HELLO!

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal… Philippians 3:12-14

Our “Little family” was having a conversation recently about how and why people get overwhelmed with tasks and duties and assignments and typically “drop a ball”, something doesn’t get done. Lucian is working nights at their job now, has a full-time job, and is learning what it is like to be with people of all ages, genders, ethnicities, etc… I am still confused about how I too “dropped many balls” when I only had one job, but since I had two jobs (2008), and then a third (2011), I have not dropped any balls (I may have jinxed myself now…). Lucian immediately jumped in, “Dad, that’s because you have developed a new skill, you filter everything, I can see you doing it, everything that you read, hear, see, feel, is gathered into your mental sorting station, and you decide from there what needs to be done now, what can wait.” Kim added, “It’s like packing for a trip, you know what you need to take, what you don’t need, always leaving room for unexpected additions and subtractions.” Top of mind for me always is, what’s important, what is less important.

I share this because many of you ask me about my schedule and how I process my day. I write the sermons and bulletins six weeks in advance, I make lists on sticky-notes, 10 things I need to do today. And I attempt to squeeze as many things into the day as possible. Obviously, people drop in, and I try to assess if the person needs to talk or is just saying hello. Many colleagues in ministry book whole mornings or afternoons into their schedule, sitting in their office, for such unexpected drop ins. My sense of the churches I serve is they would prefer me to make appointments to visit people in their homes or at coffee shops, then sit in the office waiting. I have visited 75 households so far from Woodlawn, only 365 to go…I go to all church events, but getting out of the office allows me to hear more voices, enriches my sermons and gives me better perspective. Filtering all incoming may not work for everyone, but it seems to work for me (at least for now). I am keeping “my eyes on the prize”. Peace, Kevin