1) Peterson provided the launch pad for my doctoral dissertation on spiritual formation. Please post any general comments or questions related to Peterson's text. One of my favorite sections is, "The Assumptions of Subversives" (pp. 34-37). Who is your favorite spy, detective, or anarchist that you utilize in developing your leadership style? [My detective is Columbo, he fumbles around dealing with "I got this problem, could you help me figure it out? I attempt to distract and through people/students out of their norm/rut to possibly embrace another world/perspective/kingdom in our lives & ministry.] I guess the detective that I most identify with is Nancy Drew. Nancy was a junior detective. I enjoyed reading her books when I was in middle school. I liked the fact that she was brave, intelligent, and perceptive. She never seemed to go looking for a case; cases seemed to come to her! This really is similar to my call to ministry. I never went in pursuit of ministry; I really tried to avoid it. When my avoidance tactics failed, I had no other choice but to embrace my calling. The Lord has been preparing me for some form of ministry by dropping people into my life who seem to need encouragement, discipleship, restoration, healing, etc. and I, like Nancy, am wondering what to do next. I am being forced to rely on God to help me, help others. It is a very scary proposition but I know that I am not in this alone.

2) Curing souls connects to the movement (fad?) of Christian counseling toward spiritual direction rather than only psychological/social methodology & skills. What happens when you can't fix a problem/person/program? I am not a pastor but if I am presented with a situation that is “beyond the scope of my expertise” I will refer the person to a reliable Christian who has been trained in that area. I have been faced with that situation and I prayed with that person, encouraged them to talk with their pastor, and offered them a referral to a Christian counselor that I know. I believe in divine healing. One of my favorite images is that of Jesus as the Great Physician. I believe that He can and will heal through a variety of means both natural and supernatural.

3) What does being "unbusy'', subversive, & apocalyptic mean to you as a Christian leader. Being unbusy means taking time for proper self-care, spending quality time with family and friends, and spending time personal prayer and Scripture reading. I work full-time, take a full course load, am an associate minister for a pastor who lives out of town, and I have a temporarily disabled husband, and a five and fifteen year olds. I am always pressed for time, so I have to make time for all of this because it is not just what I do, but who I am. I have had to become more organized and wake up earlier so that I can get my devotional time in. Since the birth of my son (age 5), there is never a quiet moment in my home between the hours of 5am-8pm, so I wake up at 4am so that I can have my quiet time with the Lord. It is so peaceful and relaxing at that time of the morning. I thought that I would miss the sleep but I have found that it really helps reduce my stress level; this is my unbusy time. Subversive, means ruffling feathers, moving outside of the comfort zones, and not maintaining the status quo! I guess I am subversive in some ways. I have always fought for the underdog. I have a real compassion for those on the fringes of society. I have worked in ministries to homosexuals, the homeless, and the drug addicted. If this is not subversive, I do not know what is! These ministries are all outside of my home church. I have come up against a lot of resistance from those who do not truly see the value of such ministries. Some, in my tradition, would call my attending seminary subversive! I believe that God needs more men and women who will follow Jesus’ example of subversion. I am not sure about the term apocalyptic. I understand the idea of apocalyptic literature so I will take a guess and make an assumption about that term. Apocalyptic in terms of ministry might mean having a sense of urgency in ministry. I believe this means actively working to advance the Kingdom of God with the knowledge that the kingdom is “already but not yet.” This is the knowledge that God needs ministers who will actively prepare men and women for kingdom work. Peterson says that being an apocalyptic pastor means prayer, poetry, and patience. I believe that in order to be an effective minister or even an effective witness for Christ, prayer must be central component. This type of prayer not only encompasses petitions but also silence before the Lord. Peterson writes, “Prayer is the most thoroughly present act we have as humans, and the most energetic: it sockets the immediate past into the immediate future and makes a flexible, living joint of them” (1993, 43-44). Being a poet, according to Peterson, means using the spoken word for communion rather than communication, in an attempt to heal the broken and wounded (1993, 46). Finally, patience is necessary for the apocalyptic minister. We need to exercise patience and learn to wait on the Lord. We must come to terms with the fact that we may not understand all of the whys and the hows but we know that God is sovereign and He is in control.