Busy Times Indeed

As we are finishing up our fourth full week of our new ministry and our new half-time here and half-time there schedule, here is a quick run down of how our week fills out. I am not complaining by any means, but I am still trying to adjust to this new busyness and natural time demands that direct us.


Monday
On Monday morning, T. gets up and is off to her part time job at the University. Generally, she is up at 7:00am and I follow shortly thereafter. I try to get he lunch ready and some breakfast before she is out of the house driving to her job by 8:00am. She then works from 8:30am-2:00pm, sometimes its 2:30 or 3:00, and then comes home. My son will wake anywhere between 7:30 to 8:30. I get him up, dressed, fed, and then he will watch “his shows”. They include Sesame Street, Clifford, Word World, and sometimes Super Why. It originally was going to be a “down” day for me to relax and not do a lot, but this week I found myself doing some study and writing. I think I will continue to do that as my mind is still somewhat engaged because of the weekend.

There is also during the day and after T. gets home, some housework that will get done. We will get the kitchen clean, do a bit of laundry and clean the house in anticipation for the evening. Oh yeah, and make some dinner. Monday evening is our Small Group Bible Study at our house from 6:30-7:45pm. Seven to nine of us adults meet and joining us, throughout the house, are eight to twelve children (ages range from one to twelve years old). Needless to say, it is loud and a lot of motion. But all of the parents there are used to the noise and we all seem to take turns making sure nobody is hurt and not too much destruction occurs. It is an enjoyable time and the people are fun and wonderful.

Tuesday
The morning is about the same as Mondays. I will usually make a call to the church on the coast (which I forgot today) for a catch-up and to see if there is anything pressing. I will spend most of the day studying and preparing for the messages I will preach on Sunday. I basically need to work up three (one for a Friday Bible study, an AM sermon and a PM sermon) messages for the weekend. We get more laundry done (usually for the coast trip) and do whatever grocery shopping for both places. Tuesday is our only free night here in town, so there is a lot to do. We get dinner taken care of and watch one of our favorite dramas on TV.

Wednesday
This becomes the final prep time for the coast, laundry, study, shopping, cleaning, writing, hopefully to take some pictures and house stuff. After T. gets home, we make dinner, as she gets ready to go to our home church to lead the middle and high school youth group. She leaves about 5:00 and picks up a bunch of them and then by the time the group time is over and rides are given she gets home about 9:00pm.

Thursday
Now we are at final prep time. We make sure we have whatever clothes we need to take over to the coast house. We do have clothes already over there but these are the ones that we came home wearing on Sunday or new ones to swap out. We pack up the cooler for some food transfer and load the car with computer, camera, Bible, notes, etc. I make sure the garbage is out for the next day and clean the house so we don’t have to do it when we get back home. T. gets off work and we usually leave for the coast twenty minutes later. The drive over takes about three hours. That will include a stop for a quick bite to eat. And then we arrive at our coast cottage rental, unpack and try to relax for the evening watching a few comedies.

Friday
I will get up and head over to the church building to do a little cleaning and getting ready for my extended weekend ministry. There is usually a quick meeting with leaders of different church ministries before our 11:30-1:00 Prayer and Bible Study time. After it is over T. and our son to head back to the cottage while I go and make some home visits. After the home visit schedule time, I try to make some casual visits to people in the community to get to know them. So, I go to their shops and just chat or I talk to people as I pass by on the street. Then it is back home for dinner and catch-up on friends online chats and such.

Saturday
Up in the morning and over to the church for some office appointments and then whatever home visits that are scheduled. We’ve been doing a little rearranging of classrooms and just over all tidying up. I try to look at some files to get to know the church and people and history a little better. I also walk the sanctuary and ponder and say a little prayer for the people who will be sitting in the pews, yes pews, then next day. After that, I’ll go back to the cottage and have some dinner. We usually give little I. a bath, and get him off to bed. T. and I will stay up a bit and get ready for the day tomorrow. She is playing the piano and planning some of the worship services and I am doing last minute changes to the message. Then off to bed we will go. Oh yeah, usually Saturday morning is pancake morning. Yay!

Sunday
All of us are up and dressed and fed to head to church. The weather has been relatively dry in the morning up to this point, so I will grab my notes and walk over to the church. It is only about six short blocks and gives me some time to observe and maybe say hi to someone else who is out walking. Once I get to the church property, I am making a point to stop at the cross on the sign at the corner of the church property. I pause to thank God for the day and pray that He will use me and I would be faithful to Him and to the congregation. Once all of the deacons, yes deacons, are there we have a time of prayer for the service and the people and then off we go to Sunday school. I try to “pop” into all of the various classes; in this case there are three (children’s, youth, and adult) and then settle on one to study with. I. goes to his primary class, ages 3 to 7ish, and T. goes and sits in with the youth (middle and high school) class. I will generally end up with the adults.

Then we have the service. We have made a bit of change to the order, but for the most part, it is a traditional type of service. After the singing, the responsive reading, the offering, the special music, it is my turn to preach. I still don’t know how long their normal service times were, but these have been lasting about an hour and fifteen minutes. There is an invitational hymn and the first Sunday of the month we have communion. And there is a business meeting on the second Sunday of every month.

After that, we go back to the cottage and have lunch and whereI like to watch the Seahawks win. Yes, I’m a dreamer. We also are doing laundry there, cleaning the kitchen, sweeping and vacuuming the cottage and packing up the things we will be taking back with us. At 5:00-6:00pm we go over to the church for the evening service. After it is over, as close to 6:05 as we can, T., I., and myself hop into the car and start our three-hourish trip back to the valley. Our goal is to be home by 9:00pm so we can get the boy to bed and take a breath or two before we slumber off to sleep, ready for the next morning with T. off to work, I. with his day and me doing what I do. And then our week starts all over again.

We are still in the “getting accustomed to” this schedule and with each week that passes, I am feeling more comfortable. I recognize that we are probably no any busier than the next family, but it still seems, at times, rushed. So I am not complaining or desiring sympathy. I just wanted you to know.

So, with that I will close so I can get ready to “mount up with wings like eagles”. Gotta fly.