Personal Life

The doctors’ surgery my family are linked to offer an MOT (Men Over Thirty-five!) health check for those who feel well.  It’s based on the principle that prevention is better than cure. Church leaders, too, need regular personal check-ups to ensure that their spiritual health remains good. We ought to be asking ourselves some difficult questions – and facing up to the implications of the answers.  Here are some of those questions:

Does my inner life reflect my public ministry?

One of the early warning signs of spiritual malaise is a growing divergence between what is said publicly and what is ‘known’ inwardly. Devotional times with the Lord become perfunctory or non-existent, worship is increasingly formalised, evangelism an onerous duty and compassion a professional act rather than a burden of love. We need to be honest with ourselves here.

Does my outer life reflect my public ministry?

Hypocrisy is an ever-present temptation for those who speak or lead publicly. While encouraging God’s people to acts of commitment, sacrifice and devotion we can shy away from the cost of acting on our own advice.  While heartily condemning the sins of the flesh we can be indulging in them. Sadly we can even hide behind the ‘truth’ that we ought to be proclaiming what is right, even if we fail to live up to it! Helmut Thielicke described this sort of hypocrisy as the process by which leaders build ‘houses’ of good works and godly living for the people they lead and then refuse to share the same accommodation.

No one can avoid hypocrisy entirely, but we must constantly be attempting to bring our words and actions into line with each other.

Is my life biblically ‘balanced’?

There must be ingredients in my life which feed the whole person – body, mind and spirit.  Without all three of these areas being addressed we are in danger of becoming ‘unbalanced’ as individuals. This will make us hard to relate to, but it will also cause a good deal of inner tension. We have not been designed to work well on only one engine. It is possible, but usually leads to an ‘unsteady’ flight, shorter journey and unpredictable destination!

As the answers to these questions emerge we need some positive guidelines to help us get back to good health spiritually, and to stay there.  Here are some suggestions:

•   Find a friend!  Or several friends – at any rate people you can trust completely. Give them the authority (and opportunity!) to probe your spiritual life. Isolation is one of the biggest causes of failure and burnout in ministry; we need trusted advisors who will encourage us, but who are not afraid to also confront and correct us. This is not always easy in the context of a local church and we may need to look outside the church for such help. Growing numbers of leaders are meeting in small ‘clusters’ with those from other churches for mutual help and correction in this way.

• Build into your programme times for reflection. Too often in local church life we are tyrannised by the urgent rather than motivated by the important. It is only in the periods of quiet reflection and assessment that we can clearly discern our priorities. These ‘oases’ of time can substantially reduce pressure and stress, keep us from going down a ministry cul-de-sac and help us ‘tune in’ to divine directions for ourselves and the church family.

• Be human! Take proper time for rest and recreation. Play with the children, make love with your spouse (if you’re married!)… download a movie, sing in the shower, dip your biscuits in your coffee, listen to Beethoven … whatever it takes – relax! Time with family and friends is an essential part of wholesome living.

• Be healthy. Many so-called ‘spiritual’ problems are rooted in the physical.  If we looked after our bodies properly many of our other pressures would go. We need to cultivate good eating habits, times of exercise and adequate amounts of sleep. The most significant spiritual tonic for many leaders could be a week of early nights, a gentle jog round the block and a big bowl of muesli! The principle really is vital. Far too many church leaders today are caught up in a pressurised lifestyle and end up blaming God, the church, the demonic, and other leaders for the stress they feel, when in reality it is ‘simply’ the result of neglecting basic health care.

Stephen Gaukroger 
Pastor and Senior Church Leader in the United Kingdom
Founder and Director of Clarion Trust International

Finding Your Rhythm

Have you ever felt the pressure of too many demands of ministry?

Equipping volunteers, sorting rosters, communicating to parents, pastors and of course, planning great messages for kids. Training events, camps, did I mention the weekly set up and pack down, the balancing of budgets etc.

Will you ever get some sort of order to what feels chaotic? “Its just a season,” you say, but how long will this season last?

The reality is there will always be peaks and valleys, the challenge is to create a rhythm and work within that. This is critical for the longevity of your leadership.

Step back and take a look at the whole year. Mark out the months of the year on a time line. Identify the peaks, those seasons/events that take additional effort: the start of the year, additional events (include training) or church wide initiatives, launching new teams and implementing curriculums.

