TEAMspinella: September 2007

Saturday, September 22, 2007

TEAMspinella: The test is over

When was the last time I actually took a test I could pass or fail? The best I can figure it was probably 1989.

What made it worse is that this test was a sneaky one. It required me to know "conventional wisdom" and respond to options of relative truth with the same priorities as my dear American professional compatriots in whose world I participate to a lesser extent in more than one way. It did NOT reward out of the box thinking, unlike therapy itself. So I panicked. I sweat. I crammed. I set aside a final jet lagged week to absorb material that was new to me and presented in new ways.

Then after four hours in front of a 15" curved screen displaying test questions in a manner reminiscent of Windows 3.11, I walked away not to know the results for another couple months. If I don't pass, I'll do it all over again, most likely including the 24 hour flights and the jet lag. Humbling. But also encouraging.

Did you know that Rice University students can relate to test pressures? They pr'yd for me. Thank you. My father-in-law said he pr'yd all night--sorry you couldn't sleep, Bob, but thanks. And of course Martha took care of me all week so I could give it my best. Thank you. Laura and Joey pr'yd with me over Skype before they went to bed. And Bob in Taiwan, and so many more. All I can say is that 51 year old test takers apparently need and get a lot more pr'yr than younger folks, because if I had this kind of support when I was younger, I sure wasn't paying attention.

So I hope I passed, but I can live with it because being loved and encouraged is worth more than one more piece of paper or set of initials to tell people who have no better basis for knowing that I meet a minimum standard as a marriage and family therapist. (In case you don't remember, the test is for licensure--actually, in Hawaii, which accepts my existing credentials as qualifying me to take a test and be licensed.)

Meanwhile, I discovered that Colorado may not see its way to even approving me to take this test. Apparently the fine print gives them the discretion to declare my training inadequate if it was not all done in one "qualifying degree." That was not encouraging news as I prepared to take the same test for Hawaii. No one likes to be questioned, much less found wanting. The outcome is still in doubt, but I can only try to present my training to them as thoroughly as possible. Perhaps pr'yr will make a way there, too. No matter, there are many others who have been turned down one place or another for one credential or another, and the same father and master is over us all.

So the tension is slowly being released and I'm in the air heading to see those Rice folks and Bridgepoint BblCh folks, my nephew, and perhaps a few others in Houston--but especially my young adult daughter.

Meanwhile son Robby is in Malaysia on a soccer team trip to play in a tournament there--can you imagine such a thing? If it happens to you, just remember to keep your passport under your control at all times.

And we have something else to anticipate. My sister Carolyn, her husband Brian, and their four kids are mobilizing in Kansas to head to Taipei, Taiwan. Step by step they're uprooting for a family adventure of bold proportions. They'll arrive in Taiwan only 3 days after I return, L'rd willing and we do not die. (That's how James says we should make our plans, a rather good reminder.)

So in the midst of all this, I remain alive, traveling the world, with the hope but not the assurance of another piece of paper thanks to a testing odyssey and grace beyond measure.

Yours from the far side, from Laura anyway, in the one who keeps,

Steve

PS I'll let you know when I hear if I actually passed the test, just in case you still care a couple months from now!

Dr. Steve and Laura Spinella, Sarah, Joey, Robby
Da Yi Street, Lane 29, #18, 2F-1, Taichung 40454, TAIWAN
011.886.4.2236.6145, of 4.2236.1901, fx 4.2236.2109, cell 9.2894.0514
USA: 9685 Otero Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80920, 719.528.1702, cell 719.360.6485
TEAM, PO Box 969, Wheaton, IL 60189, 800.343.3144 <www.teamworld.org>, <www.team.org.tw/spinella>, <www.team.org.tw/ccg>, <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TEAMspinella/>,
<spinella@alumni.rice.edu>, <lauraspinella@alumni.rice.edu>

Saturday, September 08, 2007

TEAMspinella: Praying in high school

Joey writes (for a school assignment, of course)...

Senior year has been really crazy so far. Saying that reminds me of the phrase "too busy NOT to pray." I think I do pray a lot, but I don't have times for focused prayer. I have never prayed on my knees for more than a few minutes, and can never keep my eyes closed either. The time that I do pray is in the mornings when I wake up. The other times I pray are through the day at random times when I am reminded of God. I'll be in a conversation, and then remember about my savior, my God, and how I had almost forgotten the reason I was alive. Then I kind of have two conversations at once, one catching up with God, and another carrying on with the person I'm with. These times are usually refreshing, but I also feel somewhat guilty for getting distracted from God. Is it possible that someone could think about God for a whole day? I guess so- He is the most interesting subject around. If I could spend a whole day with a girl's face in my mind, then I could definitely also be considering God.

Last Sunday, I had kind of an abnormal experience with prayer. I was tired out from the week, and had not had time to read my Bible that morning, having slept in too late for church from the class retreat. That night after washing the dishes, I decided it would be a good time to read my Bible. Usually since I read my Bible in the morning, the time is quite rushed, as I only spend about fifteen minutes. This time I decided that since I had plenty of time, I would just relax and talk with God. I had had some encouraging conversations with friends over the class retreat, and wanted to lay it all before God. As I sought his will and laid my requests before him, I soon found myself frantically flipping through the New Testament, trying to find specific passages I had read before. This was a new experience, as usually when I read I just go straight through the New Testament, and am not trying to find a specific place. It was really cool to see how much I knew about God's word, and even cooler to see how much wisdom there was in it as I thought about different issues and found direct answers in the text. Soon I was lost in the powerful words spoken by the Holy Spirit through God's people and Jesus Christ. I realized how fruitful it was to intentionally seek out specific issues and look for God's view on them. Needless to say, when I looked at the clock when I was about ready to start working on homework, I was amazed to see that over an hour had passed! An amazing thing about prayer is that no matter how much time you invest in it, it's always worth it!

Love, Steve and Laura, Sarah, Joey, and Robby

PS I leave Friday to take the marriage and family therapy licensing test in the US, but meanwhile, my sister Carolyn and her family in Kansas are mobilizing to come to Taiwan. Brian (Drevets) will be teaching middle school in Taipei, about two hours away from us, at Bethany, which is part of the Morrison Academy system that our kids are part of and for which Laura is a board member. They are scheduled to arrive October 3, so please think especially of them with us in this chaotic, emotional, and stressful time of transition. Monday Laura will travel to Taipei with me to get some things into their apartment. I'll be going up to TEAM's Taipei office, as I have weekly since July, to help out with our area's financial accounting. Robby is playing varsity soccer and preparing for a bassoon concerto with orchestra later this month.