LOL - Okay,someone out there is gassed!

Which one of you awesome people came to my blog after searching on "pastor's easy life"? I'd like to bless you real good. (When am I going to take delivery of that sarcasm font I ordered?)

Don't know one pastor who has "an easy life." Not one. It's not the toughest job in the world all the time, but there are times when it's pretty darn close. On the other hand, there are also times when it is the absolute best or at least tied for it.

But easy?

Dude, no.

What You Make It?

It's Friday night.

My day off.

The Bourne Supremacy plays in the background as white noise and I'm sitting here trying to let my mind slow down.

The next two Sundays are playing out already in my mind, and yet the immediate present seems to shove them aside. The phone rings, a precious older saint's sister has passed away. He and his wife are hanging onto their independence and their health by a thread. I try to speak some comfort into the receiver. It rings again. A deacon has read the news of murderous riots in Nigeria near the home of our adopted missionaries. Bunny has talked to them recently and I'm able to let him know they are safe for now.

Two of our men are on a plane right now on a flight that will ultimately drop one in Iraq and the other in Afghanistan. They, and the families they leave behind are on my mind. A deacon had a heart cath today - came through it well - but won't be home for a few days. It's spring break week and several families are taking a much needed break. That'll mean holes in some places during Easter. Good Friday is a week away and I'm suffering a planning block. And there's more. More in our smaller church. More in my personal life. More.

Every job I have ever had, from ditch digger, to deliveryman, from sales and marketing, to management - ultimately depended on me - my skills, my determination, my initiative, my intelligence - me. This one though - this job - while begging for everything I have in all those areas - wants more. Needs more. Requires more. And at some point you realize that having given everything you have to give - it's not enough. Never will be. Being a pastor isn't what you make it. Your church isn't what you make it to be.

I was attracted to the picture above because you can't tell whether the man has his head in his hands because he's completely spent,utterly frustrated...

...or praying to the God Who holds it all in His Hands. Who can make it work all together for good.

I can connect with that tonight.

Just a reminder

23 Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights.24 A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people.25 Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth.26 Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants. 2 Tim 2:23-26 (NLT)

This verse and I have become close over the years, but it never hurts to go back and have a refresher moment.

24/1?

My friend pastor Joe Gnatek up in New Hampshire has been taking some ribbing lately about the number of hours he (and all) pastors work. It seems the "works one day a week" label is attempting to be applied and Joe is fighting back by producing shirts with 24/1 embroidered on them. I've got to applaud Joe's sense of humor about it.

Having spent far more years in the everyday ordinary world of work than I have in what many call "full time ministry" maybe I can help. During my years in the private sector I did everything from digging ditches to running a national sales organization. The hours I put in, and where I put them, varied widely from company to company and position to position. To use the extremes for example, when it hit 5 o'clock in my construction job, I left and never looked back or spent one moment of time thinking about it unless the weather appeared likely to keep me from working the next day (in which case I didn't get paid). In my job as national sales manager for a small tech firm, it was expected that I would work whatever amount of time it took not just to get my work done, but preparing the sales force to get their work done. So there were times when I went to work on Sunday afternoon to fix a database problem or spent time at home working on a new initiative or strategy.

In my current position as pastor of a smaller church, the number hours vary depending on the people's needs and the work needed to get done, but they seldom drop below what I worked as a sales manager. Not only that, but because of the interpersonal nature of the job, off and on during the day - any day - any time - I'll find myself thinking about this person or that family, and praying for them or touching base. Then there's the herding cats part of the job, where someone is at odds with someone else, or a volunteer is discouraged and I'm needed to come in and help them find peace. Go out to eat with friends and many times you wind up talking about the church and what's going on. Given that we LOVE New Hope, that's not a big deal, but there are times when you just want to relax and enjoy each others company.

It can consume you, frankly.

Oh and not just you, but your wife and your family. The mood at the pastor's house can literally rise or fall depending on what happened on Sunday. As pastor, you put your heart into the vision God has given the Church and you can have difficulty stepping out of that bubble and being the guy your wife married.

So 24/1? Let's put it this way.


Jack Bauer wouldn't last a year as a small church pastor. :)

We Need A Little Christmas

 We were out and about today, actually headed to the mall. It was a dreary December day - rainy and cold. It's that time of year when you can feel the collective angst as people feel like time is running out (along with money). As we rode along, I told Bunny that I felt as though we had lost a lot that was special this year. The crushing loss of her dear sweet Mother combined with having to say goodbye to our friend Henley the Great Dane has been hanging over us like a cloud - a dark one.


