REALLY NOT IN CONTROL...

(I’ll likely be posting this on Saturday morning but I’m actually writing it on Thursday at midday.)

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord:  and he delighteth in his way.” (Psalm 37:23)

Naturally speaking, I’m a pretty compulsive planner.  In evangelical Christian circles, we compulsive planners can be in for some pretty condescending criticism.

“What’s the MATTER?!” people ask (and not always so nicely), “Aren’t you TRUSTING in the Lord?!  Aren’t you turning everything over to HIm?!”

In reality we SHOULD be trusting in the Lord and turning everything over to Him, although when people hit me with the above comments, I really want to say, “Aren’t you minding your own business?” (See I Thessalonians 4:11).

Even so, I hate to admit it, but those Christians who DO admonish the compulsive planners HAVE A POINT.  (I just wish they would be a lot nicer and a lot more gracious when they criticize.)  On the one hand, planning is not a bad thing.  Apparently, Jesus carefully planned for the Last Supper (and its details) in the famous “upper room”.  People who don’t plan... well... they “go nowhere fast”!  Yet, God CAN change our plans anytime He chooses.  When He does change our plans, there is always a reason, even though it is not always apparent to us.

As I write, it’s Thursday at midday.  Many people think, “Boy it must be EASY to be pastor of a small church!  There’s almost NOTHING to do!” (It’s like the people who ask me, “Do you WORK, or are you a pastor?”!)  In fact, it’s much harder to pastor a small church than it is to pastor a medium-sized or large one.  In a larger church, the pastor usually has a full-time Secretary/Receptionist.  He usually has a full-time Assistant Pastor. He usually has at least a part-time custodian, and often a full-time custodian.  In REALLY big churches of 2000 or more, the pastor usually doesn’t handle most of the “business stuff”.  There is a full-time professional business manager who does that.  I am blessed to have a 6-hour-a-week volunteer part-time secretary and cleaner, but pretty much everything else is done by me.

Wednesday, we had snow, sleet, and freezing rain.  I stayed home all day.  There was stuff on my “pastor schedule” that did not get done. I did shovel three times on Wednesday.  Today (Thursday) I was up at 5 shoveling out my wife so she could go to work at Marian High School.  The cold and encrusted and hard snow pack was HARDER to shovel than anything I did yesterday.  I drove to the church around 8:30 with a pretty full schedule in mind for the day.  I was dressed “bummy” and had not taken a shower.  I planned to shovel off steps and walkways, do a bit of work, go home and shower, and get ready for a Community Good Friday Service planning meeting on the other side of town.   I was stunned to arrive at the church and find the parking lot NOT plowed!  Our plowing contractor is very good and very reliable and always has the church done quickly- thus I was REALLY surprised.  I drove home and tried unsuccessfully to reach the plowing contractor on the phone.  I did some “personal devotional reading” in the Bible.  I kind of paced around the house.  Then, I drove back to the church at 10 to find things exactly as I’d found them before.  I drove by the plowing guy’s business garage and pounded on the door.  No one answered.  I drove home and this time, I managed to get a woman from the plowing company on the phone.  She was very apologetic and actually was quite surprised our lot HAD NOT been plowed.  She assured me it will be done sometime today.  I felt a lot better, but since I will need to shovel the steps after they plow, I opted to stay in the “bummy” clothes unshowered.  For THAT reason I decided to opt out of the Good Friday planning meeting.  The Rev. Debbie Clark from the northside was disappointed... but I just can’t start cloning Bob Barils.

The Lord willing, eventually, the lot will get plowed.  I’ll get the stairs shoveled.  I’ll take a shower.  And, I’ll start on a lot of work that will be a couple of days behind by the time I do!  Oh, I didn’t tell you what my devotional reading was about.  It was the plagues of Egypt in the Old Testament!  Pharaoh learned that he really wasn’t in control- God was.  And, this pastor is learning the same thing!  Well, I guess an unplowed lot is better than billions of locusts eating everything in their sight!

P.S.  I’m adding THIS part late Friday night.  Today there was a major problem with the church heating system which pretty much tied up most of the morning and early afternoon.  Boy, I guess I really AM learning I’m not in control!  I’m “gonna be really winging it” to get ready for Sunday! A “heads up” is   :  usually when I got into a Sunday THAT “spazzed” is when God is most likely to “show up” in a big way; so you might want to check that out THIS SUNDAY, FEB. 18 !!