Weekend work

A little time out at last...
This morning I realised that I had left some important stuff in the office. So my wife and I went into town (11k) to pick it up. We stopped at the local sports stadium cafe for morning coffee.  As we waited for our coffee and then drank it we talked.  It felt like we had not had time to talk for ages. Of course we had been talking, but our conversation had been just the necessary to get to work, get meals, do the stuff we had to at church and get to bed. We had both been racing around doing things, going to meetings and never had time to really catch up. We both "unloaded" and debriefed about the various things that we had been involved in. For me it was Night Shelter Trust issues, chaplaincy experiences and concerns about my work load. For my wife it was meetings she had arranged for Habitat for Humanity and a meeting she had attended about our foster daughter who has significant handicaps. Our coffee break took a lot longer than usual. After coming home, eating lunch and doing some work I got to head up my Mount Cargill for a walk. It was great sunny weather and a real treat to be walking in the bush and seeing the familiar but still amazing scenery glistening in the sunshine. It seemed an age since I had been there. I met a friend on top and we talked before I headed back down to work. 
Preparation....
I have three things to prepare for in the next couple of days. I have to lead the normal morning service tomorrow morning and I am a bit behind in my preparation. I also have to prepare power points and wording for a presentation to a charitable trust on Monday morning where I make a plug to receive a big grant for the Night Shelter. With so much money resting on it I am a bit worried about my approach. Distracting me from both of these is the fact that I am to be the preacher at an inner-city ecumenical service at seven tomorrow evening. It is to be held at the "distinguished" Knox Church and will involve choirs, a dance group and a Tongan singing group. I am a bit nervous because my conversational style does not really fit the usual "intellectual" worship in Knox, the building arrangement nor the style of worship that has been planned. So my mind keeps straying to this sermon. 

Oh I do look forward to retirement when I will not have such things hanging over my head all of the time!