Sometimes you are the windshield...

This morning in worship there were some real ups - being with the children, singing in both Between the Banks and the choir - and some not-quite downs - I got lost in my thoughts during my morning message. The sermon time eventually came together - mostly - but only by the grace of God and it was humbling to be moving through things only to realize: damn, this isn't really working!

+ That's one of the funny things about preaching - sometimes no matter how hard you work, the message heads south - and you have to get out of the way and see where the Spirit leads. I recall hearing Jeremiah Wright speak to a group of African-American pastors once about preaching. One of his many insights was: even Ted Williams got a hit only once every three times up at bat - and THAT got him into the Hall of Fame. So take it slow; we have these treasures in earthen vessels and if you get a hit every three times, you are doing as well as Ted Williams!

+ There's a lot of humility to preaching - it is one of my spiritual disciplines - and most of the times when a message heads off a cliff I trust enough to smile, get out of the way and let the Spirit lead me back on track. Today was one of those days.

Later in the day, the Berkshire Association met for Taize worship and it was SWEET. Janet came and played the most heavenly flute and Quentin brought his violin and made it sing, too. It was a good way to end the day after spending the weekend with my children. Now for some quiet time and dinner with my honey. (Damn, do I love this song...)