A Perfect Storm

I have perfect storms at home and work. This leaves nowhere to hide. Work finds me trying to combine my three least favorite technologies at once, specifically security X.509 certificates, XML and SOAP web services. These technologies are all harder than they should be and when you combine them, they approach evil. And I say that as one who has started being used in the area of spiritual warfare ... I'll go toe to toe with a demon (which I have done) before I'd volunteer to work with those three.

At home, it feels like a metric ton of things have decided to break or wear out at the same time. My leather shoes have started splitting after only about six months. I fell in the shower yesterday and while I wasn't hurt, I managed to bend the tub spout, so we need a plumber to look at that. Our Internet connection at home is playing up and we are to the point where we have almost no Internet availability, but I also have no time to chase any of that right now, because we are hosting the sectional conference this weekend and having the bishop speak on the Sunday as he was in town anyway. The dimmer switch in the kitchen dining area is falling apart and we need someone to put a new switch in for us as I have no mechanical aptitude at all. And Sis. Geek is trying to arrange for some of this stuff to be fixed and is not getting the best support from some of the companies she's talking to. Our ISP asked if we'd run a speed check and Sis. Geek didn't realize that the correct answer was that we have trouble getting a connection at all, and we'll gladly worry about the speed when we get that problem solved.

I mention all this not for sympathy, but to let you know that even pastors have life happen to them at times.

I See A Pattern Here

We baptized an ex-Wiccan two weeks ago. We can call her Sis. M. now. In the last two and a half years, that brought the total to two wiccans and a Satanist. This morning Sis. M introduced me to her fiance and explained that he had been further into Wicca than she was. By the end of the service he requested that we baptize him, so I will be meeting with him later this week to teach him a bible study about repentance and baptism so that he understands what he's getting into. I'm seeing the start of a pattern here!

A Quiet Week Except For When It Wasn't

Thankfully. Sis. Geek and the geeklets had a quiet night in on Tuesday, although I was late home from work. Because my lesson for the midweek service was already done last week, I spent the evening getting some basic household needs caught up. I went to the hardware store for a new neon tube for the bathroom light and then Farm and Barn for salt for the water softener. I installed those and then started a load of laundry. While the laundry went through, I sorted a large stack of mail that we hadn't touched in a week. In the end, I got to bed a little before 11pm.

Midweek service went well, but everyone was in a talkative mood so we didn't end up closing up until nearly 9pm. Home and straight to bed.

Then, Thursday night, the busyness got to us and we were all tucked up and lights out by 8:30pm. (This is why you shouldn't call your pastor in the evening unless it's an emergency ... he might be trying to catch up on his sleep.)

Friday was date night. One of the families in the church offered to watch the geeklets while I took the lovely Sis. Geek out for dinner. This was our Valentines dinner that we couldn't take on the 14th as Sundays are busy and then ours was more busy than usual as we prepared for Sis. P's funeral the next day.

This morning we slept in a little. Then it was off in a couple of different directions. I took my car for an oil change and Sis. Geek headed off to the church to meet Sis. M to clean. After the oil change I stopped by to help Bro. M move some stuff up to the attic. And now I'm working on my sermon for tomorrow.

So, now you know what pastors do outside of that hour on Sunday mornings.

The Mississipi Squirrel Revival

Some days (and especially the last few) even a pastor needs a good chuckle. Bro. F. at church pointed me at this amazingly funny video.

Funerals Are A Full Day's Work

The funeral for Sis. P took place today. I was at the funeral home for 9am and didn't leave until 5pm. Between the viewing and then the service and then the graveside, it was quite an amount of work. I'm ready for an early night.

My life as a roller-coaster

This week I experienced the death of a member of my congregation, Sis. P. Then Saturday was my youngest's birthday and we celebrated life. Then today the Lord directed me to preach on mercy and now tomorrow I conduct the funeral for Sis. P.

I'm normally a fairly level kind of guy emotionally, so I'm feeling a little like I'm on a roller-coaster right now. Hopefully everything will calm down this coming week and I can get my bearings again.

In Shock!

I have spent twenty one years earning my living as a computer programmer in corporations. One of the givens that I have encountered is that the annual performance review will be a travesty of documentation that bares no resemblance to what you actually did. Generally, they are a way for the manager to let off steam and blame you for anything that they think makes them look bad.

I had my annual performance review today and I'm in shock. My manager (actually a Director, but who's counting) wrote a magnificent review that was an accurate representation of my years activities. She even remembered some things that I had forgotten I'd done. She thanked me for all my hard work this past year and expressed her belief that I would do well this year in my new role as a Team Lead for my area.

It was a good job I was sitting down!

The Worst Part of the Job

After two and a half years of pastoring, the day I haven't been looking forward to arrived and I lost a member of my congregation. Sis. P was involved in an automobile accident yesterday and went to be with the Lord this afternoon.

Much as I love pastoring, it hurts and I don't ever want to get used to that feeling.