“May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable and pleasing to you Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” (A prayer based on Psalm 19:14)*
Dear Fellow Hikers,
I was recently asked to share some of my ministry story with one of the churches that have supported me from the beginning. As I’m preparing my thoughts for the Church Partnerships Committee this week, I’m trying to decide where to start. When I speak in church/faith community settings I usually try to share the above prayer, based on Psalm 19:14. My goal is to set a tone for the message and hopefully for the conversations that will follow. I definitely like to include the invitation to Jesus, my rock and redeemer, to continue with his ongoing walk with me through a community conversation. But mostly I appreciate the fact that this Psalm, and its credited author King David, uses the words acceptable and pleasing, to set the standard for the message. Good words that are solid, clear and practical.*
As far as deciding on the content of the Partnerships message, that process is proving to be a bit more challenging. The reality that my full-time chaplaincy ministry will soon be ending is impacting my options. It’s causing me to spend more time looking back at the work of Public Safety Ministries, rather than forward, which is normally the direction of my conversations with supporting churches. As I started digging around in the archives of my mind and my soul, unpacking some of our experiences, I recalled writing a magazine article, more than a decade ago with that very title. And with that article, is where we will begin today…
“UnPacking”
The Minnesota Police Chief Magazine, Chaplain’s Message – Fall 2013
I love to travel. My favorite mode of travel is in my 2007 Ford F150 pickup (it just hit 150,000 miles on this summer's road trip to South Carolina) towing my 2012 Wolf Pup 16 foot camper. And my favorite part of traveling is the process of packing. I will literally spend weeks in advance of a trip packing and repacking the truck and camper, as well as the various bags, packs, camp boxes, gear containers and the best invention in the world - Rubbermaid storage tubs! My enthusiasm (also described by my travel partners as my compulsion, obsession, infatuation, etc) with packing doesn't end with the exit from our driveway. At most travel stops and at all campsites I'll repack and reorganize our stuff, where it's stored and how it is accessed throughout our journey. Then there is the issue of finding the appropriate space and location for the additional supplies, gear and items we accumulate along the way. I'm not sure if I love to travel as much as I love to pack, but I do love it when the two come together in harmony.
At the end of every journey there comes a time for the inevitable, a time to unpack. Unpacking is probably my least favorite part of traveling. Maybe that's because it signifies the end of the trip, the end of a vacation and the end of an adventure. I usually want to rush through the process, getting my travel companions to grab a load of stuff, haul it into the garage or house and dump it someplace out of the way. However, I am learning that unpacking is a critical component of the packing process. It allows me to assess the stuff that I carry, if and how it was used, if it was stored in the best place and whether or not I need to carry it on future trips.
The same can be said for our spiritual journeys, adventures and travels. How do we best assess the spiritual stuff that we carry in our souls? I think that by unpacking our souls on a regular basis, we can better assess the spiritual burdens that we carry. It gives us a chance to see stuff we have accumulated through the circumstances of our lives and our work. There are many spiritual burdens that we pack into our souls without realizing it. Our jobs bring us in contact with much tragedy and suffering in other peoples lives. Those negative spiritual burdens compound the inevitable personal hardships we face in our own lives. When our souls become full with the negative aspects of life, we often run out of space for the good stuff, and we need to unpack.
So the next question is “How do I unpack my soul?” The answer is quite simple, but often very difficult to do. We need to share our stuff. We can’t just “grab a load of stuff, haul it out and dump it someplace out of the way” as I stated above. We can share our burdens with someone else and share them with God, but most of all we need to share them with ourselves. We need to be aware of the stuff we pack in our souls and how that impacts our spiritual health and fitness. Once we are aware of the burdens we carry, we can repack, getting rid of the bad stuff and loading up on the good. And repacking with a friend and repacking with God make the process all the more enjoyable and considerably more productive. Happy Packing!
Take Care, Pastor Dan.
I originally intended to post this “UnPacking” letter a few weeks ago. But I soon realized that to me, the idea of a spiritual unpacking is more, much more, than a topic of conversation at a church meeting. At this point in time, as I transition from my Adult identity to my Elder identity, unpacking spiritually (as well as physically and mentally) is probably the biggest UnPack/RePack event of my life. Not only am I transitioning from chaplain to retirement, I’m moving on from over four decades of institutional life. A life of being embedded in Government/State institutions and Religious/Church institutions. When I start dumping those packs on the floor and sorting through all the stuff I’ve accumulated, the fact that I’m overwhelmed is an understatement.
Fortunately there’s more light in the stuff than darkness. Also, I have a healthy network of personal support resources… my family, friends, God, and the Carpenter are all right there with me. But also critical in many unpacking events, is having access to quality health care services. I have a pool of Professional, Physical / Mental / Spiritual, Health Care Resources available if and when needed.
That all being said (and I realize it is a lot, but it’s something that is important), over the next several months I’ll be sharing more on my UnPacking/RePacking adventure. I plan to share what I discover as I dig in this time around, again using my article as a guide. I suggest you might do the same with an UnPacking Adventure of your own. And I’d be happy to hear your stories as well!
With Care and Gratitude, Dan… “Just Dan”
Postscript…
Re: *Psalm 19:14… This verse is the foundation of a prayer I often use whenever I’m preparing and sharing faith messages, verbally as well as when in written word.
Re: *solid, clear and practical… Words used in Pastor Ekse’s obituary to describe how he preached God’s word.
Re: Next Up: “Another Letter from James, USMC…” (Friday 04/11/25, S2/L19)