“8 Days with the Preacher” : Day 3, Tuesday February 21

Tuesdays are always a bit disjointed for me, and today brought that out again.

I got up at 6AM and went for my morning walk. While walking, I listened to the Dave Ramsey Show podcast. Upon returning home, I got ready and went downstairs with Turner to play Angry Birds (can you tell he loves that game?). After that, I unloaded the dishwasher while listening to the Zig Ziglar Inspire podcast, then helped Leah get breakfast ready.

After breakfast, I finished getting ready and headed for the office. On the way, I finished listening to Dale Jenkins’ 2011 Polishing the Pulpit lecture on better reading that I began last night.

Upon arrival, I met with our secretary to catch up on news, and then went to my office to get some work done. From 8:30 until close to 10:00, I studied for my Sunday sermon, read a handful of blog articles, helped with a benevolence case, and sent a couple of emails.

At 10, Leah came to the building for ladies’ Bible class. She and Mary Carol always go together, and I take Turner with me. We go visiting, and today we visited with one of our sweet ladies from Lebanon Road for about 30 minutes. Turner is getting very good at sitting quietly, and answering politely when spoken to. I’m proud of him!

After the visit, I ran one errand, and then headed back to the building. Turner watched a cartoon on my computer, while I answered a couple of texts and emails on my phone, then did some Bible reading. After that, the two of us had lunch (the ladies’ Bible class had a luncheon together today in another location).

After lunch, it was back to the office for more studying, and I also took the time to write my weekly bulletin article.

At 1:30, I left the building and headed to a meeting. On the way, I listened to The Briefing with Albert Mohler, and started the ESPN College Basketball podcast (it’s almost March!!!). The meeting was at a local Panera, and it was with one of our members. We meet every so often to discuss lots of things, and I leave so refreshed by the attitude he displays! (And, by the way, Panera’s Chocolate Chipper cookie? Uh.Maze.Ing.)

When that pleasant time ended, I hopped back in the car and drove to Mt. Juliet to make another visit. One of our older members is in an assisted living home there, and it had been a little while since I had been over to see her. The visit was such a treat! She recently received bad news from her doctors, but she has lived her life in a way that she is prepared for eternity, so she is taking it with amazing levels of grace and acceptance.

(By the way, this must be one rocking assisted living home, because as I walked up, “Smooth” by Santana and Rob Thomas was playing on the PA system! Not the usual 1940s swing era musical fare.)

On the drive to that visit and then home, I finished the hoops podcast, and listened to “This is Your Life,” a new podcast from Michael Hyatt. If you do not get this program, you must. It is excellent!

As I got close to home, I called Leah and told her to make sure the kids were ready, because daddy was going to take them to the park. We were blessed with 60 degree weather, and I was not going to let that pass. We stayed there for about 45 minutes, then came home to rest a bit before supper together. Leah made a(nother) wonderful meal, and we all enjoyed it. She is an amazing cook (or, as Mary Carol says, she “is a great cooker”).

After supper, we had some down time. The kids played, and I decided to take it easy this evening. I am still fighting off this sinus stuff, so I decided to just relax, watch a little basketball online, and read.

Before closing up shop for the day, though, we had a family devotional together, and the kids ate their snack. Now they are in bed (woo-hoo!) and it is time to relax a bit.