Chaplain in need of some help...

[33girl]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

Hee hee hee...glad you said it! I remember the first time I saw a "Catholic" bible. I was like, "What book is this?!"

Not to mention the "lost" books of Thomas, Mary Magdalene etc.

See if you can get a good basic poetry anthology (this is one I like a lot) and just look through it and see what you can find. Not only can you find things that are inspirational, it can make you think. It's always fun to read a quote and have everyone think it's from the Bible, and it turns out to be Robert Frost instead.

[kddani]

Our chaplain even occasionally used Jack Handy quotes.

There's a lot of inspirational things out there that aren't religion based.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

The first thought I had was to wonder whether ADPi has any resources for chaplains.

I would look into this, as well. I know that our Chaplains have a book from which they can read if they don't wish to find something on their own. See if ADPi has a resource that can be distributed to all of the chapters for the Chaplain. Sometimes, over the years, things get lost in the mix. Perhaps there is a resource available to you through HQ, but your chapter hasn't ordered it, not knowing that there was even something like that out there.

[LucyKKG]

I'm not sure how this office functions in ADPi, but I held an office in Kappa that included a similar job. In addition to inspirational quotes, sometimes I read part of our ritual or a quote specifically about Kappa. The Kappa-specific quotes were usually from famous Kappas, I guess.

[RaggedyAnn]

We sometimes used Chicken Soup for the Soul.

[RU OX Alum]

I never used a bible verse the entire time I was Chaplain. No, the job is not to pick out christian things.

[ADPiTigergurl]

Originally Posted by RU OX Alum

I never used a bible verse the entire time I was Chaplain. No, the job is not to pick out christian things.

I realize that is not the whole job...but it is part of it as described in the description of chaplain

[Zillini]

Originally Posted by ADPiTigergurl

I realize that is not the whole job...but it is part of it as described in the description of chaplain

Actually I suggest you re-read your job description in the COB. The position of Chaplain is defined as "encouraging spiritual growth of members". Spiritual growth is not limited to only Christian beliefs.

[ADPiTigergurl]

Ok guys thanks so much and mystic cat thanks for the history lesson...

[ADPiTigergurl]

Ok guys sorry but I think there may have been a little confusion the quotes I have used actually have not been Biblical at all. I've used three all about sisterhood: I've used 2 sets of Bible verses (yes Ive only held this position for 5 weeks). SO actually there have been more "non Christian" quotes, I promise they all dealt with sisterhood...and were in no way scripture based off of any holy book. When I said inspirational i simply meant not the casual ones like "from the inside looking out you cant explain it, from the outside looking in you can't understand."

Here are the quotes I have used:

They're the people you can share your secrets with, cry with, laugh with, and just be yourself with. They don't judge you or make you change. They accept you exactly as you are. They look at you and they see a great person, one they love spending time with. You all share something in common and are tied together by memories, tears, laughs & smiles. You're tied together by love for the other. Sisterhood is the greatest thing in the world. I find my time with my sisters the best times of my life. My sisters are my heart, my soul, my fun, my laughter, my tears, my love and my life" ~ Unknown

"They are the family we choose to surround us, the sisters bound by love instead of blood. They know when we are lonely, and appear without being called. When we feel lost, they provide a living map to what comes next; when we doubt everything about ourselves, they remind us who we are." ~ Barbara Alpert

Sisterhood is the essence of all the wisdom of the ages, distilled into a single word. You cannot see sisterhood, neither can you hear it nor taste it. But you can feel it a hundred times a day. It is a pat on the back, a smile of encouragement. It's someone to share with, to celebrate your achievements." ~ Anonymous

[SydneyK]

Have you thought about buying a book that leads the reader through a specified growth process, then taking something from each topic to your weekly meetings?

For instance, there's a book called One Day My Soul Just Opened Up: 40 Days and 40 Nights Toward Spiritual Strength and Personal Growth. That book would give you 40 different "lessons" to pull from. (I'm not necessarily suggesting this book in particular. I enjoyed it personally, but it's definitely geared toward individual growth. Still, you'd likely be able to apply some of the lessons to the sisterhood.)

My chapter's chaplain relied heavily on scripture, but that was years ago and that approach probably wouldn't fly too well these days. It's hard for me to think of a non-religious chaplain lesson: This was the best I could do!

[33girl]

If half of what you've used has been non-Biblical, then I think your advisors are being a little hypersensitive. I mean, Jews may not believe Jesus was the Messiah, but that doesn't mean they don't think he was a basically good dude.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by 33girl

If half of what you've used has been non-Biblical, then I think your advisors are being a little hypersensitive. I mean, Jews may not believe Jesus was the Messiah, but that doesn't mean they don't think he was a basically good dude.

"Jesus was a good man, but he was not the son of God."
"'Jews for Jesus' are not real Jews."

Those are my favorite "Jewish family quotes."

[phimusam]

If you read something particularly inspirational, you can even stop at the end and say, "Let's think about this for a minute." It give those who pray a chance to pray and everyone a chance to think.

[Senusret I]

I loosely identify myself as a Quaker and I have found wonderful quotes over the years which are nondenominational and introspective.