"For I've grown a little leaner,
Grown a little colder,
Grown a little sadder,
Grown a little older,..."

...says the song, and it's true. Well, except for the "leaner" part.

I've seen it in others over the years as a pastor and now I'm catching a whiff of it myself. It's the tendency to look back instead of looking forward, of swapping hope for memories, of believing that there's less joy ahead than there has been before. Bunny and I love our family. We love our church family. We love where we live and what we do. But it's been a tough year.

So yes, we need a little Christmas, right this very minute.

Thank God for a chance to worship Christ at New Hope later today.

Love Is A Decision

A little over a week ago, Bunny and I adopted two Airedales from a rescue organization here in Florida. After the crushing loss of our Great Dane Henley, it had taken us over a month to get to the point where we were ready to try to love another dog. We're still grieving to this day. But we decided to go and look at the pair - brother and sister, who were in their third "home" already at the age of two.

There were some things we knew driving up to see them.

1. They were not Henley
2. They would not replace Henley.
3. They were different than Henley.
4. They would act differently than Henley.
5. Two dogs would still not equal one giant one.

But we felt that Airedales would be a good match for us based on what we had read, and also based on Bunny's experience with a friend's dog - Bailey the Airedale.

When we reached the place where the dogs were, hope was that we would find a dog that would almost immediately love us fiercely and become an integral part of our lives. Our other expectations were more long term, as we planned to teach them to be therapy dogs that we could take to nursing homes. We learned that dogs in that setting can make a real difference, and wanted to be a part of that ministry. So we had some goals going in.

It's been a week and a half now, and we're realizing that we have to decide to love these dogs for who they are, not because they provide us with what we need. They are far more expressive and trusting than they were going in, but they still are not what we were used to and not what we hoped for - what we loved about Henley. A Great Dane is a "velcro dog". They are where you are and they sit where you sit. They are at peace when they sit or lie next to you on the couch. They would follow you into the shower if you'd let them, and if you won't let them, they'll often lie down just outside and block the door. :) They are very affectionate - "nosing", "leaning", and vocally reminding you of how joyful they are just to be with you.

These guys, the Airedales... not so much.

So we are patiently (most of the time) working with them, teaching them that they can trust us, taking them with us, and training them to follow basic commands. We will actually pick them up and put them on the couch next to us, but occasionally one will jump up on his/her own. Those bursts of love are celebrated to the max. Every occasion we have to reach out and touch them, speak to them, praise or reward them - we take it. Even when they would rather retreat from our companionship, we close the distance and let them know that we love them no matter what.

It is tiring. It can be frustrating. It is tempting to just take them back to the rescue people and find a more loving giant breed dog. That'd be easy. Not going to happen. They are ours. We are theirs. Forever friends.

It hit me last night that what we are doing with these dogs is much like what we need to do in some other communities like say - Church.

We need to love our church because it is the bride of Christ being readied for His glorious return.
We need to love our church not for what it does to meet our needs, but because through it, we can share in the work of our Savior.
We need to love our church just as it is - not as the perfect one in our mind, the fondly remembered one in our memories, or the one down the street or across town - and work alongside our brothers and sisters to advance the Kingdom of God.
We need to take every opportunity to share with both other Christians and those outside of how our church is reaching, serving, and loving in Christ's name. Such outbursts of joy might surprise the hearer, but it might even surprise us if we truly realize just how much God has blessed.

Yes, there are times when it will be frustrating, even hard.

Make the decision to love your church.

It'll grow on you. :)

Just like the Airedales we love have.

Long Day

It is like herding cats. Even when your goal (unlike that of the dog above) is worthy, beneficial, and biblical with the best interest of your friends at the center of what you do.

Pastoral work - all of it - is tied to the relationships you have with the people God has placed you on mission with. There's no "work friends" and "real friends". You begin each week praying for them to God. While you study the Bible and listen to what the Spirit is saying they are on your mind and heart. The message is crafted (just as all the teaching is - just as the music is - just as the events are - just as... everything is) to the glory of God and the building up of the faith in your fellow believers.

You will experience resistance. (BIG GRIN - and all the pastors reading this go "duh")

You will be disappointed when people you thought were farther along trip over things they should long since picked up and moved aside.

