Day: November 22, 2004

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it’s over

the JESUS project – our fall/winter retreat is over. this means that my life is alot less hectic and i can begin to blog again. the retreat was great. some highlights of the weekend were:

  • the worship services
  • the spontaneous mud slide that formed after it rained on us.
  • the three-on-three team of middle schoolers who almost beat all the high school students.
  • alot of “down” time.

right now our house is party central with two neighborhood kids here. pam and i have tried unsuccessfully to get them to go home for a little while. they just keep on coming back. i really do enjoy having them here except for the fact that the overall decibel level of the house increases significantly when they are here. for some reason everyone feels the need to shout even the most simple statements. i’ve discussed this before february 23, 2004. it’s still as true today.

i would actually retreat to my bedroom and hide in there except for the fact that i kind of think that is what they want. i’m not sure but that all the noise is not a well planned attempt to chase me away from the living room and den so that they can have it all to themselves. i won’t give into this audio terrorism. silence lovers of the world unite.

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the “it’s over” blues

ever since college i have had a problem dealing with “big events” being over. in college these big events were my finals. for me each quarter’s finals were an “all encompassing” event. every last bit of my energy and focus went towards them. when i was doing something else (being with my family, going to church, working, etc) then i was focused on finals. it consumed all of my free time. i loved it because it meant i always had something to be working on.

retreats, mission trips, and other youth ministry events do the same thing for me now. when i have a major event coming up i never have to wonder what i’m supposed to be doing. any spare moment can be used in doing something for the event. a better advertising scheme, developing the small group material, determining how to better support my leadership, etc. there is always something to do.

the problem with this is when the event is over. i shouldn’t have alot of free time that i have been used to doing something with. for a few days after an event i am in a sort of malaise while i get used to the normal non-rushed schedule of life without a major event. it happens every time.

the whole thing drives my wife crazy. she sees me get up and look around like there is something to be done and then go sit done again. then i do the whole thing again. surely something has to be done. there has to be something i have forgotten. of course, there isn’t because the event is over.

after a day or two i will actually be able to rest.