In Praise of Paul
People often ask me about Paul. What does he do? Is he just waiting with baited breath until Monkfish is big enough to “support” us and he can quit Microsoft and start pastoring? What’s his role at the Abbey?
1) He’s a program manager (PM) in DTUE at Microsoft. Ask him what he does and he’ll say “I tell people to program stuff for a program for programmers.” You won’t get anything else. It has an air of “I could tell you…but then I’d have to kill you.” But really, his job is just so specific that it’s hard to explain. I’ve actually seen him explain it to other Microsofties only to have them go, “Ohhhh…suuure.” Indicating that they are still totally in the dark.
2) He would rather get his gums scraped then be a pastor — though he does enjoy going to “pastor’s wives” sessions at regional gatherings. Paul loves being subversive. His new idea is to get a tshirt that says “Jesus loves you…and so does her mother.” Then he wants to wear it to a megachurch in Seattle where the pastor regularly refers to marriage as “taking a wife” and encourages women to refrain from taking out student loans, since they’ll just be burdening their husbands with debt when they enevitably do the right thing and stay home to raise a passel of babies. Paul and Lindell refer to this upcoming Sunday morning visit as “the espionage plan.”
3) Well…here’s a hint. We’re going a women’s retreat at my parent’s place this weekend, and while I’m gone Paul’s organizing this highly spiritual event:
“Since the ladies will be off this weekend soaking in a hot tub, painting their nails, and practicing silence, meditation, prayer, yoga, and self-reflection, it seems only appropriate that we men spend the weekend blowing things up (or at least, virtually doing so). So, I invite you to the First Annual Monkfish Abbey Xbox/Halo2 Death Match on Saturday.”
That’s my boy!
LOL regardin #2
Just remember, they hire off-dutyuniformed policemen as security guards to stand in the back in case there is anything out of order. No lie.
ah, yes.. a real man! your husband and mine would be friends if we didn’t live 3000 miles apart! they could begin a pastor’s hubbies group and wear aprons and bring spoons and coupons!
the other day, he gave me a hard time for saying i was doing “mom stuff” as i drove my son to soccer and ran some random errands…made perfect sense to me–a mom job–till he said, “welcome to my thursdays!” (it was the first thurs eve i hadn’t worked in a while;)
he is a good man, who would sign up for teeth scraping before pastoring any day ;D
I like this man!!
Sounds like we’ve now got a good working definition for “Men’s Ministries in the Emerging Church” figured out
I’m currently putting together a mini-vision paper for our leaders on why I think we need to find office & meeting space in our town outside the space we rent for our weekly gathering. I’m wrestling with whether it hurts or helps my proposal to list “site for Halo2 tournaments” in the “potential uses” section of the paper
hehehe….if Paul prints up a bunch of those shirts, he could sell them as a fundraiser for monkfish! I know I would buy one…
I have a Christmas t-shirt with the nativity and stars and a comic bubble above the stable saying “IT’S A GIRL!” — it’s sad that it’s so seasonal b/c it’s one of my favourites.
I just want to know who won. (Is there any glory in war?)
I think we all know the answer.
The answer is ‘Yes’; definitely ‘Yes’ (for those of you who did not know the answer).
I like Paul.