Jan Asked

... "How was your day?"

I started the day with a walk. Always good.

I met the secretary. She is cool... high energy, new to church work, has never worked with a pastor before, so I told her we will learn everything together.

I met the pre-school director, ever so briefly. She was wearing adorably crisp three-quarter length summer trousers, and has spiky hair. We will sit down soon.

I met the treasurer, and both the maintenance man and the sexton (not sure how the jobs are divided up). Everyone was eager to chat, in some cases to put in a word for this or that position on a slightly contentious issue. (Issue #1: There is a "Staff Only" bathroom, which I find a bit embarrassing. I mean, really? Do we need to cling to our privilege even unto the john? Anyway, things have gotten a bit lax, what with the Senior's Group preferring a bathroom on the same level as the room where they meet, and so... don't I think we should put a lock on that door, so that just the staff can use it? "Uh, nah, it's ok, I mean... nah." What a gospel witness was there.)

I did my bulletin for Sunday. I was warned, double warned and triple warned that "people are pretty particular about Communion." A real decency and order crowd exists, evidently. Shoot. And I was going to try the Fries and Coke communion this month.

I started to empty my 16 gazillion cartons of books into my shelves. As I looked at my titles, I thought, A), "How I've missed you my darlings!" (they've been cooling their heels in my hallway, rendering the front door nearly impassable); and B), "I am so liberal someone is going to literally have a stroke reading my titles!" To wit: "The Muslim Jesus." "God and the Rhetoric of Sexuality." "Sexuality and the Sacred." "The Five Books of Miriam." I might be too liberal for me.

I changed the message on the church answering machine (actually, the secretary did that, I just wrote up the copy).

I ate the healthy lunch I packed for myself.

I called all the people I hope will be on my installation commission, and they ALL SAID YES!

I also called my accountant to tell him, Hallelujah, I'm working, what taxes do I pay this month?

I raced off to a Presbytery committee meeting.

I got home approximately 12 hours from the time I left. I'm spent. But I'm so, so excited.