Nose Above Water

That's about how I feel.

My October schedule has been a bit overwhelming. We began with the trip to Chattanooga. Check.
We were supposed to continue with a 3-day field trip to WVa and Monticello, but that didn't happen. A dear man in our church died, and the funeral was today. Since Adam is the preacher and I am the pianist, we were rather needed in town. Thankfully, our field trip is rescheduled for later, with no ill-effects.

What else is this month?
1 dinner out with another couple
Weekly ballet lessons, soccer practices and games
Weekly Bible study
Weekly Community Choir Rehearsal
Weekly Bible study and church choir rehearsal
Presbytery meeting at our church (this is a big deal; we ladies must feed about 150 men)
Gideon supper one evening
All day at the Renaissance Festival
3 days of Philip's fall break - will he be home?
1 week of our fall break, praise the Lord!
3 days for Monticello field trip
Oh, and let's not forget the usual church responsibilities on Sundays, youth group events (like the Michael W. Smith concert) and, uh, SCHOOL.

October is my favorite month. I feel like I just hi-jacked it.

We had rather a blow recently. I'm not working now, and my husband is serving as the stated supply (temporary pastor) at our church. He loves it. Being a pastor it what he's wanted to do. He's good at it too, and I think just about everybody in the church wants for him to become their permanent pastor. They want him; he wants them. It's a match made in heaven.

Of course, in our denomination, things must be done methodically, which is good. One committee had already told Adam that they thought his becoming pastor here was a good thing; they would support it. And our session of leaders wants it.

But ... last week Adam got a phone call from the head of a different committee. He told Adam that their committee did not consider this permanent pastorate to be a good arrangement. This committee would not approve his candidacy.

I felt like somebody hit me in the head with a meat cleaver. What a blow!

We have some hope that this situation can be ironed out, that perhaps Adam still has a chance to stay here. That we could still live in our town, with the dear church folks that we love, in our home. Do people realize, when they make decisions like this about others' lives, what havoc they can produce? We are devastated.

So please pray for us. We don't really have quite enough to live on right now, and we're spending our savings. We do not have other plans, and Adam's pastoral search has not, thus far, produced any solid leads. One church in South Dakota seems interested, but they are the only one.

We were so hopeful, and now we are not. Day by day -- that's how we're asked to live.