Gary Manning
Nov 5 · 2 min read

A Day in the Life

“What do you do all day?”

I get that question often enough you’d think I would have a pat answer by now. But I don’t. Most of the time when folks ask it, I sputter around in search of something vaguely coherent, and usually I end up saying something like, “It varies.”

Take today for instance. I got up at my usual 4:30 a.m., walked the dogs, and went to the gym to workout. Then, after stopping by home to get in my work clothes, I met someone for coffee at. 8:00 a.m. Then, I spent a couple of hours answering e-mails of all sorts and conditions. I called parishioners who are dealing with health issues. I spoke by phone with the Mayor of Wauwatosa regarding the new city commission of which I’m a part. I spent more time on other calls — one with a parishioner about a potential outreach opportunity, and another with a fellow priest about his continuing vocational discernment. In between that, I met informally with our interim administrative assistant to discuss a few details around scheduling folks who serve in various capacities at church on Sunday morning. I signed all the birthday cards for parishioners who have birthdays in November. I proofed the bulletin for this coming Sunday’s 10:00 a.m. liturgy. I began the process of preparing Sunday’s sermon. I left the office about 3:30 p.m. so I could drive up to a nearby town where I will be working with another priest and vestry in an intentional planning process. Unfortunately, this is one of those weeks in which I didn’t pay close enough attention to my own planning, as I have an evening event every night for six consecutive evenings. My bad.

Along the way today, I’ve tried to catch up on the headlines and not get dragged into the Slough of Despair. I’ve prayed for a variety of needs, both in the silence of my heart and out loud. On my hour long drive late this afternoon, my mind continued to wrestle with how to keep the good momentum we’re presently enjoying at Trinity Church from stalling, and how to manage the disappointment on the part of parishioners who believe we aren’t moving fast enough in this or that direction, and the discomfort of other parishioners who worry we’re moving too fast.

All in all, a fairly normal day. Nothing very dramatic. The usual stuff of parish ministry. While nothing was particularly difficult, it took me all day to get some of it done. And plenty was left undone. No worries. It will all be there tomorrow when, with God’s help, I’ll get to live another day in the life.

    Gary Manning

    Written by

    Episcopal Clergy Person; Coach and Consultant