needs must

Nothing went to plan today at all! Hardly anything new!

The early part of the morning, when all was pretty quiet - or so I thought - I figured I'd maybe get some things done.

I didn't.

I had to go down to the centre the post office have for items they couldn't deliver. This was a package which wouldn't fit through the letter-box. So they said. The book of reports, it turned out, for this year's General Assembly.

I hadn't banked on going down there. Nor having to wait as I did.

And then it was off to another part of town to collect some items I'd ordered for one of my sons a long, long time ago. So long ago I'd almost forgotten the fact that I'd placed the order. I hadn't banked on that either.

Nor right in the middle of rush hour traffic which slowed the whole thing down.

It began to dawn on me then that maybe, just maybe, this was going to be 'one of those days'. As they say!

It was.

I was back in time from this collection 'round' to say farewell to my African guests. And to give my son a lift up town to the meeting he'd come up for.

Back to the office at last. Half of the morning gone.

But then I discovered there was work needing done across at my Mum's old flat. Well, 'old' in the sense she used to live there when alive. A lot more work than I had first anticipated when alerted to the need.

So I popped across and then started ringing around. Not quite the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker. But a collection of different folk. Tradesman, insurers and bits of advice from one or two folk that I know. Life as a city landlord!

I guess it was really lunchtime before I got down to the work that I'd planned to do. Half a day late and the time now beginning to fly!

Top of my list of the things that I needed to do was preparing the service of thanksgiving which tomorrow we'll hold for this lady who died last week. This sort of thing takes time. Hours. That sort of time.

I can't (and I won't) just knock up a service like that. It needs a lot of prayerful thought and hours of prayer-filled writing as I try and slowly hammer out a Spirit-wrought memorial of this godly lady's life.

In the end it took me nearly all the afternoon. Other things were simply ditched. Meanwhile. Tomorrow's service will not come again. I have to get it right first time. However long it takes.

I'm praying that the people who are present then will really sense God's presence with them there. Will hear his voice and find both gentle comfort and a ringing inspiration for the living of their own remaining days.

And in amongst all of that there were phone calls and e-mails and all sorts of admin-type tasks.

Including agreeing to take on the role of leading a neighbouring people when shortly their minister leaves. Until they get another one, that is.

Part of me thinks I must be mad to take on another role like that on top of the work I have here. But that's the way the system works. And all of us take our turn.

It's my turn now.

Today's been that sort of day. Doing what needs to be done. And the things that I'd planned to be doing, I've had to squeeze in or put off.

Jesus himself didn't really do his own agenda sort of things.

He came to serve. To do what needed done.