Positively Pastoral

It's holy week. Not only is this a big week for the Christian church, but it's a big week in my call story. Tonight is Good Friday - the annual evening where I remember my call to ministry. I had every intention of coming into this week with a fury of blog posts leading up to a big dramatic finish tonight where I finally, after a full Lenten season of lead ups, finish my call story. In full cinematic flair for all to read. Then this week happened. A big part of my identity is changing, and I'm having a difficult time adapting to the change. It is not change that I wanted nor was able to fully anticipate due to miscommunication and what I view to be poor planning. Nonetheless, I am working through it. I am glad to have the help of many mentors, friends, and family supporting me. Nobody wants to see me fail on purpose. But we all are forced into change and accept it in different ways. I do know that how we rise above the challenges is what defines us. I'm up to the task, ...

This week has been the busiest week at work for me so far this year. I knew that in order to achieve our company's goals (and my personal goals), that I would be pushed to do even more. To manage projects aggressively in order to achieve amazing results. The nice part is that so far, I have helped to achieve results that surpass our goals. The not so nice part is that the pace at which we want to grow is exceeding what we (read: I) am able to do. So that has meant that I have to work harder and longer as a result. I feel like I should be a diamond after this week. Or at least I will be after a few more weeks like this. I've noticed that with this added pressure, my anxiety has kicked back in. What I have mostly been able to manage on my own with coping techniques has been popping back up at the least opportune moments. Surprisingly enough, I have the wherewithal to do the hard things, and then it's the easy things that really get to me. Recently I felt like riding ...

Perception is a funny thing. Sometimes we create a whole reality in our minds that is just not true. And then that reality dictates the course of our lives. It affects our actions, our motivations, and our understanding of this world. Let me give you an example. In my first post, I talked about how I'm awkward. Because I really and honestly feel that I am. At least, the experience that I've had and the ways in which I see the world responding around me would lead me to feel that I am awkward. And rather than try to change the face that I am awkward, I just believe it. I embrace it, so that it's less difficult to swallow when I do experience something where I appear awkward. But what if it was presented to me in a different way? What if instead of seeing myself as awkward, I would acknowledge other skills about myself? Like how I am unique  in how I handle a situation with calmness and positivity. How I am innovative  because I can see a situation from multiple angles to...

I want to talk about my latest obsession: House Plants. It has become the addiction that I didn't know I could have. Up until recently, my skills in growing house plants has become leaving the 3-years dead peace lily plant alone in hopes that it may spontaneously return to life. (Zombie plants?!) All kidding aside, I was quite nervous when Amelia Pond asked for a plant for her fourth birthday. I don't really even remember how she got the idea. Maybe it was that we didn't get a poinsettia for Christmas like some of her friends did, and her birthday is just a few weeks later. At any rate, we agreed that a plant would be a good gift idea. It could teach her some responsibility and open up future conversations about taking care of living things, and how things grow. Amelia Pond picked a pretty little kalanchoe with pink flowers. Kalanchoes are a relative to succulents, and seem to not need much in terms of maintenance. So if I forgot to water it, the plant may be better off...

Sorry for the extended break from posting in this blog. Life has been crazy between work, home, church, and all of the other duties and interests that occupy my time. This week has been an exercise in self-care. I needed time (and still need more time) to dig in my heels and get to work. I gave my first sermon at Centenary last Wednesday. The topic was self-care. Oh boy, was it a timely message for me in this season of the spring hustle and bustle. If you'd like to watch it, you can replay the entire service here . I organized the whole order of service, and wrote the unison prayer and sermon. It was a blessing to be able to start spreading my wings in a small way to leading worship. The sermon starts around 11:45, if you want to watch just that part. I think the worship went pretty well, and I'm pleased with it. I watched myself once through, and I'm going to try not to watch it many more times in hopes of not micro-analyzing everything. It's easy to get defeated i...