I love sledding in the winter. I also hate the work that goes into sledding.

Those few seconds of sliding down the hill with the cold wind in your face are exhilarating. The launch down the hill and picking up speed can feel like you are flying without ever leaving the ground. I can still feel the sensation and joy of a school snow day.

What I hated was reaching the bottom and having the sled come to a stop. The joy of the ride was over, and now I had to walk in the snow uphill. There were at least 15 minutes of challenging walking to reach the top before the few seconds of the slide.

This journey to the top was required to reach the height needed to develop speed. The higher the walk, the greater the momentum as you go down the hill.

Summer at Church is not always fun. For a Church leader, like me, it is a bit like walking up that hill. It is a long, slow process that requires putting one foot in front of the other when I would rather give up and go home. Late June and early July are not months when exciting things happen. They are months for preparation, planning, and prayer required for an amazing fall.

What does a pastor do in the summer? This might surprise you, but I keep preaching and leading worship every week (and we would love to have you join us). I also spend my summer doing the work that will get us ready for the ride down the mountain till Christmas. It is not exciting work, but it is necessary.