ASK YOURSELF THESE 5 QUESTIONS:

1. What do you want to achieve by the end of the year?
2. What will it take? Estimate the hours involved.
3. How long can you keep up this pace?
4. How will I know when I have achieved what I set out to do?
5. Look at your hours available for ministry in a week—prioritize how much time each activity is worth in relation to the expected outcome.

Finding your rhythm will enable you to lead a team in the same way. Over scheduling fills up the calendar and decreases your effectiveness. The phrase “less is more” is applicable when we decide what we will do less of and identify how we will get more from what we do.

Spend time visioning and planning. Spend 1 hour a week, 1 day a month and 1 week a year planning and visioning for the future. Make decisions in a timely manner; indecision costs valuable time and energy.

What are you doing that only you can do?

Is there anything that you are currently doing that would be better done by someone else?

Once a marathon runner was asked: "What do you think about when you run such a long distance?" And he replied: "While I'm running, I'm thinking how to breathe correctly and properly put my foot." His breathing and the proper placement of his feet create a rhythm: this rhythm allows him focus on really important things and forget about the less important and the unimportant.

When you have your own rhythm you focus on your goal and the steps needed to reach it. Finding the rhythm of ministry allows you to pace yourself for the long haul. Your journey becomes more enjoyable. You have strength to navigate the demanding season and the wisdom to harness the momentum of the “down” times.

TAKING THE CONVERSATION FURTHER:

DISCUSS THIS WITH KEY LEADERS FROM YOUR TEAM:
· Ask if they can articulate the current rhythm of your ministry.
· How does this impact them?
· What changes do they feel need to be made?
 

Margaret Spicer
Children and Families Pastor
Crossway Baptist Church, Melbourne

Light A Candle And Fly

I often tell people I feel called to stand - to live - as a bridge between the “Candle Lighters” and the “Jet Fuel Drinkers”. What do I mean by that?

·     Candle-lighters are the quiet, steady-paced, somewhat solitary, somewhat mystical, focused-on-the-now, Spirit-aware, Presence of God-sensing Spiritual Formation types.

·     Jet-fuel-drinkers are the loud, fast-paced, somewhat solitary, somewhat fanatical, focused-on-the-future, Spirit-aware, Presence of God-sensing Leadership types.

I love these two groups deeply; they have each formed me in their own way, and I deeply believe the cause of Christ, the Kingdom of God, the blessed community, depends upon them both. In fact, though they often speak very different languages, they need each other.

read the rest of this post

Mindy Caliguire (@mindycaliguire)

Transformation Ministry Team, Willow Creek Association

Founder, SoulCare (a Spiritual Formation Ministry)

Change Your Mind Before Christmas

reposted from http://www.wcablog.com

I confess: left to my own devices, I’m a crammer.

Maybe it started with a few exams in college; maybe it’s the natural tendency of my personality, maybe it is an occasional lack of maturity. Whatever the cause, pushing against those tendencies has become vital to my way of life, and especially to my way of leadership. I know what an out-of-control-busy schedule can do to my soul. Perhaps you can relate.

And at this time of year, the temptation to cram even more into an already full schedule escalates. The Christmas season adds not only ministry opportunities, but also the potential for financial stressors, volunteer and key partner recognition, family expectations, and more… It can fill our minds with distractions and worry.

Slowing down for “a long, ardent gaze at God” will not simply creep into my schedule. But this year, I’m making sure it finds a home there. I know from experience what frequent times of meditation—even small bits here and there—can do to improve the health of my soul. As it reads in the Psalms, “I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.” (Psalm 77:12)

It’s been fascinating to learn that meditation not only helps our spiritual lives, it also actually changes our brains, which, in the end will change our minds. Here’s an excerpt from Huffington Post that discusses these findings:

“Quite literally, sustained meditation leads to something called neuroplasticity, which is defined as the brain’s ability to change, structurally and functionally, on the basis of environmental input.

For much of the last century, scientists believed that the brain essentially stopped changing after adulthood.

But research by University of Wisconsin neuroscientist Richard Davidson has shown that experienced meditators exhibit high levels of gamma wave activity and display an ability — continuing after the meditation session has ended — to not get stuck on a particular stimulus. That is, they’re automatically able to control their thoughts and reactiveness.” – Amanda Chan, Nov. 23, 2011.

Amazingly, this research shows how meditation changes your brain and can also change your mind.

Is it any wonder that scripture strongly commands us to meditate, and also points to the impact this will make on our minds and on our life? Consider the wisdom from Psalm 1:

Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.

