daily life as life goes on . . .

It has been awhile. 

I used to help with our youth group up until this past summer.  At that point our associate pastor was able to step in – and I added one more evening to my week!

Actually, I missed that one evening a week!  So tonight I was together with the youth group.  We played old fashioned games.  Dodge-ball and old fashioned exercises and tug of war.  All just fun! 

I didn’t realize the shape I’m in.  Which, for my age, is not bad.  I kept up to the kids and hardly ran out of breath.

And now, I’m revitalized.  Ready for tomorrow’s church service.  Where we are not sure how many will attend.  We’ve been seeing increasing numbers, for a number of reasons.  We’ll see how tomorrow fares.

I’m speaking on Colossians 3:16 – on thankfulness.  Should be good!

Yesterday I sat with other “senior pastors.”  Some have been in ministry for four decades.  The rest of us have at least two or three decades of ministry in hand.

One of the elders talked about the high rate of dropout in the pastoral vocation.  Another talked about burnout.  By 40 most pastor’s have realized that you can’t get by on programs or fads. 

And most of us have tried the “next thing.”  Not out of malicious intent.  If anything this movement is towards the best for our churches and the best for Christian life.

Not that it always helps!

The truth is – unless we begin with intimacy with Christ – we end up with the lesser instead of the best. 

That’s was the discussion around the table.  We came to the reminder for all of us – remember to live with Christ in us.  That means setting aside our own interests and seeking Jesus Only.   Sounds like slogans, but the longer I live the more I realize there is a reason slogans last!!

Today I’m digitizing the voices of children when they were much younger.  Put into simple terms – I’m putting a tape onto a CD/mp3. 

What fun to hear words being newly pronounced, and high pitches in voices.  Knowing the kids at their current age, their voices and vocabularies have certainly matured.

I wonder how people look at me some times.  I’m currently in living in my birthplace.  There are people that I encounter on Sunday mornings who probably saw me when I was just newly home from the hospital, still in diapers.  Half a century later, they still see me.

But what do they see?

I suppose they see an older man – but sometimes I wonder if, for them, there is still the image of a baby in the midst of the baritone voice of an adult.  And is that such a bad thing? 

Walmart is our local “photograph development center.”  In other words, a town of 5,000 depends on one store to provide photo quality enlargements and other varied photograph needs.

A few years ago two other stores in town were in the running.  Both ran out of steam.

Today I headed over to the Walmart to get some wallet size photos of our family.  The pictures would serve for viewing with friends and neighbours when we got together.  But, I was completely ignorant of how to go about this.

Thankfully, Shannon was there.  As the employee overseeing picture lab information, she kindly showed me how.  Merely use the “collage” tab.

Now, I have become used to this whole idea of finding the access point to get into greater depth.  I clicked and clicked and ended up with great wallet pictures.  Only a single loonie!!

So, feel free to come and visit.  I’ll show you our family portrait.  As we did tonight with friends from Melfort.  The foray into ignorance has had a good ending!!