Busy, busy, busy...

This past week has been quite crazy, hence my silence in the "blogosphere" for a few days.

Monday was my normal day at St Andrews, which was fairly hectic as I had about three meetings during the day in which I needed to put out some "fires".

Tuesday morning I completed my monthly newsletter that I edit for Moneyweb's Personal Finance, while the afternoon was spent at the District Finance Committee meeting at Central - another one of those committees which (for my sins) I am a member of. Then in the evening, I was with one of our ministers and another candidate, busy preparing for the Essay on Methodism that is due next week (yes, Faith, the 28th - I know that the month has 29 days, but you made it clear that D-Day is the 28th!).

Wednesday was the 2008 Budget - Trevor Manuel's 12th - and I was working frantically at Moneyweb to get out a newsletter summarising the main aspects of this year's speech. 12 hours in front of a computer is quite strenuous. And despite all this frenetic activity, I still haven't as yet worked out how it affects my tax.

Thursday was "catch-up" day, and I had the satisfying feeling of finally getting not only my SARS e-filing issues resolved, but also my e-mails under control. From nearly 400 at one stage, I have whittled them down to a far more manageable 33.

I also managed to complete two sets of interim accounts for one of my clients, as well as the company tax returns. What's more, I had the privilege of attending a meeting at my Toastmasters club. (The previous two meetings were missed because of memorial services taking place at St Andrews). Even preachers - in fact, ESPECIALLY preachers - need to hone their communication and leadership skills.

Friday was back at St Andrews, and because things were a lot quieter than on Monday, I managed to snatch a couple of hours to prepare for Sunday's service. In the afternoon I was busy setting up for a function that evening at my son's school - purchasing and collecting the beverages, and stocking the bar - which I was in charge of during the function.

"The bar", you may ask? You have to appreciate the delicious irony in this. As a strict teetotaller, and a candidate for the Methodist ministry to boot, one may wonder why I am acting as part-time barman? Well firstly, being an Anglican school, they do not frown on the partaking of alcoholic beverages in the same way as we Methodists have historically been known to do. Secondly, my finance background means that I can be suckered into doing those mundane tasks no-one else wants, like checking the stock before and after, and cashing up afterwards. Thirdly, they figure that as a non-drinker, I am unlikely to be tempted to sample the stock!

So if there's a church out there that needs tighter control over the communion requisites, I'm your man...

However, by the time Saturday came around, I was feeling rather fragile from my three late nights (Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday), and a l-o-o-o-o-n-g lie-in would have really hit the spot. No chance! The day started with a leadership training session at St Andrews in the morning, then a mad dash across town to get to a Pastoral Commission meeting in the afternoon (another of my many sins, no doubt).

Tomorrow (Sunday) I am conducting the Harvest Festival service at St Andrews in the morning, while in the afternoon I will be preaching at the Scouts' "BP" commemoration service.

So if it's okay with everyone, tomorrow evening I'll probably be found curled up on the couch, filling the air with the sweet sounds of a chainsaw at idle...