And in Isaiah 26:3 we see a connection between our minds and our peace;

You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you.

Ultimately, the Spirit of God can govern our mind, which will yield life and peace. (Romans 8:6). So this Christmas, consider what difference opening your mind to God could achieve. What difference might that make in the kinds of decisions you make and relationships you build?

Through a focused effort in meditation on God as described in the definition above, you will open yourself up to exactly those kinds of changes in your brain that will allow God to move powerfully in your life.

If you’re looking for next steps:

- Practice ten to fifteen minutes of silent meditation each day.

- Ignore the tendency to be strategic or intentional—and please please don’t cram anything else in!!

- The only “end” is to still and quiet your soul (like Psalm 131:2), and to consider/meditate/focus on God.

- Learn about A Leader’s Soul, 7 week online learning course.

Mindy Caliguire (@mindycaliguire)

Transformation Ministry Team, Willow Creek Association

Founder, SoulCare (a Spiritual Formation Ministry)

Resilience in Ministry

What contributes to resilience in ministry and hence enables finishing well?  Here in brief is my story and insights.  I responded to God’s call in my late teens while working in cartography.  When I entered theological college and university at age 20 my intellectual and theological life was fed in a new way. 

In my younger years my leadership gifts were recognised, but the leadership research and the articles and books of the last 25 years have helped enormously.  I am grateful to those who saw potential in me and who knowingly and unknowingly mentored me.  Hence I, in turn, willingly and intentionally mentor others.

What has kept me resilient?  Here is the heart of it:

First, I am sustained by God’s call to ministry and leadership. 

The sense that I was born for this has upheld me, especially in times of great challenge and opportunity.

Secondly, I work to my strengths. 

At Spiritual Gift Workshops I led many years ago, some ministers were frustrated that no gift stood out for them.  In doing a multitude of various tasks in ministry they had no time to focus on their strengths and gifts.  I decided then that I would not follow that pattern.  Also, using the Clifton StrengthsFinder and Leading From Your Strengths profiles has been of enormous value.  I pattern my life to bear the fruit that comes from the strategic use of my dominant spiritual gifts, passions and strengths.

Thirdly, in later years I planned my life so that, from the time I reached 60, I would give myself to building into the next generation of leaders.

Hence, now that I am officially in ‘retirement’ I have far more than retirement to look forward to!

Fourthly, I endeavour to be open to 360 mentoring or mentoring up (learning from the generations following me).

Discipleship for me has always meant a willingness to learn.  I take to heart Proverbs 1: 4-5, “to teach shrewdness to the simple, knowledge and prudence to the young – let the wise also hear and also gain in learning, and the discerning acquire skill.”

Fifthly, I make sure I am in mutually rewarding ongoing close relationships with a few chosen people within and outside ministry. 

I have decided who I want to connect with at a deeper level for the rest of my life.

Finally, I soak myself in the Word.

I love using the Bible offensively and self-feeding my mind and soul.  Though I expound scripture in my teaching and preaching, over recent years I have read the Bible daily and have found helpful personal edification from keeping a journal of the revelations I receive.

Rev Dr Dean Brookes

The Harvest Is In The Pain

I have recently asked God in quiet desperation; 'what would it take for Australian people to come to know Jesus as Saviour and Lord?”

This question has been partly prompted by my almost daily contact with discouraged Christian leaders who tell me that reaching Australian people with the good news does not seem to be working today with the same effectiveness as in previous decades. 

I am also aware of the research regarding the metropolitan area of Melbourne entitled “All Melbourne Matters” which shows that although many of the 1700 plus Melbourne churches have a strong emphasis on evangelism an average of just over 2 persons per church per year are coming to faith.  The compilers summarise that “there are no patterns of evangelism which are clearly emerging as successful patterns for the future.”

I have been impressed with the strong link in Jesus' ministry between 'compassion' and 'harvest'; When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke.  So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd.   “What a huge harvest” he said to his disciples.  “How few workers! On your knees and pray for harvest hands” (Matt 9:36-38, The Message); and in John 4 when after Jesus gave dignity and showed compassion to the outsider Samaritan woman, a Samaritan village experienced revival.

Perhaps as Christians we have let the hurt, disappointments and lack of grace in our society construct walls around our hearts and bring a crustiness and judgementalism which is the opposite of the qualities grown in us through the Spirit of God as indicated in passages such as Col. 3:12-14.

