May the encounter of the Incarnation bring you blessed transition from death to life and blessed future.

Steve

A typical session with Steve is held once each month and lasts for 50-60 minutes.  Everything that transpires in a session is absolutely confidential.  The session begins with a brief check-in time which means that the director and the directee just share general life news.  Then, the director will call for a time of silence to transition into the process.  The director will close the silence with a prayer of invocation.

The agenda for the conversation and direction is set by the directee.  Topics can literally be on any subject.  The time is spent in discerning the presence of God and in listening to God’s call in the midst of it all.  it is important that the directee feel safe at all times.

In reality, the Pivot Point Transition Model moves into effect through the spiritual direction process.  Steve, as spiritual director, journeys with the directee through the transition process always seeking the presence and voice of God.

Sessions can take place face to face or through SKYPE.  Steve will do spiritual direction on the phone only with those that he knows.  For Steve, the visual connection is very important.

The typical fee for spiritual direction is $60.00 per session but no one is ever turned away because of money.  You may contact Steve for an appointment at steve@pivotpointministries.org.

The cost for each workshop is $25.00 payable at the beginning of the workshop.

Each session will include a presentation by people knowledgeable and experienced in the field followed by followed by a panel discussion and then table discussion groups that will offer opportunity for participants to share their stories and support one another. The workshop is designed to bring information but to also allow participants to apply it to their own context.

The sessions will follow these topics:

February 6:      “I have WHAT?”

This session would focus upon an overview of dementia.  What it is, the stages, how it functions, how it is diagnosed.  The session will also explore the role of the caregiver.

February 13:            Has God Taken A Vacation?

Where is God in dementia?  Is God present for the one with dementia?  Is God present with family and loved ones?  How do we phrase the questions around the issue of spirituality and memory loss?  Does one need to cognitively be aware of God for God to act?

February 20:    Spiritual Care:  Walking the Journey of Dementia

This session will relate the “stages” of faith formation to the stages of dementia.  What are possible ways to develop and maintain spiritual care as the disease progresses.

The event is sponsored by Christos Center for Spiritual Formation and is co-sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association, Chandler Place Assisted Living, St. Anthony Health Center and Pivot Point Ministries.

Further information is availabe from Janet Palmer, janet@christoscenter.org  or 651-653-8207

Most humans will default to complacency and seek the lowest common denominator in an attempt to get by.  Sure, this sounds pessimistic but in reality, as sinner/saints, we are both motivated and unmotivated.  Like it or not the default mode tends to be complacency and, if we are comfortable we tend to stay there.  This default mode is called inertia and describes when a body at rest stays at rest.

Advent is a season that confronts complacency.   One of the prayers for each Sunday in Advent begins with “stir up, O Lord and come.”  The prayer itself challenges our complacency and calls upon God to act in us in ways that will be transformative.  As God answers this prayer to stir up, our lives are stirred from complacency into a time of restlessness which offers the opportunity to move into change.   During this season of Advent we pray that God would stir us up so that we might see ourselves as the sinful creatures that we are and that we would be stirred up to see God present in each moment of our lives.  To “stir up” is to expose, lead, shape and form.  In John 5: 2-9 we read that the waters of the pool of Bethzatha (NRSV) are only healing when they are stirred up!

The stirring up process at first may look and feel like chaos.  To “stir up” feels like the process will lead to clutter as things swirl around.    The stirring up process confronts one right at the heart of life.  The incarnation of Christ stirs up our existence and confronts our reality.  When the Messiah smashes into ones life….change happens.

Advent applied to the Pivot Point Model gives a picture of how this season of the church year can lead to change and transition.

THE PERIOD OF RESTLESSNESS comes in the prayer to God to “stir up” and is actualized as one spends time in the Word of God.  To pray the Scriptures (lectio divina)  provides opportunity for the Word of God to stir up one’s life and to be shaped and formed as the Holy Spirit works through the Word.  Advent discipline leads to additional time in the Word and then reflecting upon God’s call that comes through the Word.

