A (Retired) Pastor's Week

I guess this was a typical pastor's week. Since I am also the secretary one or two days each week, I did that kind of stuff -- making a new attendance roster, checking email, making an insert for the worship folder, talking with a lot of people who stopped by, answering the phone, etc. Wednesday we were waiting for Trevor so we could start our team meeting when we learned that a man in the church had died. He had terminal cancer but it was expected that he would live another 5 or 6 months so this came as a shock. Shanette and I went over to the house and spent time with the family. Our team meeting was later and shorter!

Wednesday evening was our Family Nite and I spent considerable time getting an old TV to play a VHS tape so the kids could sing to music. We have a new TV but I couldn't get it to work with the VCR. I was successful, but the old system leaves a lot to be desired. That kind of summarizes our whole technological system. Some of what we have is very good and some is rather archaic and the two don't get along well together. I'm referring to our sound and projection system. Trevor is slowly getting it whipped into shape.

One aspect of Family Nite is making sure all the kids get home safely. Some of our kids come from apartments down the street. Three little girls and their baby sister discovered mom wasn't home and the door was locked. We took them back to the church and waited for mom. Pretty soon she called. There was some kind of misunderstanding but everyone was safe.

I like to watch football on TV -- which I did Saturday. Did anyone notice that Oregon beat Washington? I only got in a little football Sunday, as you will read next. And tonight football was just "okay." Unless, of course, you are a Philly fan. But it wasn't much of a game.

Sunday they had a potluck for Pastor's Appreciation day. The food was great. So was the appreciation. It is always nice to be appreciated but I feel a little self-conscious or awkward about people saying all those nice things. The people really do appreciate Trevor and Shanette which is really good. Sunday evening Joyce and I drove to Springfield to attend the church where her nephew is the pastor. He started the same day we did last July but we haven't had the chance to go visit. We got of meet his wife for the first time -- who is expecting their first baby in December. They got married about 3 years ago in South Dakota (her home) and then went to seminary in Mississippi. This is his first full-time appointment and he is pastoring the church he grew up in. His mom and dad also attend the church. Kind of neat, huh?

And so it goes. Lots of work but time for fun. God is good.

Anybody Want To Eat Out?

Well... you, dear readers, are a wonderful tribe. All one needs to do for a little TLC is throw a bit of a pity party and there you are, saying nice things. I'm encouraged.

This has been a fun week. I know... I say that about a lot of weeks. Well, they are. Life is just plain ole fun. Lots of work, but still fun. My sister, Beth, has been with us for the past week. She is the one you don't recognize in this made-just-for-the-blog photo. We have done things with her, and at other times we left her at home and went on our own. Friday we took most of the day for a small tour of the area. We drove through Sodaville to Brownsville and snooped through some old shops, second hand stores, and the museum. Then on through Sweet Home and back to Lebanon. Fun day. Last week I mentioned a graveside service I officiated at. An interesting side note to that: I found out Beth's in-laws are buried at the same cemetery so we drove over there and found their graves.

We're not suffering for food either. Monday we ate out at a Chinese Restaurant, Tuesday afternoon we went to the Seniors Retreat at Aldersgate so we ate dinner there. Wednesday was Family Night with dinner there. Thursday Joyce and I were invited out to eat at a Mongolian Grill. Friday we ate lunch in at a nice little cafe in Brownsville. Alas, Saturday we had to eat at home. Tonight Joyce and I just returned from an invitation to eat out -- again!

Tuesday morning we went house hunting. We are considering moving to Salem and getting a duplex so Ginger can live in the other end. We got a list of possibilities from a Realtor, I laid out a grid, and we drove all over Salem looking at duplexes. Not the inside, just looking at the outside and considering the neighborhood -- if we wanted to pursue it further. There are some we are going to try to see closer but nothing we are really excited about. We have discovered some problems with what we want to do: 1) most duplexes are in a concentration of duplexes, i.e. rentals, with all the problems a group of rentals brings; 2) newer duplexes are nicer but the building lots are smaller, hence real close neighbors and no place to put the RV; 3) many of them are townhouses and we are not thrilled with the idea of steps. So we'll see how this progresses. We are in no hurry.

We are having fabulously beautiful fall weather. A little rain but then it turns nice, the sun shines, and temps are not too bad. It is really nice. The Friday trip was in gorgeous weather. Yesterday it rained. Today was beautiful. I preached this morning and Trevor did his first baby dedication. Ginger came Friday evening and went home after church today. And Beth goes home tomorrow -- after we eat lunch at a Mexican Restaurant just down the street!!!

