Network Blog

I have discovered that I am keenly aware of routine.  This is not to be confused with a "rut."  Not the same thing...not at all.  All evidence points me to the conclusion that God created the world to be cyclical in nature.  There are rhythms...routines...ebbs...flows...and that I have spent a lot of energy in my life trying to fight that.  Maybe I'm just getting old, (well...ok...I AM getting old) but I have decided that fighting tha natural rhythms of the universe aren't worth it.

I write this today from our local Caribou coffee shop.  Lori (she who was silly to say 'yes' when I asked over 15 years ago) and I have a routine now.  Thursdays are my day off from my congregational responsibilities.  So on Thursdays we go to Caribou in the morning after the kids go to school for coffee (Lori) and tea (me.)  We both have laptops.  Lori, who works from home on her own schedule, typically does her work.  I will do Network stuff...reply to some e-mails...play on facebook...or work on other ancillary projects.  We are now 3 weeks into the school year routine.  It's interesting how many of the same people I see every week, who are living out their routines.

The year has rhythms.  In youth ministry, Advent is frequently a season when we pull back on programming.  Why fight the busy-ness that families experience?  Jan-March is retreat season with lots of weekend  stuff.  March - May has a different pace, as we focus on our regular weekly programs.  We intentionally cut back our ministry programming, ending our school year programs usually in the first week of May.  May becomes a bit of a breather...a time of transition to summer. 

Summer is a full-all-out sprint.  It is a blur in June and July.

August, we try to take a breath and pull back on programming again as people are doing their 'last' weekends up at cabins, preparing for school, etc...

September is nutty with start-up school year programming again.  I live for the 3rd or 4th week of September when our schedule begins to hit a 'routine' again.  (Monday night sr. high...Tuesday afternoon Bible study...Wednesday night conf...etc...)

There are habits...rhythms...routines to ministry.

For the Network, this is annually the time of year that makes me nervous.  My biggest concern is cash-flow.  Can we pay our bills?  Extravaganza registrations just begin to come in, the money we've saved fro last year is running out, and the bils keep coming.

It's part of the rhythm.  Of course, I can't wait for the day when it ceases to make me nervous. 

It makes me wonder what are the other rhythms in my life?  And are there other natural rhythms I continue to fight?  Are there ways God has created the world that I continue to resist in my ignorance and/or arrogance?  Probably.

My prayer is for the peace to recognize and accept what God is doing in the rhythms of my life and my ministry.

tb