Doing important-but-not-urgent things can make us better pastors and better persons.
— Steven McKinley

It was a Friday night, 6:15 p.m. I sat in my car waiting for the green arrow so I could turn left into the church parking lot.

A stream of cars heading north paraded past me, away from the city. Many were pulling boats, a clear sign they were headed for a weekend at "the lake." The golf clubs in the back seats of others suggested they were heading for the Friday night league at a nearby golf course. Still other cars were driven by commuters whose faces showed relief. The busy workweek was over. The weekend was here.

Or so I fantasized.

I was heading for a wedding rehearsal, then a rehearsal dinner. I knew I wouldn't see home before 10:00 p.m. Most of my Saturday would be tied up with the wedding and reception. Sunday morning there would be the usual three worship services, then worship at two local nursing homes in the afternoon, and an orientation session for new church members that evening. ...