Bits + Pieces

5 Tips to Prevent Ministry Burnout

You went into ministry with a passion to serve people and lead them to Christ. You knew that would require diligent work and would likely involve some heartache. We live in a messy, fallen world so dealing with people in their mess and helping them get out of it isn’t an easy endeavor. Working with limited time and resources, combined with the overwhelming needs of your community can wear out the most dedicated individual.

 

 

 

Everybody Wants It, but Nobody Seems to Get Any – Michael Hyatt

I know what you’re thinking, but I’m talking about margin—breathing room, think time, downtime, those moments we all desperately need really stay effective and enjoy the things that matter most.

But the truth is we seem to be getting less and less of it. Not only are prices racing while wages slow, but we’re working more hours, too.

We’re used to thinking “full time” work means forty hours a week. With that kind of commitment, we still have time for ourselves and families. But there has been a significant creep on our weekly work hours.

Nowadays the average American worker is clocking closer to 50 hours a week, according to a Gallup survey, and for some it’s even higher. A quarter of salaried workers put in more than 60 hours a week!

And what about those of us who are entrepreneurs? It could feel good to cram the calendar or scary to clear it out, but either way we’re often drowning and in desperate need of margin.

 

 

 

YOU BE YOU: THE VALUE OF AUTHENTICITY @ Corie Clark, Guest Post by Kevin Buchanan

I don’t know about you but I get tired of seeing fakes. You can normally spot them from a mile away. They are so busy trying to be what everyone else tells them to be that they have completely lost who they really are.

I used to be that way. Although I grew up with a sense of who I was, I still occasionally fell into the trap of being what others expected me to be. It took many years for me to consciously start living in the truth of who I was and who God created me to be.

Maybe that was you. Or maybe that IS you. Years of being what others wanted you to be, or told you that you should be have left you looking in the mirror, staring at an unfamiliar face.

Who is the real you?

Who are you meant to be?

What are you meant to offer the world?

 

 

The Narrative Fallacy: Why You Shouldn’t Copy Steve Jobs – Sean Blanda

This kind of hero worship can be a good thing, it can be a guiding light. But this has also given rise to the dramatic oversimplification of entire lives. Headlines like “8 Ways to Think Like Warren Buffett” and “The Socratic Method of Great Living” garner retweets and clicks but they create a terrible feedback loop of writers cherry picking moments from someone’s life, distilling it all down to a blog post or even a book, and then a willing reader to believe that advice is the key to success.

What happens is we have wantrepreneurs and armchair creatives thinking they are walking in the footsteps of the greats by focusing on “productivity hacks” instead of, you know, doing the work.

 

 

THE COST QUESTION: ARE YOU WILLING TO PAY THE PRICE FOR YOUR DREAM?

Thirty years ago, Mary Lou Retton vaulted into stardom at the 1984 Olympic Games, becoming the first American to win gold in the women’s all-around gymnastics competition. She wowed the world with her amazing mix of grace, power, and dexterity. Her Olympic triumph, combined with her buoyant, bubbly personality made her an instant media sensation.

The speed with which Retton attained celebrity masked the years of sacrifice, dedication, and determined effort during which the little girl from West Virginia had developed into a world-class athlete. In the words of Sports Illustrated writer Frank Deford, May Lou Retton had “worked a lifetime to become a darling overnight.” Her Olympic victory had come at a tremendous cost. It caused her to move halfway across the country from her parents, required her to miss our on a normal childhood, and exacted a significant toll on her body.

Get More Energy – Intentionally!

 

 

We need to be intentional about energy management.

Yesterday we talked about some of the reasons and time limitations we face : Be Intentional With Your Time

 

 

Tony Schwarz says there are 4 types of energy:

Physical (Quantity)
Emotional (Quality) how you feel profound affects how you perform
Mental (Focus)
Spiritual (Purpose) when something has value we bring more energy to it

So, how do we learn to manage our energy more skilfully?  How do all 4 of these energy types work together for renewal and balance, and an increase in energy reserves.

In physics, energy is defined simply as the capacity to work. Therefore the more energy you have – or the more energy you renew – the more fuel you have in your tank, and the capacity you have to get things done. Unlike cars, human beings have four distinct energy needs: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. The better and more regularly we meet each of these needs, the healthier, happier, more focused and more effective we become.