While there’s a part of me that’s pretty sure ministry will win out in this silly adventure, I still hold on to hope for Barnes and Noble. (Let’s examine the psychology behind that another day.) But after working a full day earlier this week with my feet killing me as well as trying to schedule some other meetings around a rather inflexible schedule that only comes out a few weeks ahead of time, I realized there are a lot of ways ministry obviously wins. Lumping a bunch of these reflections together, I will call this the “Cush” factor.
Cush factor one: time flexibility. While there are certain times of complete inflexibility—say, Sunday mornings—for the most part, a minister has a lot of flexibility. Ministers’ prayer meeting the 17th of December? All the ministers can be there—the BN bookseller cannot. The schedule’s already been set—there’s no leaving campus for lunch let alone an hour lunch prayer meeting, let alone the ½ hour drive in addition to that.
Cush factor two: happy feet. Other than maybe a day when I thought I wouldn’t be walking much so I wore some serious heels but ended up doing hospital visits and maybe grocery shopping on the way home from work, I don’t ever remember having sore feet at the end of the day. Eight hours standing at cash register in uncomfortable shoes (who even things about the comfort level of your shoes?) and the cush factor struck me as five stars for ministry, never mind all the scheduling flexibility.
Cush factor three: activity flexibility. In other words, a minister can do ministry things, but when I needed to, I could also spend a bit of time pricing tires for my car or checking my personal email (and responding now and then). I heard of a minister who would go get his haircut on “church” time—a regular working day as opposed to a day off. I find that excessive, but still—most ministers work plenty of hours. In fact, most salaried people can do these things as well. Hourly at BN? Nope—no email checking, no phone calls other than answering customer questions, no quick running an errand on your short lunch break. When you’re on, you’re on.
So overall ministry gets four stars (there is still a good chunk of the congregation that thinks they own you since they pay you, so let’s not go overboard here) based on the flexibility/cush factor. And for the most part, I was planning on giving BN a big fat zero. However, it’s Thanksgiving, and I’m sitting here watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with not one possible chance that I will get called because someone died (yes, on Thanksgiving) or spend the morning on the phone with a stranger telling me his life’s story who—as it turned out an hour and a half later—thought he’d called the pastor of the First Pres in a different town. I am free this day—REALLY free. And that counts for a star—because the call could come any minute to any minister out there—but not to a bookseller whose bookstore is closed for Thanksgiving. And THAT is something to be thankful for.
We have oodles of other things to be thankful for this day as I’m sure you do as well. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Books
If the idea is comparing working at Barnes and Noble to being a minister in a congregation, the most obvious overlap is BOOKS. I love books. In fact, I love books so much that one year for Lent I gave up buying more books because I have half a library full of unread books. And even so, it was still a spiritual discipline to NOT buy more books.
A fabulous perk of being a pastor is the book fund. Almost every minister has one, and it is truly glorious. Books on ministry, books for preaching prep, books for spiritual formation, books about books, even books that are collections of other books to read. It’s a bottomless pit of written word—albeit a beautiful bottomless pit. All paid for (well, not all but more than one can read in a year) through the book fund. On a scale of one to five, the book aspect of ministry gets a solid five stars.
On to Barnes and Noble. It’s a bookstore—an obvious five-star bookstore. But being around books doesn’t mean you get to have all those books, so careful analysis must be ensued. Employees get 30% off books at BN, and for one spectacular week of the year which happens to fall in December when the seasonal help is around, 40%. While that is pretty beautiful, I’d give it about 3.5 stars (Spoiler alert: in a post or two, I’ll compare salaries—in brief, I doubt I’ll even break even being around books this much, discount or no, based solely on the pittance a seasonal bookseller makes—this is a social experiment, not a financial endeavor.) However, two days into orientation, I learned the tipping point: the book loan program (queue the heavenly host). In order to keep the bookseller as best up-to-date on books as possible, all booksellers are allowed to borrow any hardcover book with a sleeve for up to two weeks FOR FREE! as long as the bookseller brings the book back in mint condition. OH, FIVE STARS. I told a friend about this program when I found out—his first thought was, “They should have a place where you can do that on a regular basis.” Yes, in brain-milliseconds, it quickly dawned on him that that place is called the LIBRARY?! However, the library gets two strikes in my book—one, it’s germy; and two, there are ridiculously long waiting lists for the super popular new releases like the Lost Symbol (Dan Brown—the book gets 3.5 stars, btw—dragged a bit at first, picked up speed and interest toward the end) and Under the Dome (Stephen King—1/2 way through already gets 5 stars, more when I finish) which I have already gotten germ and finance free (on loan, of course—but who really needs the actual copy of such books. They don’t exactly serve as reference material….) Between the discount and the special tipping point of the book loan program, BN seasonal bookseller also gets a solid five stars.
