Clergy Family Confidential

I heard a piece on NPR this afternoon about napping. It wasn’t that interesting — for some reason I kept yawning. But they interviewed some woman who works at an organization called MetroNaps. They operate out of the Empire State Building where they offer napping areas. For $14 you get a 20 minute power nap inside an “energy pod.” You’re supposed to wake up refreshed, healthy, and productive. With my luck I’d oversleep and end up with a $200 bill.

But it did give me an idea. Since most churches are relatively quiet during the day, let’s start competing with MetroNaps. What’s an energy pod but an empty confessional? Heck, take a pew. We’d have to charge extra for ones with comfortable pew cushions but let the napping begin!

Of course you could argue that the MetroNaps concept is nothing new. The Episcopal Church has been offering the 20 minute power nap for generations — it’s called the sermon. 

Well, as Paul once wrote to the church in Corinth, “Christ has risen from the dead and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”  I really need to get a leather couch for my office. 

Baseball season starts today. Oh, not the major leagues — the Orioles have already lost their first game and are well on their way to an 11th consecutive losing season. But Ben and Zack have their first little league practice tonight. They’re on the same team this year, much to Ben’s annoyance. And I’m not sure why a third grader got put on a team with mostly first and second graders. But that’s Briarcliff baseball for you. Try and ask questions of the powers-that-be and you encounter Kremlin-like secrecy. 

Some of these guys think they’re GM’s for pro teams. They have tryouts and drafts. I wouldn’t be surprised if the boys were subjected to a random drug test at some point during the season. If either one of them ends up linked to BALCO in Jose Canseco’s new book, we’ll have to switch back to soccer.

But this doesn’t diminish the boys’ excitement. They’ve been asking all week, “Is it Wednesday yet?” And to prepare we’ve spent a small fortune this week on baseball cleats, a new glove for Zack, baseball pants, and socks. They’re also thrilled that their new team is sponsored by Squire’s, their favorite burger joint in town.

 Play ball!