Thursday, June 19, 2008

"I know...but what do you really do for a living?"

I've been asked this question about 30 times over the course of my time being a pastor. I think it's pretty funny. People ask me what I do for a living...I tell them I'm a pastor...then they say, "I know you're a pastor but what do you really do for your job?" Hilarious!
I think I'm gonna try this out on some people. I'm going to ask teachers what they really do for a job. Hey mr. electrician...I know you play around with those different colored wires all day but what do you really do for a living?
Being a pastor is a people job so when people are around they get our attention. So I guess it could be easy to assume that all we do is hang out all week. It probably doesn't help that I do all of my studying at Starbucks because I don't function too well in an office.

So here's your chance. There's a handful of you that read this blog everyday. I'd love to hear what you do for a living...even if people don't think it's work. Sometimes I feel like I'm spilling my guts out into an empty void so this would help me get a better picture of all of you when I'm writing. Lets hear what you do...I want to hear from all of you!

19 comments:

Shannon Smith said...

For money, i.e. "a living", I sit in front of a computer all day writing computer programs to test computer programs. My goal is always to automate myself out a job.

If you want to put a label on it, you can call me a Software Development Tester.

"They make it. I break it."

Becky said...

Try getting a PhD in Education. "So what does that make you qualified to do?" Um... sit in a room, think deeply, tell other people about it... and get paid! Sounds like a good deal to me!!! Though the level of torture before they actually give it to me is immense. ::sigh::

Elissa said...

My day job is homeschooling single mom of four which of course means I sit on my butt all day eating bon bons watching soap operas with names like 'While the World Revolves' or something... the pay for this job is $0, the value of it... priceless. My night job - that pays some money though certainly not enough to be considered "a living" - is expeditor at a diner. I make shakes/malts/banana splits and other desserts and deliver meals (or previously mentioned desserts) to tables.

Josh H. said...

former traveling music salesman.
current starbucks acolyte/manager.

escamillaweddings said...

i'm an empowerment broker.

Rosetta Borgic said...

I really don't earn anything, except my daughter's love, and my husband's respect. I DO more than I ever have at an eight to five job. I am a domestic wizard. A toilet-cleaning, diaper-changing, dishwasher and cook. Who would have known it would be the most rewarding job in the world?

Christina Ellis said...

I'm the worship pastor's assistant, so I do whatever Adam tells me to do. It's a lot of phone calls, emails and computer time...except Saturdays, those are spent getting ready for the weekend services. Fun stuff!

Unknown said...

I play with food, and hang out at the college, go to strangers wedding receptions, and am thinking about playing church in the mornings.

Klein said...

out of the 175 million christians in China, there isn't one worship pastor assistant

TimB said...

I'm kind of like a social worker/writer. Yeah, that's what I do.

An Unlikely Retirement said...

8 to 5, I'm Executive Assistant to the Medical Director of an urgent care/workers' comp health clinic. I keep the books, do credentialing, meet with people trying to sell my boss stuff. Then I come home and start my real job - cooking, cleaning, fixing boo-boos, helping with homework, walking the dog, doing laundry, reading, praying and doing all the things needed to be the parent of MY AWESOME KIDS!

Jeff and Yvonne Weinstein said...

I am a middle school librarian. But I do not get to sit around all day and read. Sorry.

Amanda said...

I am a parts assistant for an appliance store. Basicly if your dryer is broken I'm the girl to get you the part and better yet I can probably tell you how to fix it too. It's amazing how many "men" think just because I'm a girl I couldn't know the first thing on how to fix something. Well I do, and if I may so say myself I'm pretty good at it.

Anonymous said...

I hang out with middle school students and make graphics for our church's website. I am a middle school youth ministry intern and a Webmaster.

Emily Faulknor said...

I work for a PR company based in LA promoting movies to religious audiences, but that is just my day job. I am an aspiring wedding and life photographer and that is where my passion lies. I am loving it soooo much!

Anonymous said...

You will have a real job when your yonger bro stops hearing "so when will you be a real doctor?". Just roll with the punches at least we love what we do. However it would be nice if you worked on the other six days of the week. just kidding
mike lance

JUAN said...

I feel like this is a trick question...... but here it goes..

I'm a student in music. I'm also starting up a design/art studio.

what is all this for? well, my passion is to be in full time ministry as a Lead Worshiper. maybe I should go to China? Sense there doesn't seem to be opportunity here. haha.

The design studio would be what I do for income.. the ministry would be what I do for a living... that is what I hope to do soon..

Topherspoon said...

I'm a pastor / church planter. I also tell other's how to load and unload packages with brown labels in and out of airplanes. One employee asked me... "So how do you get paid as a pastor, by the taxpapers?"

While loading the truck with everything we needed for church on Sunday, my neighbor asked... "Are you headed to Mass" "Yes." I replied, "I'm headed to mass". I think it's fair to say we are fairly misunderstood.

Kari said...

I so get this too!
Right now, my grandparents think I have a "real job." I get to hang out with college students and speak vision and talk about money with High Schoolers and parents. Changing the world one student loan at a time.
I do all of this while my heart is living in Japan. that's my real job... Building relationships with people and equipping pastors to plant healthy churches in an extremely spiritually poor land.

So soon I will not have a "real job" and my poor grandparents will wonder once again why I live off of other people and why I went to college to not have a "real job."