Sometimes the pastorate is an amazing journey. Today, I began with an interview for a minister of outreach position (and was delighted to extend a call to a fine young man to become our Minister of Outreach). Then, I met with a multi media committee, with another fine applicant, signed correspondence to go out, edited a bulletin, worked on a sermon, and went over a funeral service with a family member in grief. I went to the bedside of a dying man, with his wife beside him. As I read from Psalm 139 about being “hedged in” by God, safely watched over by the Good Shepherd, and I finished the reading, this godly man, supposedly in a comotose state, came to with “Amen.” I watched “The Bishop’s Wife” on television with my wife and son, enjoyed some laughing and talking together, took two more pastoral calls tonight, wrote a fellow who wants to get together to discuss stratgies for outreach, had devotions around our Advent Candles, read from a commentary on John, wrote some more, and decided to put down these thoughts in this blog. All in all, another day of blessing. I hope tomorrow to finish up some sermon material, and go visiting in nursing homes. The photo, from a few years back, is about how I feel today. “Tired in the work, but not tired of the work” as someone said.