Random minus zero

I've got nothin' but a bunch of jumbled thoughts, and they might not even be thoughts per se, but fragments of free-flow that I might happen to catch with some keystrokes. We'll see...

• Jane starts another class today. This semester she goes straight from work to school on Monday nights. Son Isaac started his Greek classes today too. Four hours a day, five days a week. Whew.
  
• I think I might be on vacation now. I worked today, but I think I'm off the rest of the week. My "year" ends July 31, and I have a week of vacation left to use. I don't have anywhere to go though. I don't travel too well by myself and Jane is saving her vacation for the wedding. If anything I may go stay in daughter Carrie's apartment for a few days. She will actually be in Indiana. But I have four vehicles to get serviced to varying degrees this week, so we'll see how that goes.
• Next year I will actually have four weeks of vacation (starting in August). What in the heck am I going to do with four weeks?
• I go back and forth on vacations. I remember my first year - I didn't take ANY vacation at all. I was afraid if I missed a Sunday the place would fall apart. I have finally discovered that that doesn't happen (or that maybe it falls apart worse when I am never gone). I almost think me being gone is better for the church than for me sometimes. But I don't know. I just take what I get. It probably doesn't matter much one way or the other.
• I just started four Sundays in a row where I won't preach. This past Sunday we had friends of ours - missionaries - who were here, and they spoke instead of a sermon by me. I still led worship and whatnot. Next Sunday I will be on vacation and we have a lady coming from the local women's shelter to preach. The following Sunday is my 10th anniversary as the pastor here, so I guess they're giving me the day off. I still need to be here, but son Isaac will be taking care of worship/music, and our former denominiational director is coming all the way from Pennsylvania to preach. That's pretty cool. I think we're also having a lunch afterward. The following week I am going back to my home church for their 150th anniversary, and someone else from our church is going to preach.
• I was fairly excited about the 10th anniversary thing. Although now I'm worried that I'll be bummed if no one is here on that day. I remember once, for Pastor Appreciation Month, they asked what they could do for me, and I said what would be nice is if everybody could just show up for church for that month. I realize now that was a stupid thing to ask for. I actually had people tell me that they would, in fact, NOT show up for that entire month - just because I said I wanted them to. People are strange. So I'm not getting my hopes up about anything.
  
• It was kinda nice just leading worship Sunday. I tell you, on those days when I either just lead worship, or just preach, it seems like I have so much more energy - it's almost like I haven't done anything at all. But it wipes me out to do both. I think most of the people in my church have forgotten that when I came here the pastor just preached and prayed. Sometimes I think that would be really nice again, and if I could find a worship guy and musicians that would be great. But I'm probably too much of a control freak, so I dunno. I think it would be better for everyone if I did just preach though. Because I'm probably a better preacher than worship leader. At least I think so. But I'm probably not a very good judge, so who knows.
• I am really, really, really tired today. And kinda down. I don't know why. Must be the weather.
• For some reason I've had the Rolling Stone's album 'emotional rescue' stuck in my head today. I can remember buying the vinyl like it was yesterday (though I no longer have any of my records). I was going through a bad time when I bought that album. It didn't help at all.
• I just got the spare tire out from under the Ford Ranger. It is worthless, and with the amount of rust I broke loose underneath and the bolts that snapped off, I'll be surprised if the thing will even go down the road now. I just hate to get rid of it though, because it's such a nice lawn ornament.
  
• Eh... whatever.