And there will be times when you just want to run into the woods. Or to the beach. :)

Beginning Again Is Like Herding Cats

So I talked to this guy from a search committee last week. Nothing new about that, it happens every now and then. I'm still where I started out ten years ago and enjoying what God is doing more than ever. But I've always operated by the conviction that I serve at the pleasure of God. So when He decides that this tour of duty has come to a close, I reply "Yes sir!" and pack up and go to the next assignment. I'll talk to anyone about reaching people and God's Church, but again - I've been here 10 years.

Apparently one of my friends thought I'd be a good fit for this church's situation. Remind me to talk to him.

We had an opening flurry of emails, and they wanted to talk on the phone. So I checked out their website and nothing on it suggested a great deal of interest in people on the outside. It did though show me that they were doing "church" extremely well, and give me the idea that the people who were going there were probably happy with the status quo. Checking further, I also saw that their growth was stalled and that they had lost pretty much their entire staff. Bigger church.

So I wrote the search team chair back and explained that my passion (as well as that of my wife) was to express our love of God through reaching and serving people. Then I explained what God has done at, in, and through New Hope this year. As the Texans are so fond of saying, "It ain't bragging if it's a fact." And the fact is, the small church on the corner of Aurora and Valparaiso Parkway has been active in expanding the Kingdom and serving the least of these. We've done things we have never done before and seen God do what He's never done here before. We've taken risks and been rewarded.

I told them I liked that. A LOT. And then I explained that I didn't want to waste their time. So if this was anything other than a call to join other people with the same passions that God has placed in me, perhaps someone else would be their man.

Please understand why I did that. I do NOT have all the answers. And while I may preach to a congregation full of sinners every week, they are listening to one of their own kind. But I love Jesus and I love His Church. So stringing them along or even accepting a call to somewhere like that just is repulsive to me. I want them to succeed - to thrive.

I received a very gracious and wise reply.

He thanked me for my thoughtful and insightful reply (my assumptions about their present condition were right on target as was my understanding of their culture and ethos) and then commented that their big struggle was to look forward instead of reminiscing about past glory. Their core membership was very traditional and resisted change and yet the younger lay leadership wanted it.

They are between a rock and a hard place. BTDT

Can they turn their church's future around?

Only to the extent that they die to the past and to personal preferences and decide in their hearts to look to Jesus for His direction and vision for their church. Can a new pastor help them do that? Yes, but if it's just him, it will take forever for him to build trust enough for substantive change to occur. If the church itself is seized with the passion for souls they need, then it can happen much quicker. But it has to happen. The search team chair said that getting the people in his church to agree on what direction to move was like "herding cats." Yes brother, it most surely is.

I watched as my home church, Bethesda Baptist in Macon, struggled with this very same dilemna and finally died an ignoble death. I swore that I would do whatever it took to keep any church God placed me in to avoid that fate. So when I get an opportunity to help a church, even through the search process, I'm doing it. So we parted ways on good terms.

And as I thought about what God is doing through New Hope, I thanked Him again.

Hmm...

It is pastor's appreciation month.

It's 3 AM

That line started one of the more notable commercials of the last election primary campaign. Then Senator Hillary Clinton used the prospect of a phone ringing in the White House while a family slept in their home to claim an advantage in experience over her rival, Sen Obama. We all know how well that worked in convincing the Democratic voters.

But phones do ring at 3 AM, and they often do signal a crisis.

Perhaps it is a sign of experience as a pastor that when the phone rings in the middle of the night, you immediately think that something has gone dreadfully wrong. There have to be calls being made to let family know that someone got home safe, pulled through, or entered this world to a joyous reception. But when the phone rings in the home of a pastor chances are someone needs help. Of all the skills I have been taught in two seminary programs, numerous conferences, and through literally thousands of books over the years, not one has addressed what to do when that phone rings.

Here's the most important thing you can do:

Start praying while it is ringing for clarity, wisdom, and for God to act on behalf of the one in need.

No, you don't know what's about to transpire. But God does, and I'm a firm believer in getting the attention of the Omnipotent God that His servant and the one he is about to talk to - need HELP!

You'll want to do some other things too, like getting a pen and paper and asking for names, locations, phone numbers, and what the military calls a "SitRep" - a situation report of how everyone is doing right now - but pray. Pray. Pray.

A pastor who has prayed and thrown himself on the grace of God as one who can only minister out of His grace, His mercy, and His wisdom is a far more effective instrument for God to use for His glory and for the comfort and direction those he will care for.

It might be 3 AM, but we serve the One Who never slumbers or sleeps.

Thank God.

