“…I’m most vulnerable when I am too busy. Ps 46:10 haunts me! It is so hard to “be still” in our hectic world!  The idea that I would only be insanely busy when first planting a church…is long gone!  It will never change!  I fight to be more disciplined about protecting time for myself and family.  Sabbaths and family get neglected too easily.  His yoke isn’t easy when we take on things He didn’t call us to…”

What insight do you have about busy-ness?

Selfishness.

We all know that’s not a good characteristic. My friend (and the designer of this website, Brandon Cox) wrote a short, but powerful piece along the lines of selfishness that made me think. <Click Here To Read Brandon’s Post>.  So, it stings us when we realize we’ve spent too much time thinking about ourselves, talking about ourselves, designing life around ourselves. That’s easy enough to see. But…

When ministering to others, when does self-LESS-ness go too far? When does it become a selfless-MESS. We over-extend ourselves on behalf of others and their needs. We say “yes” to too many requests. We give our loved ones our left overs. We neglect our alone time with God. On it goes… a selfless-mess. And we end up a statistic of burnout.

Share your thoughts.

How does a ministry leader keep from getting into a selfless-mess in the first place?

When does selfless-NESS turn into a selfless-MESS for you?

Ministry. It’s captivating, isn’t it? To be involved in what God is doing for eternity is one of most rewarding activities. God is moving and shaking things up. You’re in the middle of it all.

Caution: Are those closest to you getting your left overs? Are you so engrossed in what you’re doing in your ministry vocation that your family and friends are feeling left out?

Don’t be like Stanley…

Check out this related post: Landmark Transition

   Firecracker. Rifle.

What do they have in common? an explosion (in other words, energy).

What is different about them? how they harness that energy.

The FIRECRACKER simply let's the energy escape in all different directions at once. Whimsy. No rhyme or reason. Just bits and pieces going in random patterns with no organization. The RIFLE, by contrast, is designed to take that energy, seal it in a chamber and use it to propel an object to a target with incredible accuracy and intension.

What's this got to do with serving as a ministry leader?

Our society has unfortunately placed a label on creative individuals with a lot of energy, calling them ADD or ADHD sufferers. This is unfortunate because the impact is always negative for the individual. I have coached clients with this type of energy and have heard them talk down about themselves because they say they have "this condition".  This perspective limits the client. It keeps them from being all they could be.

I admit I am not an expert on the condition. But in my humble opinion, this is energy that can and must be harnessed. A notepad kept close to the vest at all times to record seemingly random thoughts; a 30-minute silent focus time in the morning and afternoon; a weekly block of time to simply "go crazy" with ideas verbally as someone is present to record the rambling… these are all mechanisms for harnessing the energy that the creative, movement-oriented personality can employ.

Do YOU have this kind of energy? Perhaps you could employ some mechanisms to keep you focused and harness this energy to start hitting targets (objectives) with incredible accuracy and intension. That's part of Serving Strong!

What are your thoughts on this subject?

firecracker photo credit

rifle photo credit

   Firecracker. Rifle.

What do they have in common? an explosion (in other words, energy).

What is different about them? how they harness that energy.

The FIRECRACKER simply let's the energy escape in all different directions at once. Whimsy. No rhyme or reason. Just bits and pieces going in random patterns with no organization. The RIFLE, by contrast, is designed to take that energy, seal it in a chamber and use it to propel an object to a target with incredible accuracy and intension.

What's this got to do with serving as a ministry leader?

Our society has unfortunately placed a label on creative individuals with a lot of energy, calling them ADD or ADHD sufferers. This is unfortunate because the impact is always negative for the individual. I have coached clients with this type of energy and have heard them talk down about themselves because they say they have "this condition".  This perspective limits the client. It keeps them from being all they could be.

I admit I am not an expert on the condition. But in my humble opinion, this is energy that can and must be harnessed. A notepad kept close to the vest at all times to record seemingly random thoughts; a 30-minute silent focus time in the morning and afternoon; a weekly block of time to simply "go crazy" with ideas verbally as someone is present to record the rambling… these are all mechanisms for harnessing the energy that the creative, movement-oriented personality can employ.

Do YOU have this kind of energy? Perhaps you could employ some mechanisms to keep you focused and harness this energy to start hitting targets (objectives) with incredible accuracy and intension. That's part of Serving Strong!

What are your thoughts on this subject?

firecracker photo credit

rifle photo credit