A Pastoral Day

Another busy pastoral day on the administration end of pastoral ministry. I spent the morning creating forms and updating our membership lists in preparation of the nominating committee meeting later in the day. While working on the forms I fielded phone calls and drop in visitors trying hard to get it all wrapped up before my noon meeting.


At noon I met the other pastors of the West Valley Ministerial Association for lunch and fellowship. For two hours we laughed and teased and shared what was happening in our churches. I feel like the group is really beginning to draw together after a lot of pastoral changes in the past year.


By the time that meeting was wrapping up it was time to lay out the materials for the nominating committee. For the next hour we lay out the nominees for the upcoming church elections. Now over the next week we will confirm nominations and work to fill any gaps.


By the time we were done, I packed up my stuff and headed over to the Treasurer's office to touch bases on the week, only to find out that he had had additional communication with the IRS. Since soon after my appointment at Willamina we have been struggling with an old IRS report from 2008. Today we got another notification that it was not fixed yet. I have to admit that these kind of issues can really such the joy out of me. But I am blessed with an incredible treasurer who is really riding herd on this issue for me.


An hour later, I finally left and headed home. Where I have been fielding phone calls and trying to work on a community event we have coming up. The evening seems to be quickly disappearing and I still have work to do. However pretty soon I will push it all aside and head to bed.


Today was good, busy but good. I have to admit though, I am glad that not all of my days as a pastor are wrapped up in administration tasks. I need the time out from behind the desk. days that I am investing in the lives of other people. Days when I can really see that I am making a difference. Because when you stop to think about it, what good is all this "stuff" if it is not making a difference in someone's life.


So today was mostly given to "stuff". But tomorrow ..... is for me. It is time to spend times with my friends and enjoy some down time.


Yes ... time for a me day for sure ....


Just Connie

My Day

I was in meetings today .... meetings all day long. One meeting after another. I have found that meetings are the reality of the life of a pastor. It began with the Chamber of Commerce meeting where I serve as Board Secretary. I take minutes while I eat my breakfast and harass the others. It is usually entertaining and good to be with people I have come to love and respect.


From there I headed down to the Fire Hall for the Board of Directors meeting. I am an actual elected official. I often wonder how I got to this place since I had never imagined that I would be. However, I have to say that I really enjoy my service with the Fire Department. I feel like I am doing something worthwhile and important, something that I am actually good at. So for the next hour we went over the audit, signed checks and worked on the management of the Fire District. Afterwards I took the time to sit and talk with the staff, since I also serve as chaplain I make sure that I am down at the Fire Hall often enough to get to know everyone.


But I had another meeting to head to so, I packed up and headed to the church where I meet with the chairmen of one of our committees. We went over protocols and procedures and tried to work out some bugs in our systems.


By the time that meeting was over I threw a frozen meal in the microwave and ate at my desk while I tried to go through the e-mail that had piled up while I was tied up with yesterday's work project. By the time my lunch was gone, my next meeting was knocking at the door. And for the next two hours I met with my associate pastor. I always love our weekly staff meeting and I am very thankful for the wonderful associate God has given me here. The church and I are both very fortunate to have her.


By the time I waved goodbye to her I had just enough time to pack up and run to the bank in Sheridan, stop at the store to grab dinner and head home. Now after making, dinner, cleaning up and finishing sorting my e-mail, I am about ready to call it a night.


Tomorrow I will pop out of bed at 6:00 and begin this cycle all over again. This is the exciting life of a pastor. You know I often say ..."if it wasn't for meetings I would have no social life at all".


Hmmm .... that must be a good thing ... right?


Just Connie

Tomorrow's Service

One of the many things I have loved about this pastorate is that I get many opportunities to serve in a variety of ways. I have worked on roofs, cut wood, operated a hydraulic splitter, cut down a tree and a host of other things I have never done before.


Tomorrow I take a crew over to the Grand Ronde Nazarene Church to help them repair the parsonage. It is a chance to come alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ and encourage and help. So tomorrow I will pack up my tools and head out to meet the others.


