This Side of the Pulpit » Entries tagged with "vocation"
Church Personalities
Some members visited a Consumerist-Entertaino Church this weekend with their granddaughter. They were surprised and impressed with the sermon, which they said clearly proclaimed the Gospel, but were disappointed in how “unfriendly” the congregation was. They put them to the test, sitting themselves in the lounge, drinking coffee, watching all the people walk past and into Sunday School rooms, waiting to be spoken to, waiting to be invited. Finally, right at the moment all the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
Signs from God?
I had a bad time writing the other day. It was late afternoon, I had a few moments of quiet and tried to write a little on a project I am working on and immediately got stymied. Stuck. Like mud. No, more like quicksand with a bunch of fifth-graders laughing at me. It was really bad. No more than an hour later a friend confided that he was meeting someone in the industry to talk about … Read entire article »
Filed under: Personal, Theology, Writing&Books
New and Shiny Things
I re-arranged my study yesterday. Nothing big–just replaced the folding table I had the laptop on with a small computer desk I found stored away somewhere. That allowed me to move my work desk back a bit and open up some more floor space. I also got out the Old English and cleaned the top of my oak work desk. It really needs refinishing, but I have too many other projects going on right now. It’s funny how just moving a little furniture can affect your perspective. I mean, there’s the literal change in perspective that happens, but the psychological perspective shifts too. It forces you to see your workspace, study, home, even life in a different way. Like looking through a mirror. Try this to see what I mean: open … Read entire article »
Thanksgiving Pause
Dad cut off the end of his finger last week. He was working on cabinets for our kitchen, wearing gloves to beat the cold, when the end of the glove brushed the router bit, pulling his hand into it. If you know what router bits are, then you’ll know that it shreds wood; they don’t cut thin grooves (kerfs) in wood like a saw blade does. Strangely enough, it didn’t hurt him too badly, but he’s got to be careful with it to avoid infection. This means that when he gets here this afternoon I get a promotion in the remodeling project–I’ll be responsible for a lot more that he won’t be able to do. Thanksgiving week, Advent starting, my NaNoWriMo novel to finish, and the kitchen remodel. All to say, … Read entire article »
Busy Times and the Disease of Busyness
Oktoberfest 2009 was a hit! Our attendance doubled from last year, the food was great, and there was nary a hitch. I was worried the day before when I saw that the city was hosting a ‘Fest the night before ours. Not to slight that one, but two separate people told me yesterday that folks who went to the first came craving for a second on Saturday and enjoyed ours immensely. What can I say? Redeemer folks know how to get together and make something happen when they want to. I’m still looking at a very long month of activities with a stewardship Sunday, LWML Sunday, Reformation Sunday/Annual Voter’s Meeting, a trip out of town to see a convalescing member, our Pastor’s Conference next week (and a sermon still to prepare for … Read entire article »
What I’ve Been Doing
I took a brief blogging break last week and a few days off to help my dad do some home improvement projects while Marjorie was out of town at the Mothers Of Preschoolers convention in Nashville. She had a good time and got back home safely, and dad and I got quite a bit done with my mom’s help with dishes and the kids. Yesterday evening a good friend of my parents who lives in the Oklahoma City area stopped by to see us. She was at my high school graduation and two family weddings, but I hadn’t seen her in a decade or more, so it was great that she was able to come and have dinner with us. We have a lot going on here at church. This weekend is … Read entire article »
Wiped Out
As mentioned yesterday, the Church has contracted for geothermal wells for the sanctuary renovation and we got good news several weeks ago. The subcontractor didn’t have any jobs coming up and offered us a tremendous discount…if we could help with labor. He came today and four of us showed up to help, not including the mechanical contractor (a member of Gadfly’s Church) who donated his time! After 8 hours of roughnecking, I’ve decided that there’s work and there’s work. Dave, our mechanical contractor, worked the tongs, serving as derrickman. The rest of us took turns shoveling mud. We were blessed with relatively smooth operating, no injuries, and great contractors. Three wells done. Thirty to go… … Read entire article »
Filed under: Personal
Thoughts on the OK District, LCMS
Saturday I attended the Oklahoma District Board of Directors meeting at Holy Trinity Lutheran in Edmond. This is part of my duties as 3rd Vice President, and though I do not have a vote on the Board, I get to talk every once in a while. The meeting was long and a little depressing. District finances are in a serious deficit and actually had to borrow some money from the Lutheran Church Extension Fund in order to pay bills–and this is a district with all part-time staff! I had an embarrassing moment when the President asked me for my Outdoor Ministry report; I knew I oversaw this in some fashion but I didn’t know I was supposed to give actual reports. Thankfully, two of the board members are actively involved in … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
Our Anniversary Date
Marjorie and I had a very nice 9th anniversary. She took the kids to the Oklahoma City Zoo for the day while I worked. When they got home, we put our eldest in chrage of the youngest and went out to eat at Costello’s, the best restaurant in Enid by far. It was a nice dinner. I had the rack of lamb and she ordered a steak. When we got home we visited with a neighbor for a while who is recovering from a triple bypass. He showed us his “heart attack car,” a 2010 Chevy Camaro SS. He said he’s let me drive it sometime, and I think I’ll have to take him up on that offer. Once we got in the door, we watched most of Children of Men. The … Read entire article »
Filed under: Personal
The Busyness Boast
The thing about busyness is that it’s a back-handed boast. Being busy means having much to do, implying that you work hard, that you’re important, that you’re active and engaged and productive. This is in contrast to those who don’t have much to contribute, do not have much to do, do not work, or work hard enough–useless people. Busy people are useful. But it’s a boast and a defensive move, sometimes used by people who do not feel important, who feel that they are disrespected. It’s a defensive move. It’s also an iron-clad defense against doing more projects or making more commitments. When I hear people say that they have a busy week ahead I feel dread. I dread because it means they will be stressed, perhaps even scattered. I dread because … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
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