2020 hours in 2020

The other night I saw that I logged 2,020 hours so far this year.

I keep a work log of the amount of hours I work each day and have a running tally. I do that because I have a tendency to feel like I'm not working enough. So by keeping a log I know when I am doing too little or doing to much. That way when it is time to relax I give myself the permission.

So yesterday when the day was over, I added in my hours from the day onto my excel sheet and I saw "2020". At first I was confused because I thought was seeing the year. Then I realized "Oh, that's my total." Haha

People ask me "what do pastors do?" To many I guess it seems like we work one day a week. ​

Well for the last 7 days I made phone calls, wrote a sermon, preached the sermon, replied to messages on my website, went to 4 prayer sessions, supported a youth program, did a board meeting, shared counsel to a member, taught a preaching class, checked text messages, replied to emails, contacted people who were nominated for positions next year, did a Bible Study with baptismal candidates, and that's the stuff that I remember off the top of my head.

There is plenty to do. Its not just preaching on the weekend. I know some people complain because they feel like I'm not doing everything that a pastor should be doing. Truth is every member has their own expectation of the pastor's responsibility. Every pastor has their strengths and weaknesses. Every pastor has the things they are passionate about. Problem is we take all the good we see in the history of pastors in our lives and we put together an unrealistic job description. We want a superman who is good at everything.

The reality is that the position "pastor" is only mentioned once in the Bible. It talks way more about the other functions in the church. No one receives all the spiritual gifts. And that's on purpose. If one person had everything then it would become a one man show. Thats just as boring as the Superman animated series. The Holy Spirit divides up the gifts to all within His church. That way we have to rely on each other and become a team. The Justice League animated series was such a more interesting show seeing all these characters working together.

Being a pastor is almost like being your own boss. You set your own hours and your own responsibilities. So for me, I simply look to God who is the head of the church. And as long as I feel like me and Him are on the same page, nothing else really should matter. I want Him to dictate my schedule and my hours.

2,020 hours so far in 2020. Thats a good amount, but got more hours to go in this wild ride of a year... Let's do this!!