And that is about it. Oh yes, the church. Of course, the church. That's why we are here, isn't it? Or is it to try all the local restaurants? Actually we don't have that many but Corvallis and Albany are nearby. That opens up a whole world of possibilities. Anyway, the church is going well. Lots of planning and visiting, planning and visiting. It's good. We're good. I hope you're good.

(Sorry about the big, long paragraph. After putting in a pictue, my blog won't recognize paragraphs -- many times. Any suggestions?)

2 Weeks Worth

I'm back. I didn't blog last week because I didn't feel like it! I decided that since I'm retired (well, supposed to be) that I didn't always have to blog if I didn't want to. Besides, who cares? I didn't think anyone would even notice. Who reads it anyway? Only 3 people checked anything on the poll (I'm the 4th one). So I had a pity party and kicked back and watched football. So there!

(I just lost a big paragraph of blog. I don't even know how it happened and I'm not happy again. Anybody know a better way to blog than to use blogspot? I've thought of getting a web page but I think that is more work and has more limitations for what this really is.) Okay. I'll try again but I always hate to redo something. There were a few times back in history when I would lose my sermon on the computer (a lockup or something). Then I would have to start over and I hated that. I think God gave me those times to see if I was really committed to developing the best sermon I could.

I think I'll work backwards. Today Trevor preached. We are beginning a sermon series on the Bible book of Philippians and he gave the background. My sister, Beth is here visiting us for about 10 days. We also had visitors from Grants Pass -- Mike, Joann, Ken and Ruth. Plus four other people from the Salem area (plus their kids). Our regular attendance was down but with the visitors, it didn't look too bad. We were also missing our pianist which meant singing a'capella. Actually we do that pretty well.

We made a quick trip to Grants Pass this week. We left Wednesday immediately after a funeral I officiated at (it was a simple graveside). Part of the funeral process is teaching Trevor and Shanette what to do so I had them involved with visiting with the family and Trevor prayed a closing prayer. At home -- GP home -- we had two doctors appointments EACH on Thursday (all is well -- too well, in fact. I am eating too well!). We stripped the garden and got the remnants ready to take to Jo-Gro on our November visit. We also winterized the RV and covered it for winter. Then headed back to Lebanon on Friday. Oh, I also turned on the heat in the house. Note: this is my new heating system that I have only been able to personally enjoy for two days! Maybe the house will enjoy it. Hope it works.

Joyce and Shanette painted the outer office a few days ago -- then put furniture and so on in there to make it more like a reception area. It looks nice. We have been invited out to eat and always eat too much. These people can sure cook! I've been working too hard. This is supposed to be part-time -- about 30 hours a week. Some weeks I'm getting over 40 and have averaged about 35. Oh well. I'm having fun. Last Sunday I preached. The previous two Sundays Trevor preached using his life testimony as a basis; then Shanette did the same thing. So I decided to do that also. That is the first time I have done that. I've shared my testimony before but never in that way. It was hard deciding what to talk about and what to leave out -- and then work all that into a sermon so it was more than just a "story about me." I think it turned out okay and it was fun.

And with that note of "fun" I'll end this blog. Be sure to have fun this week.

Totally Full Thursday

Before we got to Thursday, we had Monday -- work, Tuesday -- Joyce left me, and Wednesday -- Joyce came back. What happened was this. We have a friend, Beth (and her family) from back in Newberg days who lives in Redmond. Joann H. and Joyce decided to go visit her. She was trying to get ready for a yard sale but she had recently had surgery so it was slow going. Well, say "yard sale" to Joyce and Joann and it's like saying "telephone" to a teenager. I took Joyce to Joann's house in Stayton early Tuesday morning and off they went. I think it was a little bit of deja vu all over again -- the three of them talked, laughed, went out to eat, watched a DVD movie at the motel, and pretended they were young again. But they had a lot of fun and Joyce needed that.

Thursday -- yes, then there was Thursday! First off was a MEG meeting at the Conference office in Salem at 9:00. The superintendent and I had to tell a pastor that he was suspended from his appointment to a church -- not easy and not fun. Next, Joyce and I met with a banker to discuss the possibility of a home loan (IF we should happen to buy a house in Salem). Then it was off to Beaverton for a lunch meeting with Joe at 12:15. He is the coach for the pastoral coaches. I needed him to pour some education into me. Then we headed to Newberg for a 3:00 memorial service. This was for Mackey, a man who was our Director of Senior Adult Ministries when we were in Newberg. He was retired at that time but just so willing to serve the Lord in any way he could. I was asked to give a short tribute. When that ended, we schmoozed for a few minutes, then headed back to Lebanon for a dinner meeting with church friends at 6:15. When we left their house about 9:00 we decided to drive to Grants Pass. Whew! We fell into bed about 12:30. I think I'm too old for very many of those kinds of days.

