What Does Pastor Ron Do All Day?

Particularly in a small church pastorate, the pastor is out of the office more than people want. "I called but the Pastor wasn't there...A-G-A-I-N." To help you understand, I wrote down everything I did yesterday relative to ministry. Here is a sample day for me.

• 8:48 A.M. Checked clothing shed. No new donations.
• 8:50-9:20 A.M. Prepared thoughts for B.P. interment service later today.
• 9:25-10:20 A.M. Read slowly Psalms 140-145. Wrote down thoughts from Psalm 140:11. Read 19 pages in The Book of Psalms by Robert Alter.
• 10:20-10:30 A.M. Quickly scanned God's Chosen Fast by Arthur Wallis. (We will have some church-wide fasting soon. This is a good resource.)
• 10:30-11:10 A.M. Prayed for church needs as expressed on connection cards from May 2.
• 11:10-11:30 A.M. Lunch.
• 11:30-11:45 A.M. Read 14 pages in Fusion by Nelson Searcy. (Good insight into improving the church's assimilation system.)
• 11:50 A.M.-12:15 P.M. Got ready for National Day of Prayer. (suit & tie, interment service for B.P. followed)
• 12:15-12:25 P.M. Drove to Main St., Lockport. Parked. Walked to National Day of Prayer event at City Hall.
• 12:25-1:00 P.M. Partipated in National Day of Prayer event at City Hall.
• 1:00-1:20 P.M. Walked back to the car. Drove to Chestnut Ridge Cemetery for interment service.
• 1:25-1:40 P.M. Interment service for B. P. @ Chestnut Ridge Cemetery. Stayed until the last family member departed from the cemetery.
• 1:40-2:00 P.M. Drove home. Bye-bye to the suit and tie.
• 2:00-2:10 P.M. Journaled some of the day's activity. (Two testimonies of God's provision for L.A.G.)
• 2:10-2:25 P.M. Checked clothing shed again. Eight bags of donations. Separated non-useable items. Bagged loose clothes. The chute was blocked by all the donations.
• 2:25-2:55 P.M. Checked messages. No record of any incoming calls since yesterday. Practiced music for Sunday morning service. Sorted the mail. Completed payroll report requested by New York State Insurance Fund.
• 2:55-3:05 P.M. Checked and responded to e-mail.
• 3:05-3:15 P.M. Wrote, edited and sent this week's e-update to L.A.G. attendees who have e-mail. (This is an update, reminder and calendar all in one.)
• 3:15-3:30 P.M. Handled paperwork details re: getting sanctuary chairs. Printed and reviewed 4 pages of material. Filled in requested information. (Particular attention paid to guidelines for unloading the truck when it arrives.)
• 3:30-3:45 P.M. Prayer in the sanctuary.
• 3:45-3:55 P.M. Telephone calls.
• 4:00-4:30 P.M. Light reading in my office. The phone did not ring.
• 7:50-8:00 P.M. Drove w/ Lisa to treasurer's. Picked up a check for the chairs. Chatted briefly.
• 10:00-10:10 P.M. Made task list for tomorrow. Decided I would make this day into a blog post.

You're busy too. I just want to help you understand.