924

The family and I traveled to WV for the Christmas holiday. We were away for 6 days. And one was Christmas day. When we pulled in at 7:00 AM on Sunday (after driving all night because of a predicted blizzard), I was still wired. I turned on my computer and started the mail program. I had 924 messages. 924! Over six days!

I’m getting way too much junk mail and scams. It may be time to switch my email account. But everything is linked to this email. I get useful notices. My friends all have this email. I’d rather not go to all the hassle.

Then I read in this morning’s paper about a man who went to law school and now spends all his time suing spammers. He made over a million dollars last year. I’m thinking about sending Traci back to school.

Routine or Rut

Traci and I have been going through a devotional book with our older son. At one point we were asked to come up with one word that describes our life. For mine I came up with “routine.”

Now I don’t mean routine in a negative sense. Sometimes we think of routine as boring. But I seem to function better with some sort of a schedule or routine. I like to know what’s happening today, what we’re doing tomorrow, what’s going on this week. I like to have  a plan. For some, a plan drives them crazy. For me, it’s helpful.

I go to lunch every Tuesday with a group of ministers. Some of them don’t know what they’re preaching on Sunday. They haven’t decided yet. The Spirit hasn’t inspired them. I already know what I’m preaching Sunday. And the next. I know what I’m preaching in January and I know what’s up next for February. I don’t have it all planned out in detail. But it gives me things to study and think about over the next month. In fact, I have a four year plan of the biblical books and topics I’m preaching.

A four year plan isn’t as restrictive as it sounds. I don’t feel so bound to it that I can’t change. If some need comes up, I have times scheduled that I can add a new subject or change one that’s already scheduled. However, it does give me direction and time to think about what is coming. I can file away little thoughts, articles, quotes about what may be coming up.

The problem becomes when the routine becomes a rut. Sometimes the routine becomes so habitual that you don’t have to think about what you’re doing. The routine does become boring. Usually it just takes a little extra planning, or a break from the routine, or a new change to break the rut feeling.

For me a schedule works. It works well. At least I think so.