The New Normal

I was going to entitle this post "A Return to Normalcy," but then I realized that I am not really returning to anything. The last three weeks have been exhausting, stressful, and crazy busy. I am glad they are over. The other night I forced myself to take the time to finish Supreme Courtship (I am so glad I did!), and when I finished it, I told Ness that I felt like I was getting my life back. Now that I've caught back up on my Daily Audio Bible, I feel even more that way. But things have changed. A lot. And so it's not so much a return to normalcy as a realization that I am now getting used to the new normal.

Vintage is different. New leadership structure. New location. We started the year with a series through Acts we called "Choose Your Own Adventure." I told everyone on Sunday that this is not the adventure I would have chosen. Sometimes - many times? - we don't really get to choose our adventure. Sometimes God chooses it for us. Or other people. And adventures have a lot of uncertainty - that's what makes them adventures, right? Well, I am now on one. My responsibilities have increased greatly. I am doing a lot more administrative stuff in addition to being back to preaching weekly. It's not more difficult, just different. A new normal.

Work is different. The busy season is over. We are now in the planning stages for the coming fiscal year. I've spent literal days on conference calls in recent weeks. Now, I've got to motivate my team in Fayetteville to involve themselves in the next phase of what we have to do. It's a little more boring, but it's ok. A new normal.

Family life feels different. The rush and bustle of back to school is over. I'm sure the rush and bustle of the holidays will be here before I know it. But for right now, we have just settled into the routine of fall. School. Football (which is almost over). A couple of Must See TV shows. Weekends. Family dinners at the table. It's the same as it has been, but it feels oddly comforting to be back into the humdrum of life. A new normal.

So, now that things are going to be normal again, I am going to be blogging more (returning to normalcy). I'm going to finally finish The Shack (a new normal, I suppose). I can't wait to get my small group going (another new normal). I hope some of you are still here to see (and read) the new normal in my life.

.