Hard to Please

I work at this place called the Swamp. It’s this little house on the edge of the church property, down a small hill on the east side of the massive parking lot. All of the Student Ministry pastors, directors, and interns are shoved away from the real church business. We also drafted our Men’s Ministry Pastor and his secretary, and her dogs. The house is full of things for jr. high and high school students, things like a Wii, an Xbox, or just tons of Frisbees. The Swamp house is encased in old shrubbery and sits on the edge of…well, a swamp. Legend has it that it used to be a pond, and sometimes when I stare at it out my window while I should be working, I think about it having a better time in its existence. Maybe a time when small children could jump in and play without the fear of coming out legless. It was most likely a happy place once. But now that it has been destroyed, youth interns and pastors have been throwing things in it and daring kids to jump in after their parents have signed a waver. The existence of the swamp has created mounds more fun. All things considered, work is normally pretty exciting. There’s always something happening it seems. Whether there’s a game of Wii tennis in the living room or just a fat pup turd on the floor in the basement, something always seems to be glowing at the Swamp.

The problem is I am incredibly bored right now. Why? is a great question. How come I am so bored? Why can’t I try to beat the Wii bowling record? Why don’t I hit oranges in to the swamp? How come I’m not playing “Will it Float?” with kids? Or, why would I not be over-feeding the dog just to see if he actually lays a dirt dragon in the boss’s office? So many options…why am I not satisfied?

Because it’s totally empty around here. Everyone went to high school camp and is either riding the Indiana Jones ride for the fourth time or trying to find the kid who went on it a fifth time. They’re gone, and I couldn’t go all because I’m launching Rolling Hills’s new young adult ministry. Timing was bad, and it sucks I couldn’t go, but I didn’t think it would be this bad. The Swamp lays quiet and I’m getting all of my work done. This isn’t what ministry is about – especially at the Swamp.