During Advent, spend time in a devotional or in Scripture reading.  Spend time in prayer and sitting  before God.

THE PIVOT POINT happens as the Word of God confronts the complacency of life.  The Word of God changes one’s life.  Paul writes that we are to be “transformed by the renewing of your minds.” (Romans 12: 2, NRSV)  When one spends time before the Word of God, praying the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit causes the Pivot Point that forces one to action.  The action is to either choose complacency OR to create a movement to transformation.  THE PIVOT POINT forces the question to move or to stay? To move is to let go of the past and move to the future.

THE TIME OF ALIGNMENT comes as the Holy Spirit calls one to walk the talk.  The Pivot Point has been the call to action and now one comes to peace with this call and feels at one with it so that there is peace where one has been called.  In Romans, Paul states that the period of alignment will lead us to a point “that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.”  (Romans 12: 2, NRSV)When one discerns the direction and will of God, one comes to peace with the change that is about to happen.

THE MOVE INTO MISSION is a movement to action.  This is the point of authenticity when who we say we are becomes evident in what we do.  This is where our world turns upside down and a new way of life comes forward.

As I look at this process in my own life, I continue to have a restlessness about a life that reflects simplicity.  Over the past ten years God has called me to continually simplify and I have continued to do so.  I get to a point where I feel that I have “arrived” but in prayer God says to keep going.  So the PERIOD OF RESTLESSNESS for me right now is to look at my life to see how else I might continue to simplify.  How do I sharpen my focus on what God is calling me to do and how do I get rid of all that keeps me from finding that focus?  I continue to be in prayer and I continue to look at my life and my schedule and my belongings to discern what should be kept and what should be given away.  Through this process I have become better at not adding things (which for me is a real growth), but, still I wonder what should go.

The PIVOT POINT’s have come over the past ten years and I have taken action and moved into new mission, but, now I wait for the next PIVOT POINT to bring me clarity.  As part of this process I have set aside extra time in Advent to be present in the Word and in devotion.  Along with this, I am answering what I believe to be a call from God to immerse myself in studying the Sermon on the Mount and Matthew 25.  I am exploring the Word but also looking in church history to see the role these documents played in the lives of Christians in the first three century.  It is my prayer as I do this, that the Holy Spirit will hit me with the PIVOT POINT that will launch me into deeper mission.

In some respects I continue to find this stage of the process to be very scary because it really means relinquishing all control.  I am not good at this.  I pray to trust that God leads in what is good, but, I jokingly say (and really not as a joke) that I am committed to flush toilets and don’t want a call to places that don’t have them.  This statement is both a real fear and a metaphorical fear.  I really don’t want to give up what makes me comfortable and yet I know I am being called deeper into caring for the needs of others.

What I have learned in this process over the years is that I cannot control it.  In the past I have wanted to guide it, rush it, poke it and make it happen.  What I continue to learn is that God works in God’s own time and is usually encouraging me to wait patiently.  This truly is a process of sitting patiently before God seeking the discernment to know what is good and right in the will of God in the context of my own call.

Christos Center for Spiritual Formation, in partnership with the Minnesota Alzheimer’s Association, Chandler Place/St. Anthony Health Center, and Pivot Point Ministries will offer a three part series on Spirituality and Memory Care on February 6, 13 and 20, 2012 atChandler PlaceAssisted Living,3701 Chandler Blvd,St.AnthonyVillage, MN.

The three part series will include presentations with panel responders that include individuals and families impacted by memory loss. There will also be table discussion groups that will offer opportunity for participants to share their stories and offer support to one another.

This event is designed to support those in early to middle stage dementia, families, caregivers, clergy and all who are interested on supporting spiritual care for those impacted by memory loss.

Dr. Steve Arnold leading a session at the Lutherhostel retreat.

