Must Do Less with More!
Meet Mark the Poor Scheduler...
Wedding this evening. Will try to avoid that sort of conflict a bit better in the future.
Some people have a midlife crisis. Some have a midlife take-a-deep-breath: I've noted that our friend V is taking off from her missionary career in a closed country to figure out what's next. Makes me think maybe we're not stumbling along, we're just part of the "self-reevaluation movement." Woo-hoo!
How much time do I spend explaining what we're doing to people who aren't doing it? Enough to where I'm no longer doing what we're doing? Had a pretty good time explaining pomo / emerging / nontraditional / innovative / blah blah blah yesterday to some established church people. And looks like it may actually be followed up on in some degree. But the Emperor Aurelius said you only can lose the present: what do I with my presents to not lose them?
I was bummed that the theoblogian Millers were not going to move here after all. And I was a ratfink and couldn't ever get by to see them while they were here, about which I carry a suitable amount of self-recrimination. But now it seems they are moving here, and in a few weeks. So excellent after all--there are roller coasters I no longer prefer to ride, but fortunately this one, the twentysomething what-are-we-going-to-do-I-know-let's-do-this one, I still like just fine.
Curran the Carpenter is rocking along on house and shed for us. The shed revisions will have room for about 200 more books, about a 50% capacity increase, and will complete making the place sturdy, weathertight, and accessible. The house work is finishing out an attic space Dawn "discovered" with a reciprocating saw one afternoon. It'll be storage for records and other items which shouldn't be consigned to temperature extremes, have a small work desk for tax and other such deep record work; but also has a built-into-the-wall drop-down ironing board and a clothes rack. This will help with several things (including, ultimately, resalability), but especially with providing more functional space for people staying with us.
A company is doing an awesome job with a house restoration in the next block up. I hope to check with them at some point this spring about installing a third dormer, on the east side, opening up the commons room upstairs (both a good thing in itself and also hugely resellable). But Curran's so good...
Big kudos to Mandy the Magnificent. I must decrease that the Spirit in the Community might increase, and she's going to be a huge help to me doing that responsibly.
Those of you who pray please enlist spiritual aid for me that I won't scum off or fritter away my time or fail to prioritize well, since I have a book review, a training concept, a culture analysis, two (local) job applications, a philosophy article, a theology article, a training curriculum, and a series of pomo ministry articles to write over the next seven weeks. Besides the Lower Greenville and El Centro stuff. Not complaining: it's a good life, but I do have to actually do it.
Also prayerwise: Jonathan is in Boston, with good friends seeing good schools. But the odds against vibrant spiritual life are great in these places. The "best schools" indeed.
temporally yours
mgt
Wedding this evening. Will try to avoid that sort of conflict a bit better in the future.
Some people have a midlife crisis. Some have a midlife take-a-deep-breath: I've noted that our friend V is taking off from her missionary career in a closed country to figure out what's next. Makes me think maybe we're not stumbling along, we're just part of the "self-reevaluation movement." Woo-hoo!
How much time do I spend explaining what we're doing to people who aren't doing it? Enough to where I'm no longer doing what we're doing? Had a pretty good time explaining pomo / emerging / nontraditional / innovative / blah blah blah yesterday to some established church people. And looks like it may actually be followed up on in some degree. But the Emperor Aurelius said you only can lose the present: what do I with my presents to not lose them?
I was bummed that the theoblogian Millers were not going to move here after all. And I was a ratfink and couldn't ever get by to see them while they were here, about which I carry a suitable amount of self-recrimination. But now it seems they are moving here, and in a few weeks. So excellent after all--there are roller coasters I no longer prefer to ride, but fortunately this one, the twentysomething what-are-we-going-to-do-I-know-let's-do-this one, I still like just fine.
Curran the Carpenter is rocking along on house and shed for us. The shed revisions will have room for about 200 more books, about a 50% capacity increase, and will complete making the place sturdy, weathertight, and accessible. The house work is finishing out an attic space Dawn "discovered" with a reciprocating saw one afternoon. It'll be storage for records and other items which shouldn't be consigned to temperature extremes, have a small work desk for tax and other such deep record work; but also has a built-into-the-wall drop-down ironing board and a clothes rack. This will help with several things (including, ultimately, resalability), but especially with providing more functional space for people staying with us.
A company is doing an awesome job with a house restoration in the next block up. I hope to check with them at some point this spring about installing a third dormer, on the east side, opening up the commons room upstairs (both a good thing in itself and also hugely resellable). But Curran's so good...
Big kudos to Mandy the Magnificent. I must decrease that the Spirit in the Community might increase, and she's going to be a huge help to me doing that responsibly.
Those of you who pray please enlist spiritual aid for me that I won't scum off or fritter away my time or fail to prioritize well, since I have a book review, a training concept, a culture analysis, two (local) job applications, a philosophy article, a theology article, a training curriculum, and a series of pomo ministry articles to write over the next seven weeks. Besides the Lower Greenville and El Centro stuff. Not complaining: it's a good life, but I do have to actually do it.
Also prayerwise: Jonathan is in Boston, with good friends seeing good schools. But the odds against vibrant spiritual life are great in these places. The "best schools" indeed.
temporally yours
mgt
posted by Mark at 10:24 AM
2 Comments:
ah mark. we are the same person, different parents. except you have more responsibilities and more awesomeness (awkward new word, sorry, it's late). good luck and prayers with your splendorous tasks.
i tried calling tonight but it seems your answering machine doesn't work? but i'll be in dallas wednesday night and hopefully you will be too...don't worry i'll do my best to convince jonathan to move out to LA and we can find a cool church together (or make one).
Keillor says Powdermilk Biscuits give shy people the courage to get up and do what has to be done. I say that Lakins-like friends give grumpy, ungrateful guys pause...and little flicks of hope that stick like glitter to our stubby fingers, to the point where we can't scrub them off...
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