Pastor Appreciation Month

Have you ever realized there is a national holiday or a national month for almost anything?

National Calzone Day - Why have I never celebrated this??
Nation Deviled Egg Day
Nation Men Make Dinner Day - Thankfully this is observed every day in my household. Shout out to my                                                        master chef husband!
National Save Your Photos Month - Anyone else have serious anxiety when transferring pictures                                                                   from your phone to the computer?

The list could go on. And trust me, there are some really strange ones out there.

Our family doesn't really celebrate any obscure national holidays, but last week, someone told me that October is Pastor Appreciation month.

I've never heard of such a thing! Which is funny because, in my family, my father, my grandma, my uncle, and my brother are all pastors.
So when a friend told me October was Pastor Appreciation Month, I laughed a little bit.

I know there are stereotypes of what a Pastor's life is like:
They are constantly reading or studying the bible. As in, the open Bible is the center of their desk at all times, and they spend all their time in coffee shops prepping the perfect sermon. Pastors don't have set hours so they must not be very busy and they probably just hang out during the week (in coffee shops) and then bring their A-game on Sunday mornings. Go to work once a week? Who wouldn't want that job?!

Except that isn't what it's like. At least not for the one I'm married to.

He wakes up at 6am.
Exercises to get his blood flowing and then takes a cold shower.
He meditates and writes in a journal to his wife because that's one way he can show her love in the midst of his work.
He then responds to emails. I'm not talking one or two...if his inbox was an actual mailbox, it would be bursting through the seams.
He leaves for the day at 9:00am for his first round of meetings for the day. It could be with a mentor or a fellow Pastor or it could be with a newly divorced woman who now finds herself a single mom. It could even be with a student who is struggling with drugs. The options are endless.
It's afternoon now, which means he is off to the High School. A student body that has experienced more loss in a single years time than most people experience in a lifetime. Those kids trust and look up to him and look forward to his presence because he is a glimpse of hope. He shows them death and tragedy don't have the final say.
He comes home, probably forgets to each lunch and brainstorms how he is going to improve the life of his community. He prepares, memorizes, and storyboards his sermon. And prepares sermons for months to come because sometimes, there aren't enough hours in the week.
And then he visits people. Hospitals, homes, rehab centers, prisons. It varies on a day to day basis.
He drives home, probably listens to a podcast that furthers his knowledge.
He gets home, puts his things away, wrestles with two little boys who have been asking for him all day and finally, it's dinner time!
He cooks a delicious meal because cooking is his escape.
Sometimes he doesn't get to eat the meal he so graciously cooked because most church business meetings happen in the evening. So he kisses his kids goodbye and tells them he will see them in the morning. Sometimes, they ask, "Why does Papa have so many meetings? Why doesn't he read me bedtime stories anymore?" But they always know how much they are loved by their adored Papa because even when he misses bedtime, he always makes time for them. It's about quality, not quantity, but he still feels the guilt and pressure of his presence not being enough.
His meeting lasts for a good portion of the evening and when the day is finally over, he is done.
He is emotionally, phsycally, intelectually exhuasted.

It puts a strain on relationships, and on his marriage.
But he manages to always make sure his wife knows she is loved and he always tells her how he wouldn't be able to do any of this without her.
Sometimes, a game of dutch blitz is played to wind down for the evening, or sometimes he has a few ends to tie up.

Wedding preparations, funeral planning.

Recently, over the course of one week, he participated in two funerals for two people under the age of twenty-five. Both killed in drunk driving accidents.
Imagine sitting with those families and struggling to find the words to say. And yet, he always seems to find the right words that offer comfort and peace.
He truly knows how to honor a life, no matter how they were taken from this world.

This goes without talking about the extreme loss our community has experienced this last year and how he has entered into that. A broken, shattered, grieving community. And he stands firm in the middle.

A pastor's life is not an easy one. It's taxing and exhausting in more ways than one.
I can't even count how many times he comes home and says, "I think I might need to find a different job."
However, he will only entertain the idea and never carry it out because right now, this is what he has been called to do.

All of this being said, the next time you have dinner with your pastor or his family, ask him how he really is. Ask his wife how she is. You might be surprised at their answers.
Because it isn't about having the Bible open on your desk at all times and it certainly isn't about coffee shop meetings.
It's about bringing the Kindom of God to this place in a real way and entering into the lives of people searching for something more.

It's Pastor Appreciation month.
Take a look at a pastor's world from their perspective. And their families perspective.
They deserve to be celebrated and loved and appreciated.

The Farmhouse Project

When Tyler and I moved to Metamora four years ago, a barn sat in our backyard.

An old chicken coop that was probably built around eighty (plus) years ago.
Over time, the space was abandoned and so was everything in it.
You may be able to picture what the inside looked like after sitting untouched for so long, but let me give you a little insight...
There were old newspapers, some dated over one hundred years old, stacked, literally to the ceiling.
There was a dead, mummified cat laying on the ground. Seriously, I've never seen anything like it.
And dust...I've never seen so much dust in my life.

The church wanted to burn it down, and frankly, I wasn't opposed to the idea because what else would it be used for?

However, my ambitious husband had different plans.
He spent hours out there, clearing out the trash, dead animals, newspapers, and who knows what else. I never stepped foot in it because it was, seriously, that bad.
At first, he cleared out a tiny spot for us to sit.
Just enough space where we could open the door and watch the sunset over the farmland that surrounds us.

We spent most of our nights in our little cleared space. We talked about what the barn could be, what we wanted it to become, and dreamed of it becoming something more. 

Of course, Tyler was may more enthusiastic than I was.

I still saw an abandoned space that made me choke on dust when walking in the door, but he had a vision for the space.

Eventually, after a lot of work from mostly Tyler and some people from the community, the barn was finally cleared out and of course, we wanted to utilize this new open gathering space. 

What started out as just having a few friends over on a Friday night, turned into an official event we started calling Farmhouse Sabbath. 

At first, it consisted of 20+ people, gathering together.

It later evolved into food, drinks, and live music. 

More and more people from the community were attending every month and eventually, we started running out of space. 

So we renovated. 

And again, when I say, "we" I really mean Tyler and people from the community. 

                           

Seriously, such a mess and so much work. 

I can't even begin to tell you how many hours were put into making the picture above, turn into this...

                             

                                

And what turned into twenty people, hanging out, turned into an event that happens once a month and  brings in four hundred people.

We rest and we party. 

To give you a better idea of what Farmhouse Sabbath is about, this video explains it's value...   

  

                                         

So where are we at now?

This event, this space, has become such a huge part of the community. 

It's a place of not only resting and partying, but its a space where vulnerable conversations happen. It's a place where people gather to dream about what this community could be. 

Which brings me to the point of this entire post. 

This spring, something huge is happening. 

This barn is about to become a space that has the potential to be the center of our community. 

This project is something we are passionate about. 

It's something our community needs. 

But, it can't happen without help.

Which goes along with the idea of this space being communal. This building isn't being built to benefit our family, or our church...it's being built for the Evergreen and surrounding areas. 

This place is going to thrive because of it, but it has to be a joint effort.

I'ts obvious that in order for this to happen, this project has to be financially supported. 

If you are in a position where you are able to give, please visit THIS ONLINE GIVING SITE 

This community is about to do big things. 

I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.