“We all need white space/margin in our lives.”

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

“To be still.” (that is the question)

I lifted these quotes from yesterday’s post from my good friend, Evan McBroom’s company over at Fishhook. Lindsay Dudeck, who works over there, prepared the post.

Since I didn’t particularly have anything worth saying in today’s post, I thought I’d exercise a bit of my own white space and say nothing in this “Nothing To Say” post. How’s that?

[my own little white space]

You got white space?

Have you been wading long in the strong current of the river of ministry?

Do you need to step out of the flow and sit on the bank for a little while?

Need to reconnect with your God and your spouse?

We, in the Serving Strong Community, are on a mission to make a mockery of burnout in ministry leadership.  One of the most powerful ways to mock burnout is by investing in rest.  I recently had the privilege of speaking with Jim Watters, President of Pastor’s Retreat Network, by phone and have recorded that discussion for you. Pastor’s Retreat Network offers you the opportunity to come away and invest in your rest. Listen to this 10-minute discussion for more information:

Here are the salient facts about Pastor’s Retreat Network:

Website: http://www.pastorsretreatnetwork.org

Phone:   (262) 366-8672

On Youtube

On Facebook

On Twitter

Maybe it’s time to pull over to the banks of the river and sit for a while.  Maybe you have the resources and it’s time to help fund a retreat for a ministry leader you know.

“…Finding ways to get fed myself. Always pouring out and not ever having anything put back in is a dangerous situation, and it can be difficult to find revivals/seminars/conferences to attend where you are not also having to be “on” at the event, but can just relax and worship the Lord and get refilled yourself.”

That was a recent quote from a ministry leader in response to the question: “What is your biggest ongoing challenge as a leader?” (a linkedIn discussion)  Can you relate? Are you having difficulty finding ways to feed your own soul in the context of rest?

I don’t have all the answers, but I may have a few thoughts that may spark your creative juices…

Feeding or Resting? The accumulation of new Biblical knowledge may not be what you need. On the contrary, you may need a restful context within which to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you personally, using the knowledge you already have about Him.

Speaking of restful contexts, one of the great services being offered to ministry leaders is Pastors Retreat Network. I strongly recommend you check them out.

Making Time. Time is never “found”. Time is made. As you think about the next 7 days ahead, put an appointment on your calendar much like you would a meeting with another person. Only make this appointment with yourself. Treat it just as seriously as if someone were going to meet you. Protect this time. Start with 60 minutes. Do this at least once every seven days.

Restful Content. Now that you have scheduled some time for yourself you need to fill the appointment with “tailored content”. What is tailored content? It’s anything that brings you joy and rest on a personal level (not something that helped pastor so and so). Can’t think of anything that gives you rest? Try these introspective questions:

- In the past, what activities was I engaged in that made time fly by? What was I doing? Why did I enjoy it so much?

- What’s my favorite sport? Favorite author? Favorite music?

- Do I feel energized after being alone for 3 hours or being with people?

As a ministry leader, you cannot neglect rest and personal feeding (no one was ever so busy driving that they had no time to get gas). I hope these simple ideas have helped blow away some of the fog for you.

Your turn: How do you make time for rest and renewal?

Today I’m laying fallow*.

Saying “No” to posting.

Saying “Yes” to resting.

Talk to you tomorrow.

*What is laying fallow?

I live in the midst of farmers. We see a lot of tractors. We smell a lot of… well, you know, “nutrients”. There are a ton of serving strong lessons wrapped up in farming. But 2 in particular come to mind.

The Tractor

Vince Alongi

First Lesson: If you’re going to be successful at farming you will need to ride the tractor. It’s the only way you are going to be able to work the fields with efficiency of time and energy. Gone are the days of hand-sowing seed. The same is true of ministry leadership. To make an impact, you are going to have to “ride the tractor”. Other words, use your head, your hands, your feet, your mind, your energy. Do the work God has called you to. Roll your sleeves up. Get your hands dirty.

puuikibeach

Second Lesson: If you’re going to be successful at farming you will need to maintain the tractor. As they way, “Tractor no worky? Harvest no plenty.” It seems counter-intuitive to pause and stop the tractor now and then to change the oil or tighten the lug nuts – especially when the tractor seems to be running fine. Preventative maintenance doesn’t always occur to us. It’s when the tractor breaks down and won’t run that we are forced to give it the attention it needs. Same is true in ministry leadership. It seems like a waste to take a day off when there is so much work to be done. But if we’re not engaging in preventative maintenance, we will be forced to give our “tractor” the attention it needs (via pneumonia, nervous breakdowns, depression, extreme fatigue… you name it). 

But how?

Okay. So I need to be working “IN” the tractor and “ON” the tractor. But what does that look like? Well, I’d rather ask you what you think. What does it look like when you are fully engaged in ministry leadership? What does it look like when you are fully disengaged from the ministry and taking care of yourself?

photo:woodleywonderworks

I’ve been having a ball getting to comment on other blogs, guest blogging for others, and writing my own stuff here at Serving Strong. But as they say, “too much of a good thing…”

In a couple days I will be stepping away from intensive social media for a brief season. I may drop in from time to time and see what’s going on. And the “Wednesdays With” blog series will still go on (Paul Donnan is next). But…

…there are a couple books I need to devour.

…there are some deeper conversations I want to have with Jesus.

 …there are a few friends who are really taking it on the chin for Christ that I want to intercede for.

…and I want to stare deeply into my wife’s deep brown eyes again.

I simply want to slow.down.

So be looking for a brand new post in a few days. Until then, Stay strong!