Day 58 of 365: My Desk

A desk…it’s the one thing I want from my former youth pastorate. I have never been fired from a job. The only time when I quit a job on the spot was when I was working at a Christian bookstore in downtown Milwaukee. My former and colleagues and I put up with the owners garbage and verbal abuse because he was “well known” in the city for putting on the governors prayer breakfast. In fact he was such a head case that he felt he could berate us employees including his personal secretary. He would often refer to her weight which made me sick. It got to the point that I would fume if/when he would come in to his office. 

It all came to an end when in the middle of one day I taped the store key to his office door with a note not fit to be read on a Christian blog. I walked out and that was that. There was only one other time I quit a job and stuck around out of pure spite. That was when I was told “they don’t want you here” by the interim pastor of the church I gave 8 years of my life to as the youth pastor. 

The desk I had represented what I went through. When I became the youth pastor (and associate pastor) of this church, I was shown my office and the old desk that sat there. I remember asking “is there a possibility of getting a new desk?” I was told no because they knew they were bringing on a new youth pastor so I would have to work my way up to a nicer desk. 

Fast forward to the move into the newer building. I came back from my first anniversary trip which was protested by the pastor and board because I was going to be gone for the move. I was excited to get back to the new building and settle into my new office. I heard there were new desks awaiting. When I came back there was a new desk in the secretary’s and pastor’s office. My office was there but it was all in the garage. My desk included. They decided that I got the smallest room in the place and that my desk would not fit. When the pastor came in I asked what I should use and he said “you will have to find a card table to use since there are no funds for a new desk.” I knew this wasn’t the case so I literally walked out of his office, got in my car and drove to the local office supply store to pick up a new desk out of my own money. I had to pick up book shelves also since apparently the shelves I had were left at the old building. 

I recently reached out to that church and asked about my old desk. Last I knew it was still sitting in the garage. The youth pastor told me that it was good timing because he is going to be getting a new desk and the old one was going to be hauled off. Needless to say, I will be getting a picture tomorrow to confirm it is my desk. If it is, I will be driving down to Milwaukee to bring it back to Waupaca. I couldn’t be more thrilled to get this desk if indeed it is the one. It will serve a great purpose here. 

So why do I want my old desk? Because it held such great memories for me. It was my first youth pastorate and if the church planned on getting rid of it, I will use it in one of my two offices here. A remembrance of where I have come from in ministry. I am all about momentos and this is very special to me.