Back in the olden days, preachers usually worked out of their homes.
Church buildings were often so small that they didn’t include an office, so the preacher’s office was a corner of his bedroom or a closet converted for that purpose.
That worked out OK, because the preacher’s home was usually right next to the church building so he was always convenient for everyone.
Ah, the good old days!
I don’t think I would do so well with a home office. I’m working at home today (at least a big part of it) so I can be here for the Verizon guy who has to get into the house to hook up the new FiOS goodies. Hey, some very nice young men worked in 100 degree heat this summer to rip up my yard to lay fiber optic cable; the least I can do is give them a try! Anyway, I’ve been working on a sermon (or trying to) while working at home (at the table in the den on the laptop. First, as bad as my desktop keyboard was until I found the right one, laptop keyboards are horrible. How do people use these things all day long?
But the real problem is distraction. I’m working where I am looking at the refrigerator, so every time I have a hunger pain, I have to get up and see if anything good has magically appeared in there. And then I saw the mirror frame I kept telling Lynn I’ll glue back together—it’s sitting right there. So I got up and glued it back together. And Maggie keeps barking at someone doing something outside, so naturally I have to get up and see what is distracting her that is distracting me. Randy Tanner told me an idea for a T-shirt that surely he had me in mind as his first customer—“ADHD is not a real disease… oh, look, a squirrel!”
Perhaps one of the biggest spiritual struggles we have is in this area of distraction. We don’t have such trouble identifying the most important things in life—God, family, others. What we have trouble with is being distracted by other things that aren’t bad, just not as important. We spend much of out time on things that we know aren’t central to out being, important to God or critical for our true welfare… but they are so distracting. We can’t seem to focus on the most important things like, “Seek ye first of the kingdom of God…”
I need another cup of coffee. I wonder if the Verizon guy has the phone hooked up. Oh, look, a squirrel.
Back in the olden days, preachers usually worked out of their homes. Church buildings were often so small that they didn’t include an office, so the preacher’s office was a corner of his bedroom or a closet converted for that purpose. That worked out OK, because the preacher’s home was usually right next to the church building so he was always convenient for everyone. Ah, the good old days!
7 comments:
Are squirrel in season yet? have you ever watched an old man turn one inside out just before an old lady with a wrinkled face and a wart on her chin dropped one into a pot of boiling water with a twinkle in her eyes and a heap big pile of carrots and potatoes? OOOHHH WEEE! makes my mouth water just thinking about girls,I meansquirls. . . Lay off the coffee I have had problems with that too.
The nice thing about fiber optic cable is that it is not effected by or subject to (EMI) burst (so if there is one in your neighborhood the squill might fall like out of the trees but your cable will not miss a beat.)
Squirrels have been distracting and entertaining children ever since I can remember. Commonly known as tree rats they are famous for there unpredictability sudden gymnastic movements and a natural wariness (that keeps them alive and keeps their little bones from becoming tooth picks for hungry meet eaters). They have eaten from my hand and been eaten by my family and I will never have to field dress another one as I have given up the “sport” of squirrel hunting. It was a practice that yielded rich little portions of food for the table and did help reduce the exploding population of hungry tree rats around the house. If you do decide to make some rich stew from them the pressure cooker is the best way to ready them for consumption and watch out for the little bones. Harvesting them usually results in a small group getting together, as does their preparation while there consumption often results in a much larger gathering of all the small groups.
http://www.youtube.com/user/psychetruth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KlQ9957kR0&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTTCJ3xfkIw&feature=related
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