The Making of a Pastor/Chaplain: Faith Development as Revealed through the Author's Own Story and Journey of Faith

"CAUTION This book may introduce you to the stark realities of a modern-day pilgrim who seeks the fuller life at the feet of Jesus. No pat answers. No attempt to resolve the mysterious interface between God's will and his willingness to let us muddle through the mess of life. The author tells the simple but engaging story of her struggles, aspirations, frustrations, and satisfaction of walking with Jesus the best that she could. Don't be annoyed at her humanity¯accept it as a humble gift and insight into your own experience. Barb brings us fascinating insights into the different stages of her faith's development and a challenge to reflect upon our own. Certainly good food for great thoughts! Rev. Stephen W. Chaloner, B.Th M.T.S. Regional Director PAOC Africa ----------------------------------------------------------- As I read through this book I kept thinking that this evolution should be read and even studied as a reflection, which is necessary for a person entering the ministry. As Wilson shares her life, family, and ministry events and memories, she has taken the opportunity to openly expose her experiences centered against the backdrop of the seven life stages of recurrent development (1) in the context of her Faith walk. The transparency is refreshing, when in my reading, I found that generally speaking, clergies have a hard time sharing openly their life experiences. Wilson, in her book, encourages pastors, ministers, and clergies to come clean as we live and preach and teach in our respective contexts. By the “storytelling” of her life and faith development, she has given the reader a glimpse of her faith and relationship with Jesus Christ and how this relates to family, friends, community, and ministry interaction with other people; thus, allowing the reader to face life with hope. I would recommend anyone entering a ministry in any context to read this book in order to gain an appreciation of what shapes a ministry and some ways of processing our lived experiences, and forgiving ourselves for our sins and shortcomings. Thank you, Barbara, for giving us your readers, insights from a distance in the “Making of a Pastor/Chaplain” (1) Robert Kegan, “The Evolving Self, Problem and Process in Human Development.” Phillip J. Robillard, Minister of “Faith Community” in downtown Toronto, Ontario. ----------------------------------------------------------- Sometimes, we may take the events of our lives for granted; and, we may be lulled into leaving well enough alone, even though deep down we have a sense that something is missing or not quite right. At other times, we may thirst for a greater depth of meaning in what we are about. As we examine our lives, we may become more aware of experiences, good or bad, associated with past, present or foreseen events. What we may be less aware of, in the moment, is the part we can play in shaping our personal experience of whatever takes place into a more satisfying life journey. This book illustrates how the author, Barbara Wilson, reflected deeply on pivotal life events which, if left unexamined, would have diminished greatly the personal meaning she was able to harvest in her journey through life. She believed in and exercised her inner capacity to move beyond the erstwhile story line of the world into which she was born, by re-visioning and re-shaping experienced events into a living story with satisfactory space both for personal meaning-making and for enabling her to live her preferred values. Her candid reflection on events in her life, many of them painful, others full of joy, as well as her insightful evaluations of these stepping stones and her courageous choices for new directions will inspire and motivate many to take a second look at how they, too, can answer for themselves the pivotal questions: Am I satisfied with my life experience? Who do I want to be now? Who do I want to become? How do I reshap"