That’s how long it took me to ride my cruiser to Cosmos Cafe today. I rode to school with the kids and then left there at like 7:50 and arrived in La Mesa in time for a really nice free breakfast of quiche, potatoes, fruit, and coffee. Guess I better do some more riding. I only walked like 50 yards at the top of one hill by Grossmont High- mostly cuz my butt was made at me.

Oh… and while I was there, some legit bike riding dude arrived in one of those spandex outfits with shaved legs and a bike that is so thin that it disappears if you look at it in certain angles. Yeah, he rode to work from Oceanside. He left at like 5:40 am. And I thought my butt hurt.

There are two comments/questions that I have received lately that have caused me to scratch my head. They are two sides of the same coin. I think they just come with the territory of pastor, but sometimes I think there might be something more to it. I’m really not sure what it all means or quite how I should respond.

THE COMMENT: “Yeah, but you have to understand this is your job.” This is always said by a volunteer who feels like too much is being asked of them. It usually is due to some kind of miscommunication and unintended guilt they feel. But regardless of why it is said, it always makes me wish I could quit my job and volunteer. I hate being told I’m paid to do what I do. It has an element of truth to it. But for one reason or another, it really really bugs me.

THE QUESTION: “What do you do for a living?” This is a natural question as people get to know one another. However, recently it’s come from people who attend our church. I’m not sure very many people at Journey have any idea what a pastor does or why it could possibly amount to a full-time job. Or at the very least, they don’t know why the youth ministry needs one. I think we are invisible to too many people.

I wear lots of adidas.

I have adidas shoes, jackets, shorts, jerseys, hats. It’s almost all I wear when playing or coaching soccer. I think it’s the only brand I’m pretty faithful to. Well, maybe Milwaukee power tools.

But anyway, I thought this commercial I saw on Ian’s site was just too hysterical and the fact that it was a song written about God who literally does not believe in the impossible is a little ironic too.