“ON PATHS UNTRODDEN” A PIVOT POINT RETREAT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Northwoods Adventure Lutherhostel at Heartwood

What an incredible experience to join with a group of people over 50 in order to explore life and the future under the theme, “On Paths Untrodden.” The week together offered time in the Scriptures, time for prayer, time for conversation and sharing and time for fun. The Lutherhostel was sponsored by the Adult Lutherans Organized for Action (ALOA), a pan-Lutheran organization supporting the life and ministry of adult Lutherans.

The theme, “On Paths Untrodden” led participants through a reflection and celebration of the past and then led participants to look at the future. The emphasis was one’s calling at a new chapter of life.

If you are interested in hosting this topic at your church or for a group of churches, contact Steve Arnold, steve@pivotpointministries.org.

BOOK REVIEW: NECESSARY ENDINGS

Necessary Endings: The Employees, Businesses, and Relationships That All of Us Have to Give Up in Order to Move Forward

Author: Dr. Henry Cloud

Publisher: Harper Collins

Date: 2011

The title of the first chapter carries forth what I believe to be the theme of the

book, “Endings: The Good Cannot Begin Until the Bad Ends.” The metaphor of

gardening and pruning is used to lay forth the premise that change and transition take

place only when we are ready to let go of those things holding us back. In fact,

Cloud would argue that failure to prune leads to stunted growth and even death.

Cloud discusses how to analyze when the need for pruning exists and how to discern

that which is diseased and that which is healthy. I personally found chapter 7 (The

Wise, the Foolish, and the Evil: Identifying Which Kinds of People Deserve Your Trust)

to be absolutely profound. This chapter opened up for me an understanding of many of

my life events. I found the chapter to be both therapeutic and challenging.

If anyone is interested in joining in a blog discussion of this book, let me know, and I will

get it set up. THIS IS A BOOK TO TALK ABOUT.

There are times in my life where the lemons seem to overwhelm. I want to make lemonade, but just can’t seem to find the sugar, or, I don’t have any. The trouble is that this phrase places the whole burden on me and fails to take into account the power of God to work in the midst of my situation.

In the change and transition process, there is a period of restlessness, and sometimes it can feel like dozens of lemons are pouring into one’s life. These lemons are high in acid and can be flavorful, but, feel damaging. Sometimes one just sits with the lemons and cannot move.  Sometimes the flavor of life is such that the taste of lemon is so strong that one is paralyzed and cannot function. Sometimes, I don’t even have the strength to add sugar.

Sometimes running out of sugar can be a good thing. The change and transition process would even offer the thought that change WILL NOT happen until one has run out of sugar. Sometimes sugar can be a distraction that keeps us from dealing with the lemons. In other words, we can “sugar coat” an issue and fail to deal with what is before us. Sugar is not a nutrient and, in fact, burns up rather quickly. It tastes good, but is hardly essential. When one “sugar coats” the issues one just plain ignores them until a PIVOT POINT occurs, and, running out of sugar can provide just such a PIVOT POINT.

Running out of sugar, or the inability to add sugar, FORCES us to deal with the issue at hand and may serve as the PIVOT POINT that causes change to happen. When there is no more sugar, it is time to face the reality of the change before us. When there is no more sugar, it is time to realistically look at the situation to determine where the change can happen. Once the PIVOT POINT has occurred it is very difficult, if not impossible, to go back. The best one can do is certainly not to stall and live in limbo.

The realization about the lack of sugar is called by some authors “a point of hopelessness.” When nothing else is available to cover up the sour experiences of life, the individual faces the reality before her and recognizes that there are no more options, except some very difficult decisions if she is to live in integrity.  It becomes time to make some hard choices and to strive to bring day to day life into alignment with one’s mission and vision for life.

In the transitional process, the role of the coach or spiritual director is to help the individual listen to the call of God and to clarify the nature of the issues, followed by the exploration of realistic options.

