The Pastoral Grind

sermon preparation (Photo credit: AngloBaptist ) As my every other week blogging continues (this time because I'm heading to Mexico on Tuesday), I find myself reflecting on the service and message I led last night.  I preached on Romans 8 through the lens of the Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 1 , taking a look at what it means to belong .  Early last week I got back from Indiana for the holidays and was celebrating Christmas/New Year's with family in Holland, and I felt at ease with the preparation I had to do.  All of a sudden it's Friday though, and I'm doing an overhaul of the message because I realized I had forced my hand and not let God work.  The weekend begins, my head is thinking through all the things that need to get done before I leave on this upcoming trip, and when I stand up at 6:00 on Sunday night I feel like I'm boring the congregation and that I must be reading some one else's manuscript because the few times I look up (though I'