My Day

My friend sent me a video via email of some of the most hilarious church bloopers ever video-taped. It is absolutely hysterical, full of all-too-human moments that happen whether the time and place is considered "sacred" or not. It felt good to laugh. It also felt good to remember to not take all this church stuff too seriously. The future of the world does not depend upon a perfectly designed and executed worship service or class.

That thought is a good leavening moment right now. In this time of mid-Lent, with Holy Week coming barreling down the pass at us, I find myself overwhelmed, anxious, and grumpy as the many important and not-so-important details of this time of year need to be addressed. Because, of all the times of the year, this is really when you need to get it right. This is the big Kahuna, the Big Time of the church year. And some great idiot (me) scheduled the middle school confirmation retreat for the weekend after Easter. And I'll be gone for three days of the week before the retreat, so the majority of the work has to be done the week before. Which is Holy Week. Ah, the stomach churns!

While this could easily become another installment of "Pastoral Whining," I find myself not wanting to go there. A young couple came to the office this morning, looking for help. They have no place to live, and have run out of options. I can't imagine...no place to live! They're not sure where they will stay tonight, and are just really grateful that their daughter (step daughter to the wife) is with her biological mom this week, and so has a place to sleep.

Are there words for such a reality?

They haven't come back to the office when they said they would, to find out if I've found them any options. So I'm getting worried. I have some possibilities, but the longer they wait to get here, the less likely they can take advantage of them. I wonder where they will keep warm tonight.

What a sentence; "I wonder where they will keep warm tonight." In the year 2007, why are such sentences still being said? I'm sure they've made mistakes, and carry a good chunk of the blame for their situation, but STILL, a warm place to sleep? Why isn't this a given?!

I hope they come. I hope I can help them. I hope...