My email box was flooded this week with requests on the blog. At last count there was at least one person wondering what happened. To me, that is a flood. So here we are late on a Friday night about to do some blogging. It is back by popular demand. Maybe it is a little on the over side of estimating the readership but it sounds good. Right now the main obstacle on keeping current is my attempt to avoid being redundant in the posts. There is plenty to write about but much of it revolves around the happenings in my world. My goal is to avoid just repeating the same thoughts. But it could be that this week brought some of that world into clarity.

This was a very strange week. Yes, that is a common refrain on here. It just seems like the routine for me is anything but that. Last Saturday was a wedding in the middle of the afternoon. Let me report that a good time was had by all. Wednesday was my second funeral in ten days. Both graveside services were for people who once lived here and returned to be laid to rest. That of itself is not too uncommon. Our community is one of those where people return to lay aside other family members. It is just different to have two in that short of a time period. To be honest, those times are very important to me. It is a responsibility that is not taken lightly. God also opened some doors for spiritual conversation with some people that was unexpected. One can only hope those moments were fruitful even if not on my calendar.

It goes without saying that the weather wrote the story for much of the week. For awhile there was the possibility that we would need to begin building arks. Hopefully the rain is pushing through tonight as the wind is colder and more intense. Thursday was my day to assist at our junior high track meet. Tomorrow is my day to try to help at our Eagle Relays. My best contribution is in yelling loud. Usually my job is to aid in lining the runners up in their lanes. Luckily the weather will be windy and cold tomorrow. Odds are good my voice will be shot for Sunday services. At least the congregation will have that to give thanks about.

We could go in depth into the daily grind of family life. We will leave it with it was also in no hurry to get into a routine. My youngest turns 13 on Sunday so that will be a fun day. This does not begin to even get close to understanding how the week unraveled. But there is a lesson that I may be slowly learning through this. It is one that touches on past frustration revealed in past blog posts.

You may remember that one of my chief sources of discouragement is the lack of a normal ministry pattern. Sometimes the fatherhood issues can intrude on the career. It is my great opportunity to have a larger amount of parenting time than many fathers get. This week that included taking care of my daughter when her contact lenses went amiss. It also involved attending a birthday party for my son at his school. It is also a large responsibility for me to deal with the normal stuff such as laundry. It is often very difficult for me to just outline a normal week of work. This bothers me more than a little when those daily things can interrupt the work. Most ministers just do their work while someone else takes care of the other stuff. The end result is how that frustrates me when there is an expectation of what the minister should be doing.

Here is my thought of the week. Like many things that roam through my mind it is still a work in progress. What if what I am doing is exactly where God wants me to be? My youngest is growing but he will not move past his autism. My oldest sometimes needs help if something comes up in her day. Could it be that doing all of this while juggling ministry is part of God's will for my life? This is in no way meant to say that ministry is not important. The job does matter. But perhaps if I adjust my unusual routine to God then He can multiply it not just at work but as a parent. This is a brand new thought that needs more time to ferment. Just hope for me that the answers as well as how it is applied come quickly. Maybe there will come a sense of guidance on how to better balance the two areas. Perhaps instead of frustration over the juggling that there may come new freedom to blend the two areas together.

Bro. Trey