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My Writing: What’s Taking So Long?

Writing is hard work!

A writer’s output is dependent on so many variables. Sometimes things fall into place and an article just flows from the mind through the fingers to the keyboard and onto the screen. At other times, brain beavers block up the river of thought so that it becomes a trickle and words barely wet the page.

There are times I think it was easier being a bi-vocational pastor.

“Real-World” Work and Pastoring a Church

I used to work full-time as a technology manager and full-time as a pastor. That’s two full-time jobs. Most people get that working for a corporation in most any role is a 40+ hour job. They understand because many of them either are doing it themselves or know someone who is. Most people hate their jobs because it is hard work and they don’t think they get paid enough. We might call it “thankless”.

However, they don’t get that being a pastor is a full-time job. They see the hour or so on Sunday, but that’s all they see. I’d like to give an shout-out to Pastors here:

In most cases, people forget the Tuesday evening prayer group and the Wednesday Service. Unseen by them are the Tuesday and Thursday morning Bible studies at the Food Bank and the Seniors Rehabilitation Center. Each takes hours of study and preparation to do them well. Then there are the “fun” things, like Friday evening Movie Night and Youth Group, which seem to be nothing more than pleasure activities but need major homework to make the time spiritually relevant as well.

None of these includes the aspects of pastoring that everyone just expects a pastor to perform. We do baptisms, funerals, and special services for Holy Week, Easter and Christmas, Mother’s Day, and all the other holidays. We also do counseling sessions, usually several sessions, for those who have lost their job, lost their home, are struggling in marriage or bringing up their children. Don’t forget the hospital visits, the soup kitchens, the prison visits and the other ministries at which the pastor is expected to be present. Remember also the street evangelism, the house to house invitations, and the mission trips.

None of those includes the administrative aspects of the job such as leadership meetings, property meetings and all the other meetings, internal and outside the church. Small church pastors also have to deal with signage, websites, bulletins, rental agreements, repairs and maintenance.

All of this on top of his responsibilities to his wife and children, to love them and spend time with them.

Finally, and most importantly, if a pastor is doing his job right, he will be spending hours in prayer – praising and worshipping God as well as asking for His intervention –  for his church, his community and his nation; for the lost to be found and the universal church; for his family and himself.

As someone who was a pastor for over a decade, I empathize with small church pastors. I know what I thought of them before I became one and what I know now about the work they do. It makes that thankless 40+-hour corporate job seem effortless.

So What About Writing

Having been a bi-vocational pastor, I’m not sure that writing is much simpler. Sitting in front of a keyboard certainly isn’t as hard physically as other jobs but it is emotionally and mentally taxing. I heard Michael Hyatt, a former CEO who I am sure worked some very long hours, say that he can do 4-hours of writing and he’s spent. I feel the same way.

If it were just the two of us, I might think we were in the wrong profession, but I’ve heard so many others say the same thing. Writing is draining work.

According to research, the average person speaks 16,000 words daily. However, most people can’t write 2,000 words a day, which is what the prolific Stephen King does. If it takes a year to write the average novel, that would be about 300-400 words a day. In a four-hour day, that’s 100 words an hour. Seems like nothing, right?

That’s how hard it is.

What I’m Currently Doing

This is all to explain what I am up to. Some of you are wondering, “Where is Book 2 of ‘Why God is so Amazing’?” I promise I’m working on it. I didn’t realize how hard it was going to be to put five sessions together for God’s Attribute of Immutability. There are things that must be taught but when those things took up one and a half session, I realized I needed much more.

So I’ve been reading and researching. I don’t want to give you garbage. We read enough of that throughout our lives. I didn’t want to write filler: you deserve better than that. So I’ve had to dig deeper and try to find new perspectives about God’s immutability that might not be found in any other book of His Attributes.

I’m getting there. I’ve finished four sessions. I only have one more to go and it’s the Takeaway chapter. This segment summarizes the learning points of the previous sessions and attempts to make those points applicable in our lives.

That said, I’m not celebrating the completion of the book yet. I know that this last chapter is vitally important and I don’t want to speed through it simply to be done. So, don’t be surprised if next week, I’m still explaining why I’m not done yet.

Your Turn

Let me know any thoughts you might have in the comments section below. Ideas, encouragements, anything is welcome.

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