counting points
I blogged a couple of weeks ago about starting Weight Watchers. I now don’t eat food I count points the Weight Watchers way. It is much easier than trying to count fats, sugars, carbs, calories, fiber. They even give you a tool to measure all that other stuff and decide your points.
Anyway I was getting ready to make myself a sandwich today for lunch. I was checking the points and lo and behold the brand bread that my wife eats has no points! The healthy, wheat bread, that tastes and feels like cardboard 2 points. So, I begin to ask myself can I eat this whole loaf without any points? I already know the answer and I didn’t. I even added one point for two slices for the sandwich. So I’ll have to figure that one out.
So I take this a step further, what in our leadership has value but no points. I mean you hear the jokes about pastors and about how they never have anything to do. Ever had anyone ask, “How do you spend your time each week?” I recently had that conversation with someone. Showed them the calendar, I can find stuff to do.
Do you get credit for study time if you are teaching? People expect a good sermon and good delivery, on average that takes 10 – 20 hours if it’s done well. I had a lady ask me one time, “Don’t you get your sermons from Nashville and the headquarters of the Baptist. Not really, besides I preach better than them anyway. 
Do you get credit for prayer time? “Aren’t pastors supposed to pray. I don’t get paid for that.” You probably don’t spend as much time praying as most pastors hopefully do. I recently met with a consultant and this is what he told me about meeting with a friend of mine that pastors in North Georgia. “The most impressive thing about meeting with Matt is that the prayer carpet in his office is worn through to the bare floor.” You know what Matt is one of the most successful church planters in Georgia or the nation for that matter. Now I know his secret.
Do you get credit for off the cuff consultation? Most people would be amazed at the suddenly “important” conversations pastors have each day. These calls and interuptions come from staff, members, other pastors, people in the community and they all think you’re not really busy so I just thought I’d call or come by. Had a couple recently that left the church looking pretty angry after meeting with one of our pastors. I asked him what was happening. He explained that his couple had complained about not getting anyone to meet with them. He went on to explain that the couple had met with a Stephens Minister and a counselor, and at least 2 of the church volunteers but, “the church was ignoring them.” AARGH!!! (Clue: It’s not about seeing a pastor, the pastor equips the members for the work of the ministry. You have been ministered to if you have seen a Stephen Minister, Life Care Minister, Journey Group leader, or a Hope Counselor, been to Divorce Care, Grief Share, etc, etc, etc.)
Do you get credit for drive time? Getting to and from meetings is a task sometimes. And if the meeting doesn’t end until 5 or 6 then you have added drive time to your day or before your day. So I normally leave for the office around 7:45 a.m. But periodically I have a breakfast meeting which might start at 8:00 a.m. but it may be a 30 – 40 minute drive, which means I have to leave between 7 and 7:15. I’m not complaining. I actually enjoy these meetings, but it adds to my day. And our value here at WRC is a 45 hour work week. So drive time can send me off my hours some weeks.
It’s sometimes the little things that send the schedule out of whack. So Pastor, Church Planter, or Business Manager, Owner, Dad, Mom, what sends your calendar out of whack. What do you do that you don’t get credit for? I still am fascinated by the idea of BREAD that has no points. That’s a diet I can love. It’s the little things that count the most sometimes.
