So we all know that laughter is the best medicine, but what makes one person howl with laughter makes another scratch her head. One website that has recently been the cause of much laughter around the offices of the Clergy Health Initiative is “Every Day I’m Pastorin’.”
Now, even on that site, some posts are funnier than others, and a few things might even be considered offensive (I warned you!), but for the most part the humor is in good taste and usually spot on. It’s good to be able to laugh at ourselves a little, even when we are called to such important and serious work as serving God’s Church! So, in honor of the coming charge conference season, I offer you my latest favorite from the site:
WHEN THE “VITAL CHURCH” SPREADSHEETS ASK ME HOW MANY PROFESSIONS OF FAITH WE’LL HAVE THIS YEAR
In all seriousness we are mindful of the work that occupies the time and thoughts of many of our Spirited Life pastors this time of year, and wish you all well!
As part of my campaign to “build respect for clergy one story at a time,” I have been publishing on Kindle several volumes of short stories: Clergy Tales–Tails: Who Wags the Dog?” amzn.to/11j6L2D. The fourth volume, due out in August, will focus on the place of humor in helping clergy keep their sanity. I am convinced that two essential and underused tools for maintaining one’s health as clergy are the practice of lament and humor.
If you would be interested, I would be willing to share a guest blog with you on the role of humor in a pastor’s life.
In the meantime, thanks for all the work you are doing. As Christians in our contemporary society, we need to recognize that Healthy Clergy Make Healthy Congregations.