Fish Out of Water?

Today was our District Clergy Family picnic, held in Lima at a very nice park, complete with a swimming lake with all sorts of fun things. We had a shelter reserved and there was all sorts of food (with the emphasis on carbohydrates -- I like the carbs; I need them for all the exercise I get).

The problem? With the exception of one other couple, we were the only ones who brought kids. Heck, we were the only ones whose kids aren't grown and out on their own. With that one exception, everyone else could have been our parents. We were both extremely glad that the other couple was there!

One lady decided it would be a great time to give us "dirt" on the former pastor here. I only half listened; I don't care for gossip. What makes people think I want to hear that, anyway? Kind of like when some people at Stonybrook would tell me how rotten they thought Gary was after he'd retired. 1. It's not my business. 2. It's not their business. 3. I don't care.

One of the problems with the UMC (at least here) is that the pastors are aging and they aren't replacing the retiring ones with new, young clergy. Part of that is the red tape they put us through. I understand having standards, but the standards always seem to come too late; they haven't kept the heritics out. Besides, when you are making rules specifically to address a wrong, that's not the way to go about it. Then, of course, the retiring classes help to drive up the cost of healthcare for the young pastors, and when you're earning the league minimum, it's a big chunk of change to pay for healthcare (not to mention how they nickel and dime you to death).

I've ranted enough for the moment. Have a great weekend!