Tied to this point at 5 to 5—the adventure continues….
A fabulous perk of being a pastor is the book fund. Almost every minister has one, and it is truly glorious. Books on ministry, books for preaching prep, books for spiritual formation, books about books, even books that are collections of other books to read. It’s a bottomless pit of written word—albeit a beautiful bottomless pit. All paid for (well, not all but more than one can read in a year) through the book fund. On a scale of one to five, the book aspect of ministry gets a solid five stars.
On to Barnes and Noble. It’s a bookstore—an obvious five-star bookstore. But being around books doesn’t mean you get to have all those books, so careful analysis must be ensued. Employees get 30% off books at BN, and for one spectacular week of the year which happens to fall in December when the seasonal help is around, 40%. While that is pretty beautiful, I’d give it about 3.5 stars (Spoiler alert: in a post or two, I’ll compare salaries—in brief, I doubt I’ll even break even being around books this much, discount or no, based solely on the pittance a seasonal bookseller makes—this is a social experiment, not a financial endeavor.) However, two days into orientation, I learned the tipping point: the book loan program (queue the heavenly host). In order to keep the bookseller as best up-to-date on books as possible, all booksellers are allowed to borrow any hardcover book with a sleeve for up to two weeks FOR FREE! as long as the bookseller brings the book back in mint condition. OH, FIVE STARS. I told a friend about this program when I found out—his first thought was, “They should have a place where you can do that on a regular basis.” Yes, in brain-milliseconds, it quickly dawned on him that that place is called the LIBRARY?! However, the library gets two strikes in my book—one, it’s germy; and two, there are ridiculously long waiting lists for the super popular new releases like the Lost Symbol (Dan Brown—the book gets 3.5 stars, btw—dragged a bit at first, picked up speed and interest toward the end) and Under the Dome (Stephen King—1/2 way through already gets 5 stars, more when I finish) which I have already gotten germ and finance free (on loan, of course—but who really needs the actual copy of such books. They don’t exactly serve as reference material….) Between the discount and the special tipping point of the book loan program, BN seasonal bookseller also gets a solid five stars.
Tied to this point at 5 to 5—the adventure continues….
Thursday, November 19, 2009
The journey begins....
For years and years I’ve said it would be fun to work at Barnes and Noble. I love books, I love organization, I love coffee (yes, Starbucks scorched beans and all!). And Barnes and Noble is hands-down our favorite date night—we openly and proudly admit to be nerds, bookworms, dorks—pick your choice.
So awhile ago or so when Tom and I were there one evening, I randomly asked a bookseller if they had any openings. One application, one group interview, and one job offer later, I am Barnes and Noble seasonal help.
As a card carrying BN member, I am ridiculously excited about this new job. Ridiculous on SO many levels. Like getting shivers the first time I was in the receiving room ridiculous. But also as in ordained minister working crazy hours for minimum wage ridiculous as well.
This got me to thinking about being seasonal help during the holidays—probably not as great as I think it will be, right? But I have to be honest, while there are some things I absolutely LOVED about serving in a church, there are some serious drawbacks as well, especially in December. It was only somewhat tongue and cheek that the sr. minister at the last church I served and I sang, “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” of ourselves as a Christmas duet a few years ago at a holiday variety show. Christmas is not all warm fuzzies and Jesus in the church.
This got me thinking even more on maybe starting a blog weighing out the two jobs: words vs the Word, that sort of thing. Bookseller vs minister just isn’t very catchy, so you get Reverend vs Retail—one minister’s journey comparing the season from the pulpit and the book floor.
And the adventure begins….
So awhile ago or so when Tom and I were there one evening, I randomly asked a bookseller if they had any openings. One application, one group interview, and one job offer later, I am Barnes and Noble seasonal help.
As a card carrying BN member, I am ridiculously excited about this new job. Ridiculous on SO many levels. Like getting shivers the first time I was in the receiving room ridiculous. But also as in ordained minister working crazy hours for minimum wage ridiculous as well.
This got me to thinking about being seasonal help during the holidays—probably not as great as I think it will be, right? But I have to be honest, while there are some things I absolutely LOVED about serving in a church, there are some serious drawbacks as well, especially in December. It was only somewhat tongue and cheek that the sr. minister at the last church I served and I sang, “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” of ourselves as a Christmas duet a few years ago at a holiday variety show. Christmas is not all warm fuzzies and Jesus in the church.
This got me thinking even more on maybe starting a blog weighing out the two jobs: words vs the Word, that sort of thing. Bookseller vs minister just isn’t very catchy, so you get Reverend vs Retail—one minister’s journey comparing the season from the pulpit and the book floor.
And the adventure begins….
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