This Life

Very intense week last week. Thought it would slack off, but not so far. Still, I wouldn't trade this job for any other in the world. Found this just now...

Brother let me be your servant.

Let me be as Christ to you.
Pray that I may have the grace
To let you be my servant too.

We are pilgrims on a journey
We are brothers on the road.
We are here to help each other
Walk the mile and share the load.

I will hold the Christ light for you.
In the nighttime of your fear.
I will hold my hand out to you,
Speak the peace you long to hear.

I will weep when you are weeping.
When you laugh, I’ll laugh with you.
I will share your joy and sorrow
‘Til we’ve seen this journey through.

When we sing to God in heaven
We will find such harmony
Born of all we’ve known together
Of Christ’s love and agony.

— Richard Gillard

Have To Keep Reminding Myself

The biblical fact is that there are no successful churches.

There are, instead, communities of sinners, gathered before God week after week in towns and villages all over the world.

The Holy Spirit gathers them and does his work in them.


In these communities of sinners, one of the sinners is called pastor and given a designated responsibility in the community.

The pastor’s responsibility is to keep the community attentive to God.

- Eugene Peterson from the introduction to Working the Angles

Ten Things I've Learned In Ten Years

Realizing that there's no way I could condense ten years into anything coherent, I'm going to share ten things that I have learned in the last ten years as a pastor.

1. Calling matters.

There will be times when God's call on your life and to that place of ministry is the thread that holds everything together. There is no doubt in my mind I was called here to New Hope, and that I was God's choice to lead it. Have there been times when I wondered what God was doing? Sure. But I never have had a doubt about the call to New Hope. I've talked with other churches occasionally during the time I have been here, but God has never given me a clear "Go to a place I will show you..." I do not know how some pastors move so often. Growing to love a community and a group of people is an awesome experience. Seeing God at work - is so rewarding, especially over time.

But that conviction of being placed here by Almighty God is a bedrock of faith. Not every day is a great day. The cliche of a pastor's "Blue Mondays" has more than one grain of truth in it. So during times when things aren't going all that well you need the courage of conviction. "Here I stand, I can do no other" isn't just for that Luther guy. It's for every one of us on the line.

2. Context is key.

There are things you will be able to accomplish in some places easily that would be incredibly difficult if not impossible in others. Mistakes on gauging context WILL bite you. I definitely underestimated the extent of the traditional reversal at New Hope from what it started out to be and even the appeal of traditional forms and structure. I relied too much on what the search team told me and had too little information outside that.

Speaking of context - It's a military culture here. Took a while to understand it and operate with harmony within it for change. Now I wish I had become a chaplain when I had the chance so I could have ministered to the great people and their families who serve this country so well. New Hope sits within earshot of the loudspeakers on base. I can hear the "Star Spangled Banner" played on them every afternoon if I step outside my office at the right time. So there is and will always be a large group of younger people, and younger families with children who came here from somewhere else, and will most likely leave. There is also a large group of retirees who still are involved as employees of contractors on base. And then there is a group of older people who have stayed here after their service. The city of Valparaiso is home to more of the latter two groups than the former.

Yet when we drove up the first time and saw a little league field and elementary school across the street, I knew that children's ministry would have to be a big part of what we did, and that community involvement would be a key to advancing the Kingdom here. We've really gotten some chances to do that in the last year that we never had before and I can see more in the future.

3. Music = Worship = My Church- for many people

You can preach well, love deeply, teach with passion and lead with clear direction, but for some people what the music choices are is what the church is. Change that in any way shape or form and fight's on. Very few people can find happiness in blended worship. But my calling is not to make people happy, but to lead them to the cross. So it is not so unexpected when I hear the occasional gripe. From time to time we do need to stop and explain why a new song is worthy of considering as a hymn in the same breath as "It is well with my soul" and other great songs of the faith.

4. If your staff isn't sold out to the vision you are in trouble

One of the biggest shocks to me was a staff member early on who would say all the right things in meetings with me, would say that he understood perfectly what I was trying to accomplish in following what I believed to be God's direction, and then do everything he could behind the scenes to sabotage it. His deliberate misstatements to others, use of his cronies, and frequent use of "some people are saying..." should have been an indication that I needed to work to find a way to hold him accountable or find an exit strategy. But I came in believing that if there were disagreements, we would talk them out and then support each other as we ministered in our giftings.

