifelong passions.
I can remember thinking a lot about fishing during the late winter and early spring. Fishing opener was often Mother’s Day weekend and I would spend a lot of time at the local fly shops selecting the few flies that I could afford. Perhaps there would be a new reel or rod that caught my eye. Over the years I’ve invested a few dollars in fishing equipment, but there have been many years in my life when I haven’t even bothered to purchase a fishing license. I like to eat fish. I enjoy going to the lake. Somehow the passion for fishing just isn’t as strong these days as it was when I was a kid.
I was quite obsessed with flying airplanes when I was growing up. I began taking flying lessons as soon as I could, soloed when I was 16 and got my private pilot’s license when I was 17. For a while I assumed that flying would be my career. But I stopped flying completely while I was in college and graduate school. The combination of time, interest and financial resources put that passion on the back burner. I returned to flying in the first two parishes I served, owned an airplane in partnership with others, and flew my family on a few vacations and other trips. When the math didn’t work out - I simply wasn’t earning enough money to fly often enough to maintain my standards for safety - I stopped flying. I kept my membership in the Experimental Aircraft Association and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association for at least a decade after I quit flying, but these days I doubt that I will ever fly as pilot in command again.
I grew up in a family that hunted for food. Fall was a time of regular trips to the mountains in search of antelope, deer, elk and other game. We were pretty good at keeping the freezer stocked with food. In high school I practiced regularly at the rifle range and participated in several shooting competitions. It never became a lifelong passion for me, however. I haven’t gone hunting for food even once since I completed my high school education. I’m not opposed to hunting, I just haven’t found it to be something in which i invest my time.
Photography is something that comes and goes in my life. When I was in seminary, I studied with a renowned photographer and purchased a quality camera and lenses. I’ve owned many different cameras over the years. There was a time, when our children were in their teenage years, when I was pretty much limited to point and shoot cameras. Once again I have managed to obtain a very good SLR camera and a few good lenses and I enjoy photography when I have time for it. I find, however, that there are weeks when I will take almost no pictures. My camera sits in its case without being exercised.
I’ve tried my hand at poetry and painting, but never developed significant skills in those arts. I never was committed enough to master skills at drawing. There are many other things that I thought I might do that somehow I’ve never really done.
Along the way there have been interests and pursuits that have been constant. I’m an avid reader and have been so since I first learned to read. I’ve always surrounded myself with books and enjoy reading immensely. I read a lot for work. My style of preaching is dependent upon reading the insights and reflections of others on a regular basis. I do much of my research online these days and through my alma mater, I have access to an excellent database of academic theology and Biblical research. Still, my office is filled with books and you can often find me reading there. Then, when I get home, I read for recreation almost constantly. Most of the time there are multiple books on the headboard of my bead and a couple of others lying near the most comfortable chairs in our home. I post reviews of books I read on the website, but most of the time I’m several months behind in my reviews. Many of the books I read never get reviewed. I just go on to the next book.
My passion for the church was no passing fancy. I became very interested in the church in my teenage years through camp and other church activities. I had the opportunity to preach while I was still in high school and I served as a licensed minister during college. I completed multiple internships during seminary and have been passionate about my vocation since my first days in the local parish. There are some things about the calling that challenge me and some that are not as much fun as others. But I can’t imagine a better life for myself than serving the church. I enjoy preparation for worship, especially writing prayers and liturgy. I enjoy leading worship. I enjoy visiting with families. I enjoy the wide variety of activities involved in doing my job.
Marriage and family are lifelong passions for me. From the time I proposed, I have never not wanted to be married. It is simply the right way for me to live. And the joy of being a father is something that sticks with me. I am as excited to talk to our son over the computer today as I was to meet him when he was born. He continues to amaze and surprise me. I am as in love with our daughter right now as I was the first time I held her. My friends know that I firmly believe that there is no down side to being a grandfather. I can’t imagine any of life’s gifts that is greater than family.
Life has given me both passing fancy and deep commitment. Both have added to the quality of my life. As I look forward to the years that remain I am delighted to know that I am still capable of developing new interests and passions. I am also overjoyed that some things will remain constant.
