My dad is an expert in negotiation. Sadly, I'm not sure I learned much from him. I can't haggle for a lower price on a car. I can't negotiate a salary. My chief negotiating technique is the "cave in." Not good.
It's become a cliche in pastor circles. How hard the holidays are.
Sometimes cliches can make the reality rather than represent it, but in
this case, I do think the holidays are particularly challenging for most
pastors.
I shared today in church a few of parables from Matthew 13: mustard
seed, yeast, treasure, pearl. I tried to just tell them as stories: very
little editorial commentary or explanation, just the stories.