Update - June 6

It has been about 2 weeks since I have written anything on this blog. I keep waiting for creative inspiration for some really great blog posts.

Nothing.

Oh, well - here's what's been going on in my life over the last couple of weeks.

The Bachelor. Kelly and the girls were gone for a week. I survived on leftovers, cereal, ice cream, and the kind generosity of people who felt sorry for me and brought me food. I started a new woodworking project while they were gone. I am building a new bed for Kelly and me. One of my first furniture projects 10 years (or so) ago was bed. I had very little idea what I was doing. Now, that bed is kind of squeaky and rickety - not a good thing. I will tear that old bed down rebuild it as a twin size for Gracie. I am building the new bed out of black walnut. It is a beautiful wood, but I have no dust collection system in my garage, so now everything is coated in brown dust. And, every night after working out there I have to clean out my nose of dark chocolate boogers. (That would be a good name for a band, don't you think? - Dark Chocolate Boogers)

Luke is eating my lunch. Or, I should probably say that Jesus is eating my lunch. I am preaching through Luke and over three consecutive Sundays I have covered the Good Samaritan (10:25-37), Mary and Martha (10:38-42) and then Jesus' teaching on prayer (11:1-13). Wow. I have studied these passages before - many times. But, looking at them again - afresh and anew - it's kind of hard to take. I have a long way to go.

Board retreat. This weekend we are having a board retreat with our elders and deacons. I can't wait. So much of church leadership revolves around "management". It's sort of a necessary evil. The church is a fairly complex organism and "management" is just part of it. It's not the fun part, though. At least from my perspective. The great part of church ministry is "the mission" that we are called to fulfill. Like all churches, however, it is easy to begin with a sense of mission and then get hunkered down with the details of management. Periodically we have to lift our head - see the bigger picture and remember why it is we are doing what we are doing. I, especially need to know where we are going and that we are indeed getting there. This weekend, we (as a leadership board) will breath the country air, we'll pray together, study together, reflect on Biblical mandates - together. In light of those mandates we will assess where we are as a church and where we need to go in the future. We will develop action items and a fresh prayer list of things we desperately want to see God do in our midst. I am hoping and praying for a great weekend.