Another Day in the Life...

From time to time, people ask me, "Now, exactly what do you do in the course of a day?"

I've come to appreciate that this question doesn't arise from a place of suspicion, but rather from a place of curiosity. Face it. When people see priests "in their element" on Sunday mornings, it seems exceedingly clear what we do. But what about the rest of the week? For most folks, the daily work life of a clergy person is somewhat of a mystery. And to be honest, sometimes what we actually "do" is  a mystery for priests as well!

The fact is, much of the work I do doesn't look much like any sort of "actual" work -- if work is defined as the production of a "thing" or the management of people who engage in the making, marketing and selling of "the thing". At some level, clergy don't "produce" (which in a consuming culture makes us anachronisms), but we are charged with envisioning a world in which Christians are known more for the quality of their relationships than the quantity of items they consume on a monthly basis.

So to answer the question, "What do you do in the course of the day?" I have included a running tabulation of Feburary 4, 2011:

 5:00 a.m. -- up to think about several projects I'm involved with, do my first e-mail check of the day (nothing urgent!) and otherwise get ready to "face the day".

 6:00 a.m. -- prepare for the weekly Friday morning service (today was the feast of Cornelius the Centurion)

 6:30 a.m. -- celebrate the Holy Eucharist, Rite I

 7:00 am. -- spend 45 minutes sharing breakfast and conversation with the Friday morning congregation.

 7:45 a.m. -- take my son to school and then travel to Milwaukee's East Side for a meeting.

 8:30 a.m. -- meet with fellow members of a subcommittee, which is one component of an overall strategic planning process for a prominent Milwaukee non-profit agency. I have been a member of the Board of Directors for this particular "non-prof" for just under two years.

9:45 a.m. -- on the road again...this time to Greendale.

10:10 a.m. -- spend time in a coffee shop in Greendale to write an article for a newsletter.

11:00 a.m. -- meet with the Diocesan Congregational Development Officer to think about the next "CDI" (Church Development Institute) weekend in Madison as well as reflect more broadly upon new organizational models which would enhance parochial ministries throughout the Diocese.

12:40 p.m. -- leave Greendale, headed to Wauwatosa

12:55 p.m. -- shopping for items to take to tonight's foyer group, and drop them off at the house.

 1:35 p.m. -- off to Brookfield from Wauwatosa.

 2:00 p.m. -- meeting with one member of my personal "health and wellness" team -- this is the person who helps me stay reasonably patient with myself and whatever progress I may see @ Trinity Church.

 3:15 p.m. -- off to Delafield from Brookfield.

 4:00 p.m. -- meeting with seminarian in Delafield.

 5:15 p.m. -- return to Wauwatosa from Delafield.

 6:00 p.m. -- spent some time checking e-mail and returning phone calls in advance of "Foyer Dinner".

 6:30 p.m. -- Foyer Dinner with parishioners.

10:00 p.m. -- leave dinner, off to another parishioner's house (where my son has been spending time playing the game of the week with a couple of his church friends).

11:15 p.m. -- return home. Now, time for bed!

What a day! Lots of stuff to think about! But for now, I need to close my eyes and close the books on the past 24 hours. In the words of "Night Prayer" from the New Zealand Prayer Book, "What has been done, has been done. What has not been done has not been done. Let it be." -- Amen, and Good Night!