desk

Do you have a desk? In your office? In your home study or work space or computer area? What's on it? Here's what's on mine this morning.

A paper weight from Dr. Tom Tanner at Lincoln Christian College from when I taught youth ministry there 8 years ago. It is holding down (although it's never windy in my office...so I don't know why I need a paper weight) some census information about our town and county that may be useful for ministry strategy (although it's been there for weeks and I've not really looked at it that much).

I have some leftover sermon notes from the weekend. One was a sermon I preached at our first preaching conference (over 60 registered - it was awesome to spend time with preachers from over 30 different churches and several states preaching and talking about preaching). On top of that sermon is the one I preached in church both services yesterday. Sometime today I'll get around to hole-punching them and putting them in a binder. I have all the sermons I've preached here at Eastview since 1995 in hard copy (I'm still old school). I have three Bibles on my desk (I hope that says something about who I am!). One is for a funeral I'm preparing for this morning for Rick Eilts. He was a former member who moved to Missouri and is being buried here today. His obituary is also next to it. Another Bible I have opened all the time to a Psalm. Honestly, I don't use it much, but occasionally I'll grab it for a reference. The other Bible is the one I preach from and it's opened to this Sunday's text from Deuteronomy 17. I have a note pad next to it with a few notes already on it.

I have a stack of business cards with the names of all my family, staff, elders, and small group members written on the back. These are prayer cards that keeps these people constantly in front of me so i can pray for them. sometimes I take these cards to my prayer room and pray for all of them at once. But mostly I go through about 10-15 a day with 30 second prayers.

I have an envelope addressed to a long time member who recently lost his wife, a reminder that I need to write him a card of encouragement (I try to do this for every member at our church). There is also a business card with the quote I used in church a couple a week ago from Hudson Taylor "It is possible to move men, through God, by prayer alone". I believe that...and we are seeing that around here these days.

I have a copy of last year's Easter bulletin thingy. We are preparing for this year and I need to write something from the pastor (probably won't get to that today).

I have three note pads on my desk. One with the start of sermon notes. The other with every meeting and conversation and to do list I've had since October (it is a spiral note book and I keep everything in this...it's nearly full time to start a new one). The other is a note pad for my daily devotion time. I'm creeping through Luke right now and have some notes and thoughts written down (this is where Deuteronomy started...so look for a Luke sermon series at a church near you).

I have two cups of coffee on my desk. One with coffee that was hot an hour ago and the other with coffee from the 1800's. Which I drink will depend on the day :-)

I have three books on my desk. One I have read and am re-skimming called Spiritual Leadership. The other is called the Five Dysfunctions of a Team that I and several staff members are supposed to read ahead of an upcoming retreat. I haven't started it yet. The other is "Desiring God" by John Piper. It's devotional in nature for me and very intriguing. I'm wading through because it has a lot of big words.

finally, a photo of me and my lovely wife Sara. She's still the love of my life. Well, that concludes the tour of my desk...hope you're not bored to tears. Oh, one more thing that I think is cool. This desk is pure walnut made in the late 1960's for the Sr. Pastor of Eastview Christian Church, Bob Phillips. In 1975 Gary York inherited it as the Sr. Pastor and used it until two years ago June (June 2007). So this is a desk with history almost 50 years of ministry has been done on this desk and by God's grace some more will be done today.