Do I let it burn itself out?

Seth Godin has a great post today about the difficulty in sticking to a plan when there are always fires to put out. His point is that most companies are always on fire. I think this holds true for most churches. A lot of pastors spend a lot of their time running around putting out fires. Some one is always upset. Something always needs doing. Some one always needs visiting or reassurance. One thing that I am trying to learn is discernment. Are their fires that can just burn themselves out? Are their ways to get rid of flammable materials? It's a short piece but worth the read.