While I could never see prior to this why a pastor would come in and change the entire staff (and still couldn't imagine ever doing it myself), I understand what would drive a person to that decision. I'm much more upfront now that I ever would have been at the beginning. That's important. Don't assume people understand what you want if you haven't told them.

5. Some of the same people who wanted you to come will later want you to go

This was a hard lesson to learn. Some people are like rivers - easy to navigate going with them, but life threatening if you head upstream. Within three years, it was apparent that I was seeing the context and direction we needed to head very differently than some of the leadership that brought me there. Working fairly slowly, I tried to bring them along. Working fairly quickly, they tried to toss me overboard. Once that happened, I sought godly counsel about the issues and about the people involved. On the issues, the insight was that I was right on target. On the people, the background was that this was not the first time they had done this. In other churches they had raised protests when pastors didn't happen to share their opinions on how the church should be. Still, it was difficult to have the same people who were so sold out for my calling here to turn so dramatically.

6. Small Church is hard

Years ago I was asked to go and talk to the pastor of a church in Mobile AL about planting a church with them there. We all piled into the car and drove over and spent the day looking, talking, and praying. He was an awesome pastor who is still at that church. Obviously I did not feel called to that opportunity, but the trip was rewarding anyway. I'll never forget what he shared about the context of New Hope and what I would face. "Small church is hard, David. It can be the most rewarding thing you will ever do with your life, but the highs are balanced by many lows as well. Unless you can find a way to deal with both and stay focused on Jesus, a bigger church would be much easier on you and your family."

Well, he was right. I LOVE New Hope. Bunny and I absolutely love the people God has given us. We'd do anything we could for them anytime they needed us to. We've shared great joys and great sorrows together over the years, and as a result relationships have grown deeper. Much deeper.

But every week here is a challenge. So many times we both are called on to do things that we aren't gifted in. Too many times Sunday morning will reveal a hole where a teacher didn't show up, or equipment died. There's very little margin. It is small church. You are constantly reminded of what you cannot accomplish. So you have to decide what you can and do it.

7. Do not try to please people

This was a lesson that took a while to sink in. Most people, pastor's included, want to be liked. That desire can, if you let it, have you second guessing everything. If you find yourself thinking "I wonder if ______ will like this?" then you have fallen into that trap. This is different than building consensus. There are times when you have to get input to gauge what is possible and what the cost of change might be. But personalizing it? No.

Over the years, as relationships develop, you do gain the ability to predict what people will think initially about ministry initiatives and decisions you might have to make. But again, if it is God's will as you understand it, you'll work knowing that to present the idea/concept/activity/whatever in the best way for them to prayerfully consider it.

8. There's a big difference between meekness and weakness

Meekness, as all of us who struggled through the King James years knows, means "strength under control." Weakness means you are a wimp. I have been weak when I should have been meek. Some people will take full advantage of any tendency by the leader toward weakness. I've apologized for nothing far too often, and even for things that I didn't do wrong. I learned quickly though that such actions did not advance the Kingdom nor teach people how to act in respect even while disagreeing.

Confidence, born out of your relationship with God, will enable you to follow Him no matter whether or not the path you are walking is going to be received with approval or not. An understanding of the Holy Spirit's role in not just your life, but the life of those you serve will mean that you will consider carefully the implications of every decision. Love for the people God has placed you with combined with those two will provide the basis for the loving harmony that makes real progress possible.

9. You can never get enough joy in your life

This is an emotionally draining job - if you put your heart into it. Bearing other's burdens is not light work. Many times the ups and downs can take their toll. So you have to seek out, find, and immerse yourself in those things that give you joy as often as you can. The kids Bunny and I have watched grow up over the years will never know how much their smiles and laughter have given us. Those times with the grown ups where we shared a meal, swapped stories, laughed until we cried, have mattered. The school plays, band concerts, chorales, etc that we attended with the parents of our New Hope kids - awesome.

Oh, and those days off where Bunny and I headed out to Henderson beach for an hour or so with the sound of the surf, the smell of the ocean, and the freedom of no worries - priceless. My wife has brought me joy from the very first time I had an inkling of her interest in me. Sharing our life together is awesome.

10. Own your failures, give away your successes

Remember, I'm not saying go weeping down the aisle in contrition when your ideas flop. But don't run away either or try to blame someone or something else. It's okay to fail as long as you learn from failure (fail forward as John Maxwell would say). I'd agree with several others that if you are seeing no failures in what you are attempting, then you are playing it too safe.

