BLeach

Where's the Thin Pastor?

Had a funny interchange with someone yesterday that I haven't seen in awhile.  I opened a graduation open house with prayer.  Afterward, one of the graduates relatives asked me, "Are you the pastor of the church?" After responding that I was, she said, "I didn't realize they had a new pastor."  I replied, "They don't.  I've actually been the pastor since the church started."  At which point she said...

"Then where's the thin pastor?"

I laughed.

Marriage has been good to me.

Very good.

Insecure Pastors::4

Thought I'd make the last post on this topic short and sweet.

Don't be this guy:)

Doing My Homework

There's alot for me to learn before becoming a dad...

Brett Favre's Backup

Leah preached for the first time in our church in July.  It's no secret that she tore it up.  In fact, her message set the record for hits on the sermon section of our website.

Before she preached in July she told the church that filling in for me was like being Brett Favre's backup.  At the time Aaron Rodgers had never started a game and everyone in Green Bay wanted Brett back.

Now that she's preached a second time I'm wondering if I need to be worried about job security.  Not only did she hit another home run, but Aaron Rodgers has made everyone in Green Bay say, "Brett who?"

So I'm beaming with pride...and checking to see if the Jets need a chaplain:)

Eavesdropping in the Church Lobby

Ten minutes after the service...

Consumer Christian: I didn't get anything out of that worship set today.  I really didn't enjoy it all.

Insightful Worshipper: That's okay.  We weren't worshipping you:)

Talk Like a Pirate (and other strange holidays)

For reasons I still have yet to comprehend, this is one of Leah's favorite websites.  It is a collection of national holidays and celebrations.  Here are a few that are coming up soon:

• September 9: Wonderful Weirdoes Day (I'm sure you can think of someone to honor)
• September 14-20: Balance Awareness Week (For those struggling to stand up straight)
• September 21-27: National Love your Files Week (Huh?)
• September 21-27: National Clean Hands Week (I'd argue to stretch this one out all year)

This is all fresh in my mind because yesterday Leah was thoughtful enough to inform me that her birthday (September 20) also happens to double as Wife Appreciation Day.  How nice for her.

So here's my question. 

If you had the opportunity to add one observance to the national calendar, what would it be?

I'll go first!

Breaking News

Brett Favre just had breakfast.  This most likely means he will either be traded to Tampa Bay or New York since most people in both of those cities also eat breakfast.

Seriously, the media mayhem has got to end!  Watching Sportscenter these days makes me feel like Brett Favre is twittering.  I know what he is doing at all times.

Speaking of twittering, I have really tried to get into it, but honestly I'm struggling.  I can't seem to remember to update my feed throughout the day.  But I've really tried.  I even had Jeff Leake's feeds texted directly to my cell phone.  That got to be a little too much, especially for Leah, when my phone started vibrating every time he finished a meeting or went to bed.  It got to the point that I was actually worried about him if I hadn't heard from him in a few hours.  I'd tell Leah, "I really hope Jeff's okay:)"

Pride and Prejudice: Alternate Endings

Last night I kept my promise to Leah and we started watching the original Pride and Prejudice.  We only got through the first two parts.  Normally we would have seen one full movie in that amount of time, but in this case we're only a third of the way there.  So with the fate of five sisters hanging in the balance, here goes.

What I'm Hoping is About to Happen: Mr. Darcy is actually a 007 working for British secret intelligence.  He is on a top secret mission, trying to get close to Elizabeth Bennet so that he can investigate her sister Jane Bennet, who is a double agent with the KGB.  The 27th ball of the movie turns ugly when Mr. Collins gets dehydrated and faints because of sweating too much.  It is just the distraction Darcy needs to take Jane into custody right before she blows up her two youngest sisters, their officer friends, and their most-annoying mother.

But I'm trying not to get my hopes up, because...

This is What Is Probably More Likely to Happen: The sisters continue to learn about life and love.  Some of them get married.  Some of them don't.  Mr. Darcy turns out to be nicer than Elizabeth thinks.  Mr. Collins ends up marrying one of his cousins.  They attend some more balls.  The end.

Some Letters from 5th Graders

I recently had the opportunity to participate in career day at a local school.  I visited several classrooms, talking about what it's like to be a pastor, including Ms. O's fifth grade class.  This week she sent me a thank you note, attached to letters from each of her students.  Reading them was a riot. 

Here are a few of my favorites:

Thank you for coming to our class today. What I learned from you is to work with you. I want to be a Pastor when I grow up. And how can I do that by making people come to cruch. Thank you for your time.

Thank you for coming to my school at Hanley International Academy. What I learned from you is you should never float in the air.

Thank you for coming to our class today.  What I learned from you is you liked to help people.  I want to be a Bartender when I grow up.

Thank you for coming to our class today. What I learned from you is that you make churches. I want to be a basketball play for the Orlando Magic. My second choice will be an investor.

A Stanley Cup Spousal Showdown

Well, it's official. The Penguins are in. And now the Red Wings are in. It's a Pittsburgh vs. Detroit Stanley Cup Finals. And Leah and I are poised for a little matrimonial matchup.

That's where you come in. We need your help thinking of the ideal wager that we can settle on in order to properly spice things up. So far we've got a variety of ideas.

Fun Ideas: Brad Winner gets to write about the Pistons, Lions, Tigers and Wings his/her team on Leah's the other person's blog for a week.

Over the Top Ideas: Winner gets the rights of telling our kids which teams to root for.

Scary Ideas: Something about watching all seven hours of Pride and Prejudice.

So what do you think?

Also, will you please say a prayer for Leah. I'm concerned about her emotional well-being. After moving to a new city, I'm not sure if she can handle the emotional turmoil of watching her hometown team go down in defeat.