Serving in this very real tangible ways is very satisfying to me. It reminds me what ministry is all about and encourages me to get out from behind my desk. I think it also offers the chance for others to come and help that would not otherwise get a chance or know about the chance to help. I think it also serves as a model of the service God calls all of us to.


Tomorrow will be a wonderful time, a tiring time and a transformational time.


You can't ask for a better day than that.


Just Connie

Busy Sunday

Busy, busy Sunday. I love Sundays but they are usually very full and very busy and today was definitely that.

I taught my adult Sunday School class which is always fun. I love the discussion and the variety of perspectives. it always challenges me and I leave the class smiling and blessed. From there it was time to step into morning worship. Today I had a whole row of little girls sitting with me. That meant we danced through worship and I laughed and smiled as I watched them love Jesus.

It felt so good to be back in the pulpit today. I was only out one week but it felt like so much longer. There is something about standing before God's people and sharing the Word that humbles, blesses and stretches me. Today was like that. We laughed and shared together as God spoke to our hearts.

Following worship I had a short counseling session and then it was right into a long meeting. From there I ran home, changed my clothes and let the doggies out. By then it was time to head back to the church for the de-decorating. We had three families show up and amazingly it only took us an hour to take everything down and take it up in the attic. We wrapped the evening up by driving into Sheridan for dinner and ice cream. We laughed and just enjoyed being together.

Now I am sitting curled up in front of the fire, enjoying some quiet time with the dogs curled up beside me. It was a good day, a full day that is a pretty good representation of what it means to be a pastor on a Sunday.

I have to say I love my job, I love these people ... I feel full and blessed .... and grateful.

Just Connie

New Chapter

Tonight marks a new chapter in my life. After years of separation my heart friends and I are all pastoring in the same community again. They pulled in with the moving van tonight about 5:00. Their new church congregation were there to help them as we all worked together to unload the moving van. The good news is that it is all unloaded. The bad news is that their house is not ready. So they will be staying in a travel trailer for a few weeks while they work to finish the house.

It felt so good and so right to have them here. I recognize that this has the potential to change a lot of things for me. To have close friends to depend on ... I almost do not remember what that is like. But I could feel the pieces falling into place as we sat and had dinner together.

I am looking forward to sharing life with my friends and looking forward to what the Lord will do in and through us in the months ahead. This is an answer to the prayer of my heart and the continuation of the restoration he has undertaken in my life. I am so very grateful for this.

God is so very good .....

Just Connie

The Call

The phone call came while I was in a meeting. When I listened to my voice mail I was stunned. After years of prayer, after finally helping his family file a missing person's report, my former husband called me. And taking a deep breath I returned the call.

I am feeling so many different things right now they are hard to all sort out. I am relieved to hear from him and very thankful that he seems to be healthy and well. He sounded so much better than the last time I spoke with him. I also found myself struggling to find the right words to say to communicate that I was doing well and life was good for me.

To be honest it really felt a bit surreal ... as if the last 8 years melted away. I found myself resisting the urge to forget everything that has happened. To forget the fear and the misery, to just remember the good things. And I think there has to be a balance somewhere between the two. I think I need to remember the wonderful man with a terrible problem. To remember but to not be bitter or angry. To remember, to pray and to continue to heal.

I do not have to be controlled or defined by what happened between us. I can just be who I am, what I am and let God continue His work in my heart and life.

I am a work in process .... in fact I have to admit I feel like a construction zone right now.

Just Connie

Unwritten

It is the first day of a new year. There are 365 unwritten pages stretching before me. I know that the story that is written will be full of be filled with joy and laughter. I look with anticipation for what lies ahead. I know that there will be tears and heartache, challenges and obstacles and still I stand with confidence knowing that God is big enough for what I will face in the days ahead.

I pray that as the story is written that it would glorify God, serve others and bring love and laughter wherever I go.

I wonder what the next year will bring ....

Just Connie