When something works great, find the people who contributed and make sure they get the credit they deserve. It is an awesome thing to see people grow spiritually right before your eyes as they take responsibility and see their efforts prove fruitful for God. It's a pastor's dream moment.

There they are. Ten things I have learned in ten years.

A Gathering Storm

One of the things I most value is peace.

For me that equates to time to pray, to think, to dream, to imagine - to listen.

It is looking like God has other plans this week.

So I stop now and pray.

Abba. Father.

I come as a child today.

I have precious little to offer you

But what I have, I give to you completely.

Help me to rely on Your strength and wisdom.

Give me Your heart, Your eyes.

Let me be found today in total reliance on You.

Let me find refuge and strength in You.

My rock. My Redeemer.

My Lord.

Amen.

Tools and Fools

I'm what they call a "gadget freak", "techie", or whatever they are using nowadays to signify a person who gets distracted by the newest bright and shiny new toys. That's the newest - just came out today - Palm Pre. Oh yeah, I could use one of those.

But at what price?

Bunny and I made some choices a long time ago that still remain true for us today.

God comes first.
Family comes next.
People matter.
Stuff? Not so much.

So we're here, serving God, trying our level best to be all our family needs us to be, trying to love and care for those around us. And trying to strike the right balance on "wants" versus "needs."

Now that does not mean we are martyrs. Not by any means. We are blessed to be renting a nice house, to be driving a great vehicle for our needs, and to have more than probably 95% of the world's population does.

But the choices we make are usually to do more with less, to buy used rather than new when it makes sense, and to stay a couple years back on technology to normalize the prices of "shiny things."

Chasing the latest and greatest technology won't help me love God more. It won't help me love my wife, my sons, my family more. It won't keep me connected in a closer fashion to those I care for.

So while I applaud Palm for FINALLY getting it right (I've used Palm devices since 1998), I'll see the Pre when the world has moved to the next new toy and I can pick one up on the cheap.

Running On Fumes

I like the idea of this. Many cars will show you a miles per gallon estimate and range to empty.

This one's range has reached - PULL OVER AND FILL UP NOW!

I'm about there myself. If I could go to bed right now I think I'd sleep right through until tomorrow morning.

But I've gotten to this point by doing exactly what I'm put here to do.

So I'll press on until we can get home tonight, work on tomorrow's funeral sermon for a while and CRASH.

A Prayer, maybe for Christmas

Dear God,

I am so afraid to open my clench fists!

Who will I be when I have nothing left to hold on to?

Who will I be when I stand before you with empty hands?

Please help me to gradually open my hands and to discover that I am not what I own, but what you want to give me.

And what you want to give me is love – unconditional, everlasting love.

Amen

prayer by Henry Nouwen

You know, every time I visit the nursing home, this is the overwhelming impression I get. The people who grasp what this poem is speaking to, can adapt, because they haven't lost what really matters.

I pray that I am found that faithful.

Take A Breath

We got back home tonight after a punishing trip to Macon to encourage Bunny's Mom. Both of us are worn out.

We've got stuff waiting to do though, so we'll get back after it tomorrow.

Spend your time voting or something. :)

There are cats and there are cats

Just saying that sometimes life comes at the pastor and his family at high speed.

Right now we're waiting for word from Macon about Bunny's mom who had to be admitted again to the hospital through the ER today. Our niece Abby continues her courageous fight against cancer as she begins another round of chemo soon. The probate case concerning my father's will hasn't finished. I'm in my final term at Rockbridge Seminary and gathering materials to make my case for a diploma in February. Bunny's struggling with some physical issues.

That overlays all the "normal" ebbs and flows of a "typical" week in the smaller church. We have worship practice, bible study and prayer tomorrow night. One of our deacons is in the hospital. Friday night we'll host the neighborhood for a movie and treats. Then Sunday is Sunday and requires preparation and time to reflect on what God is saying.

So when you think about those cats I'm herding, don't think tabby or persian. Just remember the picture above. :)

Dog Tired

The events of the last few weeks have suddenly caught up to me. I am dog tired. Not just sleepy, but tired to the point of not really wanting to do much of anything. Mentally drained.

Unfortunately, it is Wednesday night, and we have worship team practice and then small group prayer and Bible study. After last week's effort, there's a baseline below which no one can fall. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I tried to drop back into time and dust off something I had used 8 years ago.

Perhaps that was a clue that I was tired then too.

So pray that I will (even more than usual) be sustained and carried by the Holy Spirit's power and wisdom tonight. Because I'm running on fumes here.