Our garden is in decline, except for the tomatoes which are really ripening now. We picked a bunch -- not sure what we will do with all of them. Maybe sauce them up and freeze them for stews later on. Saturday, I conducted the memorial service for Lloyd, a former member of Allen Creek. When that was over we left for Lebanon, getting back here about 7:00.

Today, Shanette preached and used her life experiences as the basis for her sermon. She did a great job. Next Sunday, it is me.

Notice the preference poll to the right. Are you anxious for summer to be over? Add your vote. I'm not, but here it is, the first Sunday in autumn. We have been having some pretty nice days but the nights are getting cold and they say it will rain this week. Winter is coming, ready or not. And so it goes. Take care and have a great week.

A Look At the Inside

Someone asked to see the inside of our Lebanon house. Let me try to describe it to you. If you visited us you would step into a small entry way. To the left is a short hallway leading to the main bathroom on the right, a bedroom across the hall from that, and the master bedroom at the end of the hall. A couple steps down the hall from entry (just before the bathroom) is a short hall to the right going past the utility closet. Since we don't have a washer/dryer here, it makes a nice storage area. That hallway opens into the main living area. To your right is the dining room and to the right of that is the kitchen; to your left is the living room. These are along the back of the house (toward the canal). The first two pictures are of the living room -- definitely being lived in!!!

Moving around the room from left to right... a borrowed book rack holding a borrowed book, a borrowed stool holding a borrowed lamp, a borrowed recliner covered by a borrowed throw thingy, a borrowed lamp, a borrowed couch being occupied by a chosen wife, a borrowed table, a borrowed lamp, and another borrowed recliner.
Continuing around the living room is a snack table we own, holding my laptop computer I own. Next is a basket holding some plastic greenery we own, then a small table we own. Last is the backside of our TV (showing a football game) sitting on a borrowed table. The windows to the right look out on the canal. So its a comfy "decorated by borrowed" effect.

The dining room table and chairs are ours, the desk in the background is borrowed, the computer was given to me by friends in Seattle, part of the kitchen utensils are ours and part are borrowed. The food is ours -- mostly. The bedrooms are simply nice-sized rooms with air beds on the floor. Very utilitarian and works very well.

As for the week past... it has been fun. Since Trevor and Shanette were gone from Sunday through Wednesday, I had it all and it seemed like the old days of solo pastoring. They were at our church's World Ministries Center in Indianapolis at a conference for new pastors. Our two small groups started last week and I attended both of them, Joyce and I visited a man who only has a few months to live, we had our first genuine (with all the groups meeting) Wednesday Family Night and I led the adult group, and Joyce and I had lunch with our treasurer.

I took Friday and Saturday off and did some catch-up work on the computer. Friday evening I went to Lebanon High School football game. They are pretty good but still lost the game. Saturday evening Joyce and I were invited out to dinner at the home of a couple who have been in the church forever. Ginger came and went to church with us today. Trevor preached. We are starting a 3-Sunday series on our testimonies. He did a good job of using his testimony as the sermon. Next week it is Shanette; I am up the following week.

Two more important events: it rained Saturday (but cleared up today and is supposed to be 90* by Tuesday), and the Oregon Ducks beat Utah in football.

Strip It Off

I think we all carry too much weight around. No, I don't mean the pounds that plague our collective midsections. I'm referring to the stuff of life -- or maybe it's the stuff IN life. We have, we want more, we grasp, we hold tightly. We bring things along with us -- things that happened to us long ago but we won't let them go. They all weigh us down; they keep us from being the people God intended us to be. We need to get rid of the stuff -- to strip it off -- to run the race called life with as little extra weight as possible.

This morning I preached. You're getting the overflow. The Bible in Hebrews 12:1 advises us to "strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that hinders our progress." To demonstrate a contrast to "strip off," I started the sermon dressed in wading boots, a heavy wool coat, plus a wool cap with a funky tail down the back (like a lizard tail). It was fun; it was also hot. I found a place to ditch the stuff near the beginning and finished the sermon in my stocking feet.

We stripped off some of the stuff this week. What we ditched was the work load and feeling that "I have to be there." Monday was a holiday of course. To celebrate we stayed home most of the day. Our big outing was to Wal-Mart where we spent $3.00 on a plant for our courtyard; then a stop at the A&W drive thru for a couple of cherry limeades. What a day!!!!

