Yesterday was Pastor's Appreciation day across Western Christendom! Again, my congregation outdid themselves ............... they know I like to cook and bought me Rocco's cookbook 'Flavor!' I've already picked out the first two recipes I will try out. Some of them wrote a brief message on the recipe they would like me to fix for them - the top two I've picked out were not chosen by anyone .......... so I'll sneak them up on them at an Afterglow some Sunday night. I love doing that; at the last one I fixed a mac & cheese that our IT tech really loved, matter of fact he had seconds. Then he asked me what I made it with and when I told him cottage cheese and sour cream you should have seen his face, he doesn't like either of those ingredients ... it was a hallmark moment; because he couldn't retract the fact he had eaten so much of it, and really liked it! [the recipe is on this blog-site]
I got some really nice cards [I love cards] and then in a decorated paint box in the auditorium people were encouraged to leave little slips of encouraging words ......... little slips of matter - big notes of encouragement! All the cards and notes are safely tucked away in my 'memory box.'
Of course none of this would be possible without SWCOBL, and those cards/notes were addressed to her also. Last but not least we received some debit visa cards, a coupon to County Line, one of our favorite restaurants here in town, and then the most important one, a card to 'BARNES & NOBLE!' The Chuckie Cheese one will be used in the Big City East when we visit the grand kids.
One the literary front, at the present I'm working my way through Teddy Roosevelts great adventure 'The River of Doubt' and Pastor Ed Dobson's new book on his adventure 'Living a LIfe like Jesus for a Year.' I found out last night at church that there are a number of people interested in having a group book discussion on 'The Shack' .... so I'm starting to read that one also and looking for a study guide on the net .. any thoughts are more than appreciated; I know that Amazon.com has almost 200 reviews, which I've mostly read.
I got some really nice cards [I love cards] and then in a decorated paint box in the auditorium people were encouraged to leave little slips of encouraging words ......... little slips of matter - big notes of encouragement! All the cards and notes are safely tucked away in my 'memory box.'
Of course none of this would be possible without SWCOBL, and those cards/notes were addressed to her also. Last but not least we received some debit visa cards, a coupon to County Line, one of our favorite restaurants here in town, and then the most important one, a card to 'BARNES & NOBLE!' The Chuckie Cheese one will be used in the Big City East when we visit the grand kids.
One the literary front, at the present I'm working my way through Teddy Roosevelts great adventure 'The River of Doubt' and Pastor Ed Dobson's new book on his adventure 'Living a LIfe like Jesus for a Year.' I found out last night at church that there are a number of people interested in having a group book discussion on 'The Shack' .... so I'm starting to read that one also and looking for a study guide on the net .. any thoughts are more than appreciated; I know that Amazon.com has almost 200 reviews, which I've mostly read.
The hidden trials of being a pastor are difficult for lay people to comprehend. The "teaching and preaching" part most understand, but I think the difficult thing would be dealing the day to day problems, both spiritual and temporal, of one's flock. I can certainly understand why God calls it a spiritual gift, because too few are really adept at it without God's help.
ReplyDeleteCheers.
Sherm
ReplyDeleteI don't possibly see how you can do it without his help .......... and even then, oh well ... yesterday was one of those timely reminders God works thru his children to be encouragers! Preaching and teaching are indeed the fun part!
thanks