I’m obviously not updating this thing the way I have before and there are good reasons for it, the largest one revolving around the idea that I feel a bit more secretive about our life plans right now. We’ve been contemplating what we’re doing and why we’re doing it and where we’re doing it and all of those sorts of things that you probably would have an opinion about if I drug that laundry out in the open for you to examine. I’m just not so sure that I want a lot of opinions right now. All the voices saying all the things that they are thinking can really clutter up the mind and muck up the gears. Sometimes it’s better to keep your trap shut. So, in a sense, that’s what we’ve done. We’ve battened down the hatches and have gone to silent running.
But, of course, you know I can’t stay completely silent. It’s just not in my genes. There’s been tons of stuff to tell you about, but I just haven’t given much thought to all of these great things because of all of the weighty ones pushing them out of my mind. I’ve decided to brush off the cobwebs and let you in on some pieces of our life. The good pieces. The pieces for which we’re grateful.
On Sunday, we went to our church’s annual meeting. I was especially excited when I saw that there was a vast array of baked goods to eat during the meeting. My favorite little hotdog in a roll thing that Texans refer to as kolaches (or sometimes they call them sausage rolls, which I very much prefer given that the brief definition of a kolache is “a bun of yeast dough with a depression or pocket for filling, generally with a fruit jam” – yeah, not quite a hot-dog-style pig-in-a-roll-type-blanket) were there. I grabbed two of them. Jud went for some sticky buns (think Monkey Bread). The food was a great surprise.
The meeting itself was interesting as they were attempting to change, in my opinion, a rather important part of their constitution. Currently, all pastoral staff is voted in and out by the congregation. Sounds good. As someone who was on staff at a church and who was voted into a position there, I know how important it was to have the confidence of a congregational vote behind me. I knew I had a heap of people who wanted me there, who had confidence in my ability and who were pledging to help me succeed in my leadership. That’s important information. Had I been asked to tenure my resignation for reasons like impropriety or lack of performance or just sheer ‘we don’t like you anymore’ I would have done that. I would have resigned, if the board had asked and that would have been that because I believed (and still do) that the unity of the church family is more important than my job or my ‘rights’ or my anything. Any sane, rational person would agree to do the same. The only time when actual dismissal would need to happen would involve a nut job…a crazy person who would have slight megalomaniac tendencies. This person’s pride would be what forces a congregational vote upon their dismissal. It would be appropriate for the person’s nuttiness to be explained to the congregation. Apart from that scenario, there won’t be a congregational vote to remove someone. Normal people step down when the writing is on the wall.
The change proposed is for the supporting pastoral staff (aka all of them except the senior pastor) to be hired and fired by the elders without congregational approval. Made me shiver. We’re not members, so we couldn’t vote, but we prayed that the people would see the wisdom in keeping a little say in the matter. Guess we’ll find out soon!
After church, I went home to get my food ready for a baby shower. Hansy (of Martin & Hansy fame) gave birth to a beautiful little girl in August and we were finally getting around to throwing her a shower. I cut my tortilla-roll-ups, plated my cheese ball and made sure my presents were together. It was a little before 2 when my phone rang. It was Jenn, as I thought it would be, (she did the bulk of the shower planning and organizing and such because she is totally awesome at those things and loves to make things beautiful and does a great job of it too). I thought she was calling to say “I’m on my way, are you ready to decorate?” But she was really calling to say, “Where are you, crazy late woman! This shin-dig is at 2:00!” I’d thought 3:00. I’d written it down as three o’clock in my planner. I was an hour off.
When I got there, frazzled and feeling like a schmutz, everything looked beautiful (props to Daniel on the chocolate shavings for the trifle) and women were milling about nicely. I put the food out and joined the groups talking, trying to ignore the sweat beads on my back from the mad dash. The baby slept through most of the shower, but her big sister got up when presents were being opened and added a good deal of levity to the process. It was a lovely shower! I hope Hansy enjoyed it too.
As I pulled into the carport, trying to decide if it would be a bad idea to eat the rest of the cheese ball in one day, Jud came out to let me know that we were late, very late, for a football party with our Sunday school class. I suddenly remembered writing our name next to “Salad” on the “Who’s Brining What” list. Crud. Late again. In the same day. I didn’t have a salad made. I didn’t have the energy to get there. I didn’t have the ability to stand in front of more people and laugh about my mistake. My humor was totally gone.
So, instead, I went inside, changed out my church clothes, and laid down. It was all I could do.
