Tag Archives: photography

The Quiet Life Of A Country Pastor Pt. 10

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles

It has been weeks since I have had an opportunity to write about my “quiet life”.

 I have had so many wonderful opportunities to share faith with people these last weeks it has just eaten up my time.

I have run  staff meetings and taken phone calls. I have attended prayer meetings and shared biblical principles for living with troubled souls. I have preached and I have led worship. I have attended planning sessions for future ministry and future town projects. In all of it I have seen the hand of God moving mightily.

I was honored to perform a wedding for a young couple I once had in youth group.

I was equally honored to lay to rest and offer words of comfort at the graveside of one of God’s saints.

I attended a baptism.

Then  i traveled to the Berkshires to do lead worship at a camp for the disabled and to care for one of the guests who needed some one to one care.

I was privileged to be the pastor appointed to pray for the cities of the North at the Worcester County Prayer day this last Saturday.

 Then yesterday after Sunday services I attended a thank you luncheon for our worship and arts teams of the church.

My life my not be externally quiet but the blessing of it leads to a deep inner calm that restores the soul. As the writer to the Hebrews says, “There remains a Sabbath rest for God’s people”. It may not come in the way we think but the rest God gives is the best there is.

How do you find rest for your soul?

Fun With the Weekly Photo Challenge

Posted on by under Photography

This week the Daily Post has asked us to HAVE FUN with the weekly photo challenge.

Here are my examples of fun:

Dancing clown
My daughters, both children’s ministers
This fish wishes he were wetter

Fun is captured in the moment!

Here are some other samples of fun!

 

The Quiet Life Of A Country Pastor Pt. 10

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles

 

I began this series to portray what life is like for a country pastor. So many people think that pastors only work one day a week or on the other end of the spectrum that we are on call 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Neither of those things is true (however much certain people would like them to be). Church work is work like any other job. There are days I think I work too much, but who doesn’t feel that way.

I get time off. I get vacation. I also work over time. I think the biggest difference between pastors and say accountants is that pastoring is not my job. It is my calling. I work at a church… but I am a pastor. Even if I worked at McDonalds I would be a pastor because that is what God called me to be. My job doesn’t define me. My calling does.

Anyway I am fortunate to be a pastor who (currently at least) works one job and that is at a church.

I think the last time I posted about my “quiet country life”, I was just finishing up worship rehearsal with our second worship team. That was Saturday morning. The ride has been wild and wonderful since then.

Saturday evening I was back at the church to meet with another prayer team to prepare for Sunday morning service. Some people think that prayer is just an endless repetition of requests. But prayer is so much more; It is a divine encounter with the living God. It is a vital soul filling and soul wearying thing. Prayer is work and it is perhaps the greatest work pastors can do!

After prayer I was home and off to bed for service Sunday morning.

I was back in church by 7:15 A.M. for sound check with team one and from there I was in service (we have two on Sunday mornings until 12).

 

After service I met with the leaders of our worship ministry to go over budgets and schedules for the next quarter.

After that I went home and slept and slept and slept. Monday is my Sabbath!

Today (Tuesday) I was in at 7 to get ready for a wonderful day of meetings.

We met for team prayer at 9 and then staff meeting at 10:15.

Tonight I am meeting with our fall Bible study teachers for training.

I love this life!

 

Share Your World 2016 Week #32

Posted on by under For Family & Fun

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Yep! It’s time to SHARE MY WORLD AGAIN! Those of you who read Lillie-Put regularly know that Share Your World is one of the challenges I participate in almost weekly.

For those of you new to Lillie-Put, Share Your World, is a challenge put out by Cee Neuner, a blogger from Portland Oregon. Every week she asks us five questions and in answering them we all share our worlds!

Join in the fun by clicking the underlined link above and sharing your own world with Cee!

Here are this week’s questions and my answers:

If you could have an endless supply of any food, what would you get?

Pizza, most definitely pizza

What is the worst thing you ate this last recently?

I made chicken a week ago. It was so dry it turned to dust in my mouth. Blecch!

You are comfortable doing nothing? For long stretches of time?

I call myself to center down several times a day. Honestly I find it hard to find time to do nothing but the act of coming away from activity to meditate and pray has become an essential part of my attempt at creating effectiveness. That said I am not generally someone who does nothing for long blocks of time. It might be fun to do more of that from time to time.

List of Jobs You Think You Might Enjoy: Even if you aren’t thinking about a career change, it can be fun to think of other jobs you might enjoy.

owner/ manager of a bed & breakfast

monk

professional movie critic

cowboy

archaeologist

 

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I am grateful I got to talk to all my children and my sister last week . This week I am looking forward to performing the wedding ceremony for two of my former students.

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