The air conditioner service guy paid his annual visit to our home yesterday. Our unit is about twelve years old, so I wasn’t surprised to learn we needed to replace a part. I wrote him a check for $366, and then we got to talking.
Turns out he is engaged to a Baptist preacher’s daughter. I told him I’d pray for him. “I’ve been married to a Baptist preacher’s daughter for thirty-eight years,” I said, “So I know what you’re getting yourself into!”
Anyway, his father-in-law to be is recently retired, like me, from active pastoral ministry. Having dated his daughter for some time, he was well versed in the demands placed on pastors: counseling, visitation, weekly staff meetings, committee meetings, and a host of other responsibilities along with the weekly deadlines of preparing messages and lessons for the congregation. The phrase “the relentless return of the Sabbath” is how most pastors describe these ever-looming deadlines.
For me, the deadlines haven’t really changed all that much. Posts and podcasts, books, and interviews; I am constantly under the gun. But there is one big difference - what I’m doing now is a labor of love, not a paid position. Don’t get me wrong. I used to say that pastoral ministry for me was like baseball was for Babe Ruth. When they asked the Babe if he wanted to come play for the Yankees and receive a regular paycheck, he said, “Are you kidding? You’re going to pay me to do what I love to do?” I’ve always felt that way about ministry. It’s a calling, not a job. I do what I do because I love it. It really is, to quote Jesus, my meat and drink.
That said, even though the pressure of deadlines is still a part of my life, there’s a difference - I don’t always have to meet those deadlines. I usually do, but every now and then, something comes up that makes juggling all of life’s demands kinda tough.
That something for me right now is a trip with my wife to upstate New York to visit our daughter and son-in-law. I’m looking forward to the cool, Fall weather and the awesome day trips we have planned. I expect I will still be posting fairly regularly for the next week or so, but maybe not. We’ll see.
My priority in the days ahead is family and something Richard Foster has called “the unforced rhythms of grace.” My Tuesday and Thursday podcasts will still air, and I’m looking forward to sharing more thoughts on what it means to be a growing, maturing follower of Jesus in the future.
Thanks to all my readers and listeners.
In Christ,
Dan
Check out my podcasts from Church on the Edge and my books on Kindle.
Have a great trip Dr. Armistead. If you get the chance, I highly recommend visiting the Finger Lakes region. That where I grew up (Corning/Ithaca) and it is beautiful in the autumn. You can’t beat a hot cider while looking at the leaves around the lakes and vineyards.