So, in summary:

• life brings “lemons” causing restlessness and distress;

• one can “sugar coat” the situation and avoid making hard choices but eventually the hard choices must be confronted if one is to live authentically;

• when the “sugar” runs dry, the individual must look at the basic core of the issue set before and begin to come to strong awareness;

• when the issues are laid before the person, it is time to assess the implications and consequences based upon one’s personal mission and vision statement;

• when these things have been done, it is then time to sit with a spiritual director in order to listen to the word of the Lord in prayer and in the quiet.

May God bless you in the transitions of life.

The time will be a time to be safe to share stories, to listen with the heart of God, to explore options but more than anything to be safe in the arms of God.  The next meeting of the group will take place at the St. Paul Monestery, Mapleweeod, MN at the Benedictine Center.  The group will meet from 7-9 p.m.  Refreshments will be served.   A free will offering will be received as a gift to the monastery.

The retreat facilitator is Dr. Steve Arnold, Chaplain, St. Anthony Care Center.

Click herefor more about the group: The Impact of Dementia – A Conversation about Faith ]]> http://www.pivotpointministries.org/2011/10/dementia-support-group/feed/ 0 http://www.pivotpointministries.org/2011/09/pat-robertson-says-divorcing-a-spouse-with-alzheimers-is-justifiable-%e2%80%93-is-it/ http://www.pivotpointministries.org/2011/09/pat-robertson-says-divorcing-a-spouse-with-alzheimers-is-justifiable-%e2%80%93-is-it/#comments Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:43:48 +0000 Steve Arnold http://www.pivotpointministries.org/?p=1537 Pat Robertson has an incredible ability to “step where it smells” (as they say in some parts of the country), and, he has done it once again (see article link below*).  Robertson has taken the position that someone with a spouse diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease should divorce the spouse and move on.  I have been asked to comment on his statements and so I thought I would share a few thoughts.

“Pat Robertson: Divorcing a spouse with Alzheimer’s is justifiable: Asked about marriage vows to stay together ’til death do us part,’ he says: ‘This is a kind of death’.” <Continue reading>

First, I think that Pat Robertson raises an important and difficult issue for discussion.  He is not the first one to speak of this.  Barry Peterson wrote the book, Jan’s Story: Love lost to the long goodbye of Alzheimer’s, and describes his choice to enter into a partnered relationship while still being married to Jan, who was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s Disease.  It is an uncomfortable book in many ways but Peterson pleads that he not be judged until one has walked in his shoes.  Peterson, however, did not divorce Jan and still takes care of her.  Therein lies the difference between Peterson and Robertson.

The Church and culture need to discuss this issue.  For me, the discussion raised by Robertson and Peterson has raised the very difficult issue of what exactly is death?  Is death only physical?  Both Peterson and Robertson would argue that in every way, except physical, Jan is dead.  Is it adultery to enter into a partnered relationship while one’s spouse declines into the darkness of Alzheimer’s Disease?  I believe that we need to explore the phrase “until death do us part” and discuss its application to Alzheimer’s Disease.

Alzheimer’s Disease is very difficult for everyone impacted.  Our culture has developed the practice of marginalizing the population affected by Alzheimer’s Disease because it is so uncomfortable to watch.  Jesus comes for the marginalized. We must begin to have the discussions in a reasonable, rational and prayerful way.The trouble with divorce, in this situation, is health care.  If one abandons one’s Alzheimer’s Diseased spouse through divorce, health care is lost and the person becomes the custodian of the state.  This action also raises moral issues.  We all need to pray and talk.

So, on September 21, 2011 — WEAR PURPLE — to raise consciousness about Alzheimer’s Disease and if you live in the Twin Cities join us for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Saturday, September 24.

Each year, the Alzheimer’s Association Minnesota-North Dakota plans several special events to support the Association’s programs and services, and also receives donations generated by friends of the Association who hold events to benefit the Association.

Visit here for more information about the event.

*Source: MSNBC.com