Monday Routines

I got a question the other day from another Church Planter about how I handle my Mondays. Wayne Cordeiro said that pastors give birth on Sunday and then wake up on Monday pregnant again. So here is my typical Monday routine:

• Help Leslie get CB off to Mother’s Morning Out
• Spend some time with Leslie (she doesn’t get a lot of my time on Saturday’s & Sundays)
• Head to office, usually wearing my comfy clothes
• Read, Read, Read
• Read past weeks bloglines
• Read GreenvilleNewsOnline.com
• Read the Word
• Read at least 200 pages in my current reading
• Read some tech blogs (helps de-clutter my mind)
• Read over upcoming weeks sermon notes
• Read emails (respond to some)
• Read some reasearch based articles (topics vary from marketing to social justice to kids toys)

I know, exciting! Monday is one of the best days for me to process information. I’ve already digested Sunday and am ready to move. So on Mondays I read and gather as much info as I can and begin processing it. Something that I’ve noticed is that typically throughout the week I will filter and funnel out a lot of what I process on Monday; and by the following Monday have the best of nuggets gathered.

Lessons from ghost & missing animals

No, this isn’t a post about animal sacrifices; it’s about miss-led expectations. Sunday, we took CB to our local zoo for the annual Boo in the Zoo. CB had to be the cutest bunny in the park. Unfortunately, if it wasn’t for the other kids dressed up as animals, we might have not seen any. Although this was my first time at the event, I figured all of the animals would be out for CB to enjoy as we walked through collecting candy. Instead we saw cutout ghost & pumpkins, some vultures and a few goats. BOOOO Boo in the Zoo.

Couple this with our Sunday experience at Waypoint I sat this morning wondering how well we are doing at letting people know what to expect when the come. Especially first-time guest! But even those who come as regularly as once a month. Are they coming with expectations? Are their expectations met, exceeded, or let down. Are they getting everything we have? Have we provided an over-the-top atmosphere? Were they challenged to Regroup, Refresh, and Realign? Or did anyone walk out and wonder if they had just hung out with some vultures & goats.

So this week I’m beginning the process of evaluating our up-front, pre-sunday appearance. Praying for guidance and wisdom!

Post Game Let Down

Monday Night Football was awesome! Last night I enjoyed watching the Miami Dolphins turn their final drive against the NY Jets into a victory. Football lives and dies in our household from Thursday to Monday. We watch pre-game, halftime, & even special web coverage for high school through the NFL.

Last night I was saddened, not from anything new; but from the abrupt ending of ESPN’s coverage. It’s the same every week but this week, the ending of the game was awesome and all I got was a 30 second commentary followed by a set-up for Sports Center. I felt like I needed some form of Post Game follow-up. I was left hanging. I tried to watch some Sports Center highlights; but to no avail, I still felt empty.

This week at Waypoint we finished one of the most difficult series we’ve had. We asked a lot of questions, we didn’t find a lot of answers. We uncovered some of the mysteries’ of God and his dealings with humanity and I woke up Monday feeling like we needed more. We needed some form of Post Series follow-up before diving into the next series. We need to process what God is up to, how does his mysteries impact my lifestyle and my future. How can I take the best of this game series and get prepared to move onto the next one.

So come to Waypoint this Sunday for our first ever Post Series Follow-up. Whether you attended one, all, or none of the Why Series; this Sunday is vital to helping us move forward in our faith. Don’t miss it!