Friday is supposed to be our day off. I finished my sermon, then we went for a drive to see this part of the valley we have never visited before. We discovered there are 5 covered bridges about a half hour from here -- we saw two of them and will pick up the other 3 on another day. We also found a neat little cafe where we had lunch. It is in Scio (you'll have to have a real good Oregon map to find that) and appropriately named the "Covered Bridge Coffee Shop." Good clam chowder!

Did we do anything constructive this week? Well certainly. We're not slackers all the time. Wednesday evening we had our first Family Night. It was simply a get acquainted, have fun, eat and play games. I told a brief story as our devotions at the end. This coming Wednesday we'll get serious with age-level groups. Saturday was all-church work day. About 14-15 people showed up and we got a LOT done. We organized rooms, got rid of junk, cleaned cobwebs, fixed non-working lights, painted places that needed touching up, and generally wiped, cleaned, and vacuumed. Somebody said this hadn't been done in 3 years. I can believe it. I've never seen so many cobwebs in a church! But it looks 1000% better now and I think the people feel good about what was accomplished.

Trevor and Shanette left this morning for a new pastors conference at our church headquarters in Indianapolis. The reason they left Sunday morning is a long story that involves confusion in booking flights. They will return Wednesday night.

Well, that's about it. Just ask, I'll preach you a sermon anytime. This was a good week and the coming week will be lots of work.

Committees, Fair, and Home

The title kinds of sums it up. There was another board meeting at the Conference Office -- one of those "not much fun" kind. But it had to be done. Then Joyce, Ginger and I went to the state fair. I think this was only the second time I had been to the fair. It was fun to walk around looking at the stuff and to take in some of the special shows. This was on Wednesday. Thursday morning we headed for Grants Pass. The garden needed tending, Joyce needed to pick up a prescription, and she had a ring at Fred Meyer that had been repaired. Okay, let me tell you about the ring. This was the ring I bought her for our 25th wedding anniversary just a few days before we left St. Helens in our move to Grants Pass. It is one of those "real expensive" fake diamonds -- all I could afford at the time.

While we were home we went out to dinner with Mike and Joann, plus some other friends: Ken, Ruth, Josh, and folks from New Mexico who were visiting Mike and Joann. It was a great time of talking and eating. Our garden was producing tomatoes and beans in abundance -- we brought a lot back with us. The zucchini and cucumbers were huge -- should have been picked many days before. And of course the lawn needed mowing. Saturday morning we loaded up the car (yes, the car -- the pickup can stay home for awhile) and drove back to Lebanon -- in the RAIN. Well, certainly. This is Oregon and this is a holiday weekend so naturally it rained. Though I have to tell you, right after church today a bunch of us distributed invitations to our Wednesday Family Night. And it did NOT rain until we finished. Thank you, Lord. Later in the afternoon, it really poured for awhile. The weather guy says it won't rain much tomorrow and get steadily nicer as the week progresses.

One other little, minor thing happened this week. Joyce turned 65 on Tuesday! I didn't do anything to embarrass her so I can use this blog to tell everyone. She is now officially old -- well, at least on Medicare. I was supposed to take her to lunch but I scheduled a luncheon with a guy in the church so I took her to Chinese for dinner. That's her favorite, anyway.

Now I am hoping this week is a little quieter. We need to do some visiting and some planning. Be good to yourself this week.

The Lebanon FMC

These are pictures of the Free Methodist Church in Lebanon, Oregon. The one with my pickup in it is actually the back entrance but the larger parking lot is on this side. Also a nicer entry door. That door is to the right in the interior view of the lobby area. The church office is straight ahead with the pastors office down the hallway.

The view with telephone pole on the corner is looking at what probably would be considered the "main" entrance. The church sign is on this side but the parking lot is small and entry door not as inviting. This side faces west and needs some paint. The wing closest to the street corner is the fellowship room. The worship area is the portion farthest away. Of course this other view is the interior of the worship center.

Trevor and I met with the high school principal last week. No! We weren't in trouble. The high school is next door to the church -- actually we are next to the back corner of the school property. Traditionally (I mean going back many years), the church property -- or the sidewalk in front of the church -- has been a hangout for kids who want to smoke, meet with friends who have dropped out of school, or just generally be a nuisance. So Trevor and I wanted to be sure we are on the same page with the principal in trying to cut down on this activity. He is new this year and has some good ideas on policing this area. Stay tuned on how this works. School starts tomorrow.

It seems we are getting into the routine of being constantly busy. Kind of like of pastoring a church again. I finished my two part sermon on getting out of our comfort zone. I am trying to prepare the people for thinking in new ways to reach our community. They seem very open to new ideas.

Well, take care and have a great week.