You've had those weeks, haven't you?

On Sunday a once vibrant young couple confides that the hour-long commute from the town where their teaching jobs have taken them has been slowly draining their energy and unplugging them from the close connections they once enjoyed in the area of ministry where they have volunteered. They've decided to bloom where they are planted, which means in the rich soil of another (larger) church body.

On Monday an e-mail that nearly melts your monitor suggests (okay, insists) that one of your church's preschool caregivers isn't theologically deep enough to shepherd their two-year-old and they are moving their family of five to a greener pasture complete with really deep sheep. The adults in this family had volunteered in the preschool area on a rotating basis.

On Tuesday you discover that one of your emerging lay leaders has demonstrated such skill that he has emerged himself into a new job—in another state.

On Wednesday you hear from a lady whose cantankerous, ...