I can remember thinking a lot about fishing during the late winter and early spring. Fishing opener was often Mother’s Day weekend and I would spend a lot of time at the local fly shops selecting the few flies that I could afford. Perhaps there would be a new reel or rod that caught my eye. Over the years I’ve invested a few dollars in fishing equipment, but there have been many years in my life when I haven’t even bothered to purchase a fishing license. I like to eat fish. I enjoy going to the lake. Somehow the passion for fishing just isn’t as strong these days as it was when I was a kid.
I was quite obsessed with flying airplanes when I was growing up. I began taking flying lessons as soon as I could, soloed when I was 16 and got my private pilot’s license when I was 17. For a while I assumed that flying would be my career. But I stopped flying completely while I was in college and graduate school. The combination of time, interest and financial resources put that passion on the back burner. I returned to flying in the first two parishes I served, owned an airplane in partnership with others, and flew my family on a few vacations and other trips. When the math didn’t work out - I simply wasn’t earning enough money to fly often enough to maintain my standards for safety - I stopped flying. I kept my membership in the Experimental Aircraft Association and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association for at least a decade after I quit flying, but these days I doubt that I will ever fly as pilot in command again.
I grew up in a family that hunted for food. Fall was a time of regular trips to the mountains in search of antelope, deer, elk and other game. We were pretty good at keeping the freezer stocked with food. In high school I practiced regularly at the rifle range and participated in several shooting competitions. It never became a lifelong passion for me, however. I haven’t gone hunting for food even once since I completed my high school education. I’m not opposed to hunting, I just haven’t found it to be something in which i invest my time.
Photography is something that comes and goes in my life. When I was in seminary, I studied with a renowned photographer and purchased a quality camera and lenses. I’ve owned many different cameras over the years. There was a time, when our children were in their teenage years, when I was pretty much limited to point and shoot cameras. Once again I have managed to obtain a very good SLR camera and a few good lenses and I enjoy photography when I have time for it. I find, however, that there are weeks when I will take almost no pictures. My camera sits in its case without being exercised.
I’ve tried my hand at poetry and painting, but never developed significant skills in those arts. I never was committed enough to master skills at drawing. There are many other things that I thought I might do that somehow I’ve never really done.
Along the way there have been interests and pursuits that have been constant. I’m an avid reader and have been so since I first learned to read. I’ve always surrounded myself with books and enjoy reading immensely. I read a lot for work. My style of preaching is dependent upon reading the insights and reflections of others on a regular basis. I do much of my research online these days and through my alma mater, I have access to an excellent database of academic theology and Biblical research. Still, my office is filled with books and you can often find me reading there. Then, when I get home, I read for recreation almost constantly. Most of the time there are multiple books on the headboard of my bead and a couple of others lying near the most comfortable chairs in our home. I post reviews of books I read on the website, but most of the time I’m several months behind in my reviews. Many of the books I read never get reviewed. I just go on to the next book.
My passion for the church was no passing fancy. I became very interested in the church in my teenage years through camp and other church activities. I had the opportunity to preach while I was still in high school and I served as a licensed minister during college. I completed multiple internships during seminary and have been passionate about my vocation since my first days in the local parish. There are some things about the calling that challenge me and some that are not as much fun as others. But I can’t imagine a better life for myself than serving the church. I enjoy preparation for worship, especially writing prayers and liturgy. I enjoy leading worship. I enjoy visiting with families. I enjoy the wide variety of activities involved in doing my job.
Marriage and family are lifelong passions for me. From the time I proposed, I have never not wanted to be married. It is simply the right way for me to live. And the joy of being a father is something that sticks with me. I am as excited to talk to our son over the computer today as I was to meet him when he was born. He continues to amaze and surprise me. I am as in love with our daughter right now as I was the first time I held her. My friends know that I firmly believe that there is no down side to being a grandfather. I can’t imagine any of life’s gifts that is greater than family.
Life has given me both passing fancy and deep commitment. Both have added to the quality of my life. As I look forward to the years that remain I am delighted to know that I am still capable of developing new interests and passions. I am also overjoyed that some things will remain constant.