A late July posting

Well, well, if it isn't the missing blogger, back from the land of poor time management. Yes, it's been quite a while since I've posted, and as usual, I have no excuse for my absence. Except the whole having a job thing, but that's a pretty thin excuse. At least this post will be a pleasant one (read: you don't have to listen to me whining about not having a job).

So, how are things going? Very well, when it comes right down to it. The job is going well. There have been the usual snafus along the way, but overall, I love what I'm doing. Actually, I love doing anything, really, but this is a great job. The main difference between this job and any other ministry work I've done (volunteer or paid) is the difference in the health of the church. Cedar Grove is a healthy church, but like with many things in life, you don't know what healthy churches are really like until you've experienced one. It's not that all the churches I've worked at have been completely unhealthy (just varying degrees), but a truly healthy church is hard to come by, and I've found it.

Do we have our problems? Sure. One of the main things I'm trying to sort out right now is how to rev up this ministry I'm in charge of. The 18-29 age group is tough to mobilize, especially after a couple of years of taking blows. They're a little cagey, and I'm not sure if they're really ready to trust that I'm going to be there long-term--I don't even know if I'm going to be there long term, but more on that later--so they hold back a bit. It's okay. It'll come. What we need is consistency and energy, and I hope I can provide both.

The one thing that keeps catching me off-guard is how difficult an adjustment it's been going back to work again. It's like riding a bike after not having done so for many years. Sure, you remember--after all, one never forgets how to ride a bike, right?--but at first it's a bit touch-and-go. You're not sure of yourself; your balance is a bit off, the gear changing is clunky, and you just don't look smooth at all. That's about how I'm feeling right now. I know I can do this, I just need to find my legs.

There are a couple things that I have to get used to. First, the whole concept of having a job again is strange, and leaving for work in the morning with wife and child at home is a different experience. In fact, the last job I had was about a block away, so I could always come home for lunch or whatnot. This job is a 40-minute commute--more if there's bad traffic--so I'm gone for the day. It's a bit weird leaving the family at home and going away, but I guess I've been spoiled since the boy was born by being able to stay home. It's a bit tough to explain to him why I'm gone all day, too. Don't scoff--he may only be 18 months (which in and of itself is unbelievable),but he understands a lot. And right now, he can't quite figure out where daddy goes all day, and why he only comes back at dinner time. It's tough to leave in the morning when he looks at me with those sad eyes and starts to cry. A dagger in the heart. So there's the whole family transition.

The second tough transition is the fact that I've never even attended, let alone worked at, a large church before. There are probably over a dozen people on staff (I'm counting full- and part-time staff, so the number's a bit fuzzy), and so there's always a staff person who does something. For example, I'm used to being able to put announcements in the bulletin about upcoming events, but at the Grove, announcements have to be vetted first, and then edited for length before they make it into the bulletin. There are myriad examples like that, and I'm finding new ones every day it seems. But that, too, is a learning curve, and I'm sure I'll have it down in no time.

Other than that, well, exciting things continue to happen around here. We're in the midst of installing new laminate floors in our entire lower level. Yes, we're doing them ourselves. No, I can't feel my knees anymore. Thanks for asking. It's a long, painstaking process, but one that is moving ahead at a good pace thanks to my father-in-law who really knows how to lay a laminate floor. This weekend I'll have my dad, my wife's dad, and me doing the floor, so that should make things go even faster. It's a beautiful floor--much nicer than our carpet that was starting to deteriorate (after 15 years, which is a pretty good lifespan for something that's so high-traffic and wasn't cleaned by the previous owner at all). It'll be worth it when it's done. I just wish it was done so we could get to the "worth it" part. Oh well.

I think that'll be all for the evening. I have garbage to collect and a bed to sleep in. I played squash this evening with a co-worker, so I have a feeling about how my muscles are going to feel tomorrow. Squash? Yes, squash. 1986 called and wanted its favourite sport back. Anyway, it was fun, and my playing partner wiped up the court with me, but I'll get him back sometime. Right, I was leaving. Thanks for stopping by, and I'll see you next time I post an update.