One Great Week

    When it was decided to have a weekly e-news letter with a column written by one of the pastors, I wondered what would differentiate that column from my blog.  I decided, that as much as possible, the blog would have a more personal flavor and the e-news letter would be more formal.  Therefore, in this blog I get personal.
    I was asked Sunday how my week had been.  My answer was, “excellent!”  The questioner waited for further explanation.  I responded with a report of why it was excellent.  The first reason was Thursday which is my day off.  Thursday is also my golf day.  (I’ve played 3 or 4 times this year.) Last Thursday, I canceled my golf game in order to get rid of lots of pent-up guilt.  The source of my guilt was numerous items that needed attention around my house.   There was a deck that was half stained which cried out to be finished.  There were flower beds that needed attention. There were two poles in a split-rail fence that needed to be pulled upright.  We are trying a new plan to keep deer from eating the flowers and that new plan needed implementation.  I could add more to the list.  I spent eight hours assaulting this list and made a major dent in the items that needed to be addressed.  I can now walk through the backyard without wondering if the neighbors will soon vote me out for abuse and neglect of my home.
    As I reflect on last Thursday, I think everyone needs a “Get Rid Of The Guilt Day.”  Perhaps we should even make it a national holiday which occurs once a month.  We could get Hallmark or Blue Mountain e-mail to design special greeting cards which we could send to friends who are overloaded with guilt because of tasks that have been too long neglected.  On Get Rid of Guilt Day all normal activities are canceled and the list that constantly nags at us is addressed.  The benefit of Get Rid Of Guilt Day is that it is a wonderful feeling at the end of the day even if you don’t get it all done.
    The second thing that happened occurred on Saturday.  I write a quarterly administrative newsletter on parish administration for the Southern Ohio Synod.  The June edition is due since we are in June.  But what to write?  I decided to use a pharmaceutical representative’s quote: “Features tell, Benefits sell.”  Features describe what goes into a drug.  Benefits name the end results of what the drug does for the user.  Adapting the quote, I asked, What are the features of a congregation?  And, what are the benefits a congregation has to offer its members and non-members?  The creative juices flowed as I thought about the reasons a congregation exists, its features.  Once the features were defined, I began to work on what benefits could a congregation promise as it proclaimed the Gospel?
    The first draft of my newsletter is written.  It will be proof-read today and will be sent to the Synod on Wednesday.  While I am glad that it is done and off my desk, I confess that I enjoyed the 10 hours I spent working on it.  Creative administration thinking sets my soul on fire.
    What sets your soul on fire?  And when do you take time to do the thing that sets your soul on fire?  Such a day could make you say, “I had an excellent week!”
Pastor Pete