One Pastor's Perspective

Spent all day Saturday outdoors . . . That is not a bad thing, except for the fact that it was in the 90s for most of the day. As I usually do every other Saturday, I went out after breakfast to cut the grass. Unusually, the lawn mower (not even one year old yet) would not crank!

I went through the entire checklist . . . New gas . . . new spark plug . . . cleaned the air filter . . . sacrificed a whole chicken . . . NOTHING WORKED. I noticed the compression seemed weak as I pulled the chord, so I took the starter-assembly off and found that I could turn the flywheel, with NO resistance, in either direction as much as I wanted.

HELP GOOGLE!! Google put me into a troubleshooting app on the Briggs & Stratton website. I started following it step by step and found the intake valve stuck open.

To make a long story short, I spent half the day looking for a small engine valve spring compressor. THERE IS NOT ONE FOR SALE IN FLORENCE, SC! I talked to my dad and he told me to use a block of wood and hammer to tap it back in. SO, Drew and I hosed it down with WD-40 and worked it back and forth until it started working again. We reassembled it and cut the grass! Our neighbors cheered (for the grass being cut)!

Dad, along with several others, have advised me to get some valve treatment and that should help, along with keeping the air filter clean. Did Drew and I enjoy this?? YES, but I don’t want to do it every time I cut the grass . . .

How messed up is my head that I am excited about getting to cut the softball signs down last night?? We were finished a month ago, but waited until after the class softball games (which was a fundraiser sponsored by Varsity Softball). Those ended last night when the juniors beat the sophmores and then beat the faculty!! (On the other hand, rumor has it that there will now be NO valedictorian next year)

Am I doing flips?? Not really. . . that WOULD be pathetic. No, but I will no longer worry about them every time a storm comes up. So, I guess I SHOULD be a little excited about it!

I have two friends from seminary that are serving in China right now. Yes, they felt the earthquake and are in the midst of ministry there. They cannot tell me where they are, and in turn, I cannot tell you WHO they are to protect their identities. But this morning, I got an urgent request for prayer that I am passing on to YOU:

1. Pray that they will be successful in placing workers in the right positions for the coming school year, and the schools will cooperate with them.

2. Pray that their work visas will be renewed.

Cannot say more now, but the power of prayer is so important. Pray for them: GOD KNOWS who you are praying for!!!

Thanks!

GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS FOR A PASTOR (from Mikey’s Funnies):

Good News: You baptized seven people today in the river.
Bad News: You lost two of them in the swift current.

Good News: The Women’s Guild voted to send you a get-well card.
Bad News: The vote passed 31-30.

Good News: The Elder Board accepted your job description the way you wrote it.
Bad News: They were so inspired by it, they also formed a search committee to find somebody capable of filling the position.

Good News: You finally found a choir director who approaches things exactly the same way you do.
Bad News: The choir mutinied.

Good News: Mrs. Jones is wild about your sermons.
Bad News: Mrs. Jones is also wild about Ozzy Osbourne, “Desperate Housewives” and “Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”

Good News: The trustees finally voted to add more church parking.
Bad News: They are going to blacktop the front lawn of your parsonage.

Good News: Church attendance rose dramatically the last three weeks.
Bad News: You were on vacation.

Good News: Your biggest critic just left your church.
Bad News: She has been appointed the District Supervisor of your denomination’s region.

Good News: The youth in your church come to your house for a surprise visit.
Bad News: It’s in the middle of the night and they are armed with toilet paper and shaving cream to “decorate” your house.

(To subscibe, go to www.mikeysfunnies.com)

Daughter of Gospel Star Steven Curtis Chapman Hit, Killed by Car

All I can say is that SCC has meant a lot to me over the years, and today I am praying for him, for his wife and family, and especially for his son.

What is it about cooking that draws me in?? This morning I got up at 6:15 and cooked breakfast for my family. Tomorrow, I will be at the church at 6:00am to fix the same for 40-50 youth. Maybe it is not the most manly thing to do in the world, but I really enjoy it. Why??

I know I am a task-driven person at the very heart of who I am. I think the sense of accomplishment is something I need to keep me sane. Sometimes in ministry, accomplishment is HARD to see. Because there is ALWAYS someone in the hospital, someone to visit at home, someone needing to come in and meet, a variety of things I cannot even anticipate that happen every week at the office, and always Bible studies and sermons for the week. Every week. And it had ALL better be good, or folks will let me know. And, on top of all of that, there is always someone mad about something. There are times in ministry when it feels like you are falling into a well and the bottom is just not there.

Hence, my therapy in the kitchen. And I do enjoy it, even if it is not the most macho thing to do in the world. Hmm . . . Maybe if I got some cooking-related tatoos?????

This was baccalaureate Sunday, hence the robe!

From the home office in Olanta, SC: (Seriously, I heard almost every one of these yesterday at church)

The Top Ten Things people say to you when YOU HAVE A SUNBURNED FACE:

10. You are wearing too much blush.
9. Does that hurt??
8. You look suprised.
7. You look stupid.
6. You look like a raccoon.
5. Are you okay?
4. You look embarassed.
3. Your shoes are untied.
2. Do you think that looks GOOD??

And the number ONE thing people say to you when you have a sunburned face . . .
Did you get a little sun?