So, I overslept this morning and missed half of the first worship service.  Thankfully, I had no responsibilities this morning so that was good.  Let’s hope next Sunday I don’t have that problem since I’m preaching and most likely would be missed if I overslept.  As you can tell from yesterday’s post, Saturday was a late night again – several in a row.  I guess it finally caught up with me.

Today has been a good catch up day – bills paid; laundry done; dishes washed.  Needed to have my house in order before I begin the week.  Then I had some family time with afternoon and evening with my aunt and uncle from Tennesse along with my other aunt and my grandma.  We’ll spend some more time together this week while they are in town.

Don’t have much else to post tonight.  I’m hoping to get some sleep tonight.  I have three meetings on Monday and much to do in between those meetings.

Leave you with this word from my quiet time today: "If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father.  He loves to help.  You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it.  Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought.  People who "worry their prayers" are like wind-whipped wave.  Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea keeping all of your options open."  James 1:5-8   The green highlights are the parts that really spoke to me today and I think where the Spirit had me focus for a while so perhaps I would get it.

Thanks for your prayers and encouraging words on the restless nights.  What great friends!  Things are a little better – thanks to Tylenol PM, some conversations and some extra work time.   I’m resorting temporarily to drugs for help.  I can just take so many sleepless nights until lack of rest makes me unable to function.  I also was able to work late Friday night and spent several hours at the office today which has helped.  I am very overwhelmed right now at work and this weekend I was able to chip away at some of the bigger things while no one was around.  I need the time without distractions to work on some things.  I have a lot with the children’s ministry that is coming up along with another sermon to prepare for next Sunday and a wedding message to write.   I can smell the changing of the church seasons and I’m a little leery.  With the end of summer comes the craziness of the regular church routine and I have so much to do before that happens.  So -  just a lot of things that are on my mind when my head hits the pillow at night.  Sorry to be whiney again.  I do love my ministry and working in the church for the most part.  There are some things I truly dislike about it and always have – like the lose of privacy and anonymity. In fact, the thing that I cried about the most before finally surrending to the ministry was this very thing. I’m a private person and need to have some areas of my life off-limits and protected from the public. People mean well for the most part (a few are just busy-bodies) but church family can suffocate without realizing it.  I try to explain that to people but it is hard to understand sometimes unless you personally experience it.  It is a fishbowl life and some days I hate it enough that I’m tempted to quit and run away to where people don’t know me or care what I do or where I go or who I date.  But most days I love the ministry more than I hate the loss of privacy and I recognize that the same people that meddle with good intentions are the same people who would help me in a heartbeat (and have).  I guess church families aren’t really too different from a lot of biological families, are they? 

My aunt and uncle from Tennesse will be in this coming week to visit and to take care of some family things. I see them maybe once a year so it will be good to visit with them.  They will be meeting Blake for the first time so I know that will thrill them to no end.  Who wouldn’t be thrilled to meet my handsome and charming nephew.