a good couple of days

i write this, not from my study with our beautiful view of shbc's parking lot, but from a seat in my friend bailey's domain: heine bros. for those of you who are unaware - bailey is the mayor of heine bros. a job he takes quite seriously if his presence in the building is any indicator. i must admit i share his love of both the locale and the coffee.

dwight and i are here on our annual deacon/staff retreat. the staff comes to the 'ville a couple of days early to read, pray, plan and get ready for the arrival of our lay leadership. we then take the time to evaluate the past year in light of seeking to be word, worship and witness-centered as a congregation. keeping the main thing the main thing can be difficult, especially in a domain as fickle as congregational life. being good southern baptists, food and fellowship play a central role in a retreat such as this one. this is just one of many trips to see the good folks at heine bros., and before all is said and done the irish rover and genny's diner will have felt the wrath of the diaconate. the table fellowship is fun - and, strangely enough, meaningful.

aside from missing amy and the poopsies, the time away has been good. being in an interim music position means you have to prepare ahead of time as much as possible. the preaching calendar has been updated and revised for the remainder of 2005. the dates i'll be out of the pulpit have been revisited and pulpit supply has been secured. if we're not careful, we may give the impression we know what we're doing. something to ponder over my next iced mocha.

"There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from Him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?" -Ecclesiastes 2:24-25