What comes next?

I have written and deleted the first sentence here five times in seven minutes. How to begin, what to say...

I want to complain that I am so busy, that my life is full of stress, that I am overloaded and there are too many thigns to do. I want to cry and moan and b!%&# about it, but I really cant. Yes, a single week with two funerals and a wedding, plus all the other regular things is a full plate. Yes, I have been going pretty hard these days, but the truth is I love it.

I love being tired at the end of the day. I love being availible for people in crisis and doing some practical good in the world. I love sharing the most difficult and intimate moments in the lives of my friends. I love what I do, and I love the people in my life.

Ministry is a tough gig, no doubt. You get to be open for criticism and complaint, you get too much responsibility for any individual to bear, and you loose sleep over other people's problems. If one is in ministry and has no sense of the divine call to the work, I imagine it will kill you, drive you crazy, make you into a sniveling wreck.

But there is a powerful presence in my life that sustains me. The Spirit of God goes with me, strengthens me, watches over me, gives me wisdom and grace to deal with all the stuff. And it is good.

I love every minute of it. I love the people in my life. And I am happier these days than I have ever been. Life is good.