As long as I have been in ministry, I have a recurring dream that borders on a nightmare. The details have changed through the years, but the basic premise is the same . . .

While at Mt. Carmel Church in Monroe, NC, I'd dream that worship was ready to begin, the church was full, there were newcomers to "wow" . . . and our overhead projector didn't work (this was the 1990s, OK? An overhead projector was cutting edge). We'd have to sing out of hymnals.

Then in the early days of Good Shepherd, I'd have the same dream with a couple of slight twists: it was now PowerPoint that wouldn't work and part of the waiting congregation would be people from Mt. Carmel Church in Monroe. The very people I wanted to make sure experienced the "coolness" of this new church!

Then just last week, it happened again. Only this time, it was the new lighting and stage design that didn't work. All the colors, warmth, and fabric -- gone. We were left with a plain worship palette. And the sound system didn't work, so as Chris Macedo was inviting people to stand and sing, it look like he was mouthing words with no sound. And who was in the worshipping congregation? Those same dear friends from Mt. Carmel!

Oh, it's good to wake up.

And to understand that perhaps God is telling me something about relying more on man's technology than His Holy Spirit.

I've got a confession.

Now, usually, when a preacher says he has a confession, people immediately think, "all right, who's it with and how long has it been going on?"

No, nothing like that.

It's this. Sometimes I read emails while I'm talking on the telephone.

There. Got it out.

Yeah, sometimes the allure of the ping from the computer that signals an incoming email is too much to resist and even though I'm talking with someone on the phone I jump into cyberspace as well.

But you know what I realize? When I'm trying to do both, I can't do either. I miss part of the phone conversation and I can't comprehend the email. I hear but can't listen and I read but can't understand.

Hmmm. Trying to do two things at once and the result is doing neither very well.

A vote for simplicity, perhaps?

What's true in life often ends up being true in church.

For the last two mornings, I have had this strong desire to call in sick.

Now I'm not sick, mind you.

But the bed felt awfully warm. And there were some things on my schedule that I simply didn't want to face. And I knew the days ahead were long.

So I thought, "wouldn't it be OK, just this once, to pretend like I'm sick?" Just spend the day reading the novel I'm enjoying, checking the Tennis Channel, maybe even working out.

But no.

There is the rather obvious matter of honesty. Once you start lying, then the lies begin to cascade down through the rest of your life.

Yet there is an even more important reality: those things I didn't want to face and those meetings I didn't want to have would still be there whenever I came back from being "sick." Better to address difficult things first rather than delaying what is inevitable.

So I showed up.

That's a prerequisite for success anyway, isn't it?

This past weekend, I met with my nephew (Paul) and his fiance (Sarah Beth).

I get to deliver the homily/sermonette/marriage charge at their wedding in August.

Doing weddings for family members is a job hazard in the ministry. Over the years, I've done weddings for my brother, my brother-in-law, and now my nephew. I guess it doesn't happen quite as often as getting asked to pray before a family or church meal (always), but it happens.

But that's OK. Back in the day, I used to get all stressed over weddings. I'd try and make the couples jump through all kinds of hoops to see if they met my "criteria" for performing the service. All that did was frustrate the couples and create more anxiety for me. I also found out that my criteria had no real relation to the long term success of the marriage anyway.

So no more. These days, I do my best to share the bible's view of marriage with the engaged couple and then simply enjoy the chance to get to know them better. I also try my best to make the wedding as stress-free as possible for all involved.

Having said that, I generally believe that couples ought to spend a lot more time thinking about and planning the marriage than they do thinking about and planning the wedding.

After talking with Paul and Sarah Beth, I believe they'll do just that.