Some Days You Just Feel Like…
A classic by Keith Green. He nails it on the head.
Bro Love
That happened back in 1990 (or so). Our mom made us go down to the Sears portrait studio. I’m pretty sure we got into a fight shortly before the sitting, but dang it, we were going to look like loving brothers whether we liked it or not!
3 Things I Learned From Burning Out
As I write this, I’m winding down the final days of a one month sabbatical.
For the last four weeks, I haven’t worked at the church or my business. In fact, I haven’t answered my phone or returned any emails. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done because I’ve spent the last three quarters of my life training my mind and body to do one thing; work. After all, I’m from the Midwest and the highest compliment a man can earn here is “He’s a hard worker!”
It was like trying to stop a train whose breaks had become stiff and rusty from never being used.
Before the sabbatical, I was compulsively working, checking emails, doing “one small thing” after another until I found myself horribly burned out, but unable to stop moving long enough to recharge and rest.
The last few weeks have been incredibly eye opening and I just wanted to share a couple of things I learned from it. (more…)
Why Do People Leave Church?
My wife was listening to a podcast that claimed 3,500 people leave the church every month. I was really intrigued by that, so yesterday I sent out the following tweet/Facebook post to see what people would say:
I have to admit, I was really surprised at the passion this simple question stirred up. Some people were pretty hard on the church, while others felt church-goers just weren’t very committed these days. Some believed that the spiritual experience was lifeless, others that the Bible wasn’t being preached properly, and others that the church had lost cultural relevance.
One thing that really stood out to me was the pain that many people endured from the church. People felt judged, didn’t experience genuine community, felt misunderstood, were gossiped about, felt condemned, oppressed, and unappreciated. One person even claimed they felt some of these things from the church that I pastor. Ouch!
In this post I’m going to try to answer the question myself, but I feel the need to clarify a few things about the church. (more…)
Stick a Fork In Me
It’s been two years since we planted a new church. It’s not the first church my wife and I have planted but it’s the first one that has survived the first year and grown. The ironic thing I’ve found is that a successful church plant is much more difficult to live through than one that dies in the first year. The weight of responsibility, the burden of keeping roles filled by volunteers (probably the single greatest challenge), the wondering if we’ll stay afloat financially, the wearing of so many hats that I’ve lost track, dealing with critics and pharisees, doing 500 pounds worth of work for an ounce of return, and the inability to switch it all off. I know that last part is probably my fault, but working from home because there’s no office space in our building blurs a lot of lines and makes it difficult to get unstuck from “pastor mode”. You want to know the crazy part? I LOVE IT!!
I love carrying the church’s burdens to Jesus in prayer. I love investing in the lives of others and dreaming about where God is leading us. I love being a spiritual director, leader, and (as Brennan Manning would say) “prophet and professional lover”. But…
I’m tired. More tired than I’ve ever been. Exhausted well beyond capacity. Running on fumes would be an upgrade for me. In fact, I deeply fear burnout. Many of the things I really enjoy doing, I don’t want to do any more. The smallest task feels like a huge burden. And the people nearest and dearest to me often feel like a drain instead of the blessing the truly are.
I know that this is not the way it’s supposed to be. I recognize this is not a healthy place. I have not done a good job honoring the sabbath or pacing myself. So, before I go off and do something stupid to medicate this feeling of exhaustion, depression, and burnout I’m going to take some action. Here it is… (more…)
