I enjoy the rhythms of a well-planned week and feel satisfied when a lot gets accomplished without a lot of wasted time. This does not happen every week, but after 18 months at New Life, I am finally following a fairly balanced schedule that allows plenty of time for my family, my work as a pastor, and for myself. Here is a snapshot of a normal week for me.
Monday – A few weeks ago, I stopped going into the office on Mondays and decided to work from home. I realized that I did not need to make a lot of major ministry decisions or have a lot of meetings on Mondays because my emotional batteries were not fully re-charged from the weekend. I prepare breakfast for the kids, take them to school and return home to read and write my blog. I normally go to lunch with Pam on Monday.
Tuesday – This is the busiest and longest work day of the week for me. I get to the office around 7:30 and study and pray for the weekend message until noon. I usually eat lunch with a member of the church or one of the staff and then meet at 2pm with the four members of my Executive Team. At 3pm, I meet with the remainder of the Executive Team for at least two hours. Once a month on Tuesday, I meet with the elders until around 6pm and then I try to attend Revival Town on the same night.
Wednesday – I spend the morning studying and praying for the weekend message. At 11am, I meet with a diverse group of staff people who help me prepare even more for the Sunday talk. I bring them a rough outline and they help me with stories, illustrations and biblical insights. This is one of my favorite meetings of the week. After lunch, the rest of the afternoon is committed to meeting with people. I agree to almost every meeting request which means there is a backlog of appointments of at least two months. This is my chance to meet the great people of New Life and hear their stories.
Thursday – I am up early to pray at 6:30am with several hundred men at the World Prayer Center. I love this time of prayer, worship, and reading the scriptures together. I am back in my office by 8:30am to finish the Sunday talk. I normally submit my final notes by noon on Thursday. I meet with the entire ministry staff every Thursday at 11am to worship together, pray together and discuss all kinds of ministry topics. After lunch, I meet with my assistant to plan our upcoming week and then block off the rest of the afternoon for more meetings with people from the community and the church.
Friday – This is my sabbath day. I prepare breakfast for the kids, take them to school and return home to work out. This is my day with Pam since the kids are in school. Friday nights are also set aside for dinners with friends or people we are getting to know in the church.
Saturday – This is my day with the family. I try to sleep a little later, prepare a late breakfast, work out and do something fun with the entire family. I normally do not go anywhere on Saturday night because I want to be really rested for Sunday morning.
Sunday – I get up early and arrive at church before 7:30am. I spend an hour praying and reviewing my notes and then at 8:30am, I gather with some staff to pray again. I speak twice on Sundays for about 35 minutes. At the end of the second service, I go to Guest Central and stay there until the last guest has been greeted. I normally get home around 1:30pm.