I'm here at church with my posse today.
Mondays and Wednesday, Audrey goes to work at 8. I load the kiddos in the truck and drop Bereket off at school. I take the other three up to church until grandma gets off work and comes to pick them up. It's a pretty amazing hour and a half. Right now, they are playing "recycled percussion" instruments to the tune of "Gettin' Jiggy With It." Amsale is shaking a pop can full of buttons. Teshe is playing a water cooler bottle. Eshetu just put down his water bottle guiro and headed to the other room, because the noise was too much, I assume.
It takes some adjusting, but I've got plenty of work that I can do that doesn't require my fullest attention. There is stuff to clean up from yesterday. There are blog posts to write.
Actually, I think being a dad makes me a better pastor. Actually, I think having four kids makes me a better pastor. I had two kids once (though interestingly, never 1 or 3!). I thought I was overwhelmed then. I had no idea. It wasn't until I had four that Luther's quote made sense to me: "Are you a husband, and you think you have not enough to do in that sphere to govern your wife, children, domestics, and property so that all may be obedient to God and you do no one any harm? Yea, if you had five heads and ten hands, even then you would be too weak for your task, so that you would never dare to think of making a pilgrimage or doing any kind of saintly work. (The Precious and Sacred Writings of Martin Luther, ed. John Lenker (10 vols.; Minneapolis: Lutherans in All Lands Co., 1905) 10.242)
I know some of you with fewer than four kids will be offended at the above comments. How dare that man tell me I don't know about busyness because I have only 2 kids! Harumph! I can hear you saying it now. But listen. Two things: 1) Don't be so easily offended when someone gives their perspective. I'm not attacking you personally. And 2) Take a breath man. Maybe ... just maybe I know more about this than you. You probably know more about bubble baths and taking your kids on long walks and pushing them for hours on the swings and snuggling. Lord knows you have more time for it than me. Pastor with one kid: you probably know more about the rest of Luther's writings than me. I'll admit it. You are smarter than me. In everything except the craziness of ... hold that thought a minute. I just had to take a break because two of the three kids needed to go to the bathroom. And they needed me to hold their hands while they did their work ... now where was I. Oh yeah. I know more than you about the craziness of parenting. It's OK.
Others of you will say, "Don't Complain. You chose it!" Shut up. Right now. Shut up. I know I chose it. And I wouldn't change it for the world. I wasn't complaining, anyway. In fact, I was saying I appreciated the work because it helped me be a better pastor. I don't have to help people invent crosses. I can help them carry the ones they have. You were the one complaining that I thought having four kids helped me understand Luther better than you -- which I never said, but you put word in my mouth. Stop changing the subject.
Quick side note: while I've been writing, Amsale has gotten into my bucket of candy, had to be redirected and started crying. Eshetu thought Teshe's time on the water cooler bottle was up and tried to take it from him and shoved it in his face. More tears. My band has now disembled. But I digress.
Anyway, about the time I think I have life by the horns, it turns out I was grabbing the wrong end. And I think that makes me a better pastor and preacher. And thank goodness, because I was only average at best before that!
Speaking of preaching, here's my sermon on divorce, money and communion. Quite a combo, indeed:
And that's the news from Browerville.
Mondays and Wednesday, Audrey goes to work at 8. I load the kiddos in the truck and drop Bereket off at school. I take the other three up to church until grandma gets off work and comes to pick them up. It's a pretty amazing hour and a half. Right now, they are playing "recycled percussion" instruments to the tune of "Gettin' Jiggy With It." Amsale is shaking a pop can full of buttons. Teshe is playing a water cooler bottle. Eshetu just put down his water bottle guiro and headed to the other room, because the noise was too much, I assume.
It takes some adjusting, but I've got plenty of work that I can do that doesn't require my fullest attention. There is stuff to clean up from yesterday. There are blog posts to write.
Actually, I think being a dad makes me a better pastor. Actually, I think having four kids makes me a better pastor. I had two kids once (though interestingly, never 1 or 3!). I thought I was overwhelmed then. I had no idea. It wasn't until I had four that Luther's quote made sense to me: "Are you a husband, and you think you have not enough to do in that sphere to govern your wife, children, domestics, and property so that all may be obedient to God and you do no one any harm? Yea, if you had five heads and ten hands, even then you would be too weak for your task, so that you would never dare to think of making a pilgrimage or doing any kind of saintly work. (The Precious and Sacred Writings of Martin Luther, ed. John Lenker (10 vols.; Minneapolis: Lutherans in All Lands Co., 1905) 10.242)
I know some of you with fewer than four kids will be offended at the above comments. How dare that man tell me I don't know about busyness because I have only 2 kids! Harumph! I can hear you saying it now. But listen. Two things: 1) Don't be so easily offended when someone gives their perspective. I'm not attacking you personally. And 2) Take a breath man. Maybe ... just maybe I know more about this than you. You probably know more about bubble baths and taking your kids on long walks and pushing them for hours on the swings and snuggling. Lord knows you have more time for it than me. Pastor with one kid: you probably know more about the rest of Luther's writings than me. I'll admit it. You are smarter than me. In everything except the craziness of ... hold that thought a minute. I just had to take a break because two of the three kids needed to go to the bathroom. And they needed me to hold their hands while they did their work ... now where was I. Oh yeah. I know more than you about the craziness of parenting. It's OK.
Others of you will say, "Don't Complain. You chose it!" Shut up. Right now. Shut up. I know I chose it. And I wouldn't change it for the world. I wasn't complaining, anyway. In fact, I was saying I appreciated the work because it helped me be a better pastor. I don't have to help people invent crosses. I can help them carry the ones they have. You were the one complaining that I thought having four kids helped me understand Luther better than you -- which I never said, but you put word in my mouth. Stop changing the subject.
Quick side note: while I've been writing, Amsale has gotten into my bucket of candy, had to be redirected and started crying. Eshetu thought Teshe's time on the water cooler bottle was up and tried to take it from him and shoved it in his face. More tears. My band has now disembled. But I digress.
Anyway, about the time I think I have life by the horns, it turns out I was grabbing the wrong end. And I think that makes me a better pastor and preacher. And thank goodness, because I was only average at best before that!
Speaking of preaching, here's my sermon on divorce, money and communion. Quite a combo, indeed:
And that's the news from Browerville.
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