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Messages from the Pastor

Questioning

3/17/2022

 
Rev. Judith Cooke
More times than I can count, I have had conversations with four year-olds where their entire half of the exchange was the word “why.”
          It’s time to eat.  Why?
          So you won’t be hungry.  Why?
          So your body is healthy.  Why?
          And on and on it goes.

While I used to think that these were pointless conversations, I now see the importance of asking questions that make us think deeper.

Over the past two years, I was sent by the Southern New England UCC Conference to be trained as a clergy coach. Last month, I was officially accredited PCC (Professional Certified Coach) through the International Coaching Foundation. Coaching is both a philosophy and an approach, in which the client works on goals to create their future. It differs from counseling, which looks back to address issues affecting the client now; coaching begins with the client’s “now” and focuses on how they want to move forward.

One of the key components of coaching is asking questions that get the client to think deeper, and often what sounds like a simple question involves complex reflection. Jesus was the master of these kinds of questions: Who do you say that I am? Do you want to get well? What is truth? Why did you doubt? Do you love me? In your own spiritual journey, I invite you to reflect on the depth of these simple yet complex questions that Christ asked, and think what answers you would give.

May through July 2022, I will be away on Sabbatical, and part of what I will be doing with that time involves clergy coaching. The coach training I was offered has been a great gift, and I am excited to be able to work with people who endeavoring to move forward in positive ways. 

 

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