“So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you!

Compassion, humility, quiet strength.....”  (The Message)

I believe God is softening our hearts today so that we feel the pain of the world the way he does.

Australian people generally have become very sophisticated at taking what they want from our 'events' and 'outreach programmes' and leaving the rest.  Compassion received when it is unusual and not expected has the capacity to get under people's guard and have them open up to the source of our compassion – a loving and gracious God.

After I had shared these convictions with a group of Christian leaders a young lady who ministers to young teenage girls who have been abused, several of whom have recently become Christians, shared with me her belief that 'the harvest is in the pain'.

The challenge is to become open hearted and givers of compassion, grace, mercy and justice.

Keith Farmer

Keith Farmer Mentoring

I Quit (Part 9) Summary & Applications

This week Geri and Pete Scazzero conclude the I Quit series and leave us with some life applications; that the basis of all the ‘I Quits’ is about being grounded in the love of God, and as we live more deeply in this love of God we are actually able to do the ‘quits’.

http://vimeo.com/21345454

I Quit (Part 8) Quit Trying To Live Someone Else's Life: Choose Your Destiny

The great calling in life is the will to be yourself - It is the great challenge to not be somebody else - Søren Kierkegaard

Living out your unique life is about being congruent, that you are the same person on the outside that you are on the inside. Think of Jesus, who defied the expectations that everyone had for him, from his family, to crowds, to disciples, to the religious environment. Everybody had a life script for Jesus, but he was able to hear the Father’s voice and live out his unique life.

Choose to embrace your destiny in God.



http://vimeo.com/21064027

I Quit (Part 7) Quit Faulty Thinking: Choose The Real

It isn't what you don't know that hurts you. It’s what you know that isn’t so. [Mark Twain]

Unless we quit faulty thinking, the power of God in our lives is thwarted, it’s blocked. We don’t change easily, but quitting faulty thinking has enormous implications. Many of us have wrong thinking about God, about ourselves, and about other people. Once we begin to break this, God’s power by the Holy Spirit is able to come and invade us and change us.



http://vimeo.com/20799166

I Quit (Part 6) Quit Over-functioning: Choose to Let Go

Over-functioning is doing for others what they can and should do for themselves. But it’s not loving well. It’s tricky because it can be hard to see a problem, as over-functioning often disguises itself as caring, serving, helping and loving. As Christians we want to do things for others, but we really run into problems when we cross the line of doing what people can do for themselves, and it’s often coming from a place inside ourselves that is anxious.

http://vimeo.com/20646222



I QUIT (Part 5) Quit Blaming: Choose To Take Responsibility

Blaming is a surface behaviour that we all engage in. When something isn’t going our way, we place the blame on all manner of things like our parents, spouses, friends, co-workers, the traffic, and even God. From little blaming, ‘who touched my earphones’, to bigger blaming of our childhood and the economy; blaming is everywhere – in every class and race, like an epidemic. It’s a sin we all share.

http://vimeo.com/19850717

I QUIT (Part 4) Quit Denying Anger, Sadness, Fear: Choose Your Humanity

This message focuses on Psalm 22, and looks at the wide range of emotions that God has given us. Pete and Geri encourage us to stop denying the 'difficult' emotions of anger, sadness and fear, but rather integrate those parts into our person. God created us with a whole range of emotions but the problem is that we don't all experience or process them in healthy ways.



http://vimeo.com/19437285

I QUIT (Part 3) Quit Dying To The Wrong Things: Choose Delight

In this message Geri and Pete consider the assertion that if you’re going to choose what’s right, you’ve got to first quit what’s wrong. There is no easy way to become what Jesus intends for your life, but it does require radical and continual decisions to quit certain behaviours and ways of thinking.

http://vimeo.com/19171239

I QUIT (Part 2) Quit Lying: Choose Truth

Ever said to a person ‘Hey, you look great!’ but don’t really think they look great?! Or pretended you’re not angry, when in reality you really are?

This vimeo sermon is number two in a series from New Life Fellowship, the church home of Pete and Geri Scazzero, authors of Emotionally Healthy Spirituality. This message looks at the reasons of why we lie, and discusses how to learn to speak truth.

http://vimeo.com/18935087

Does God Whisper?

Recently, our team has been considering what might happen if God’s people and churches started listening for God’s quiet whispers--and then acting on what they hear.

Hoping to spark conversation and encourage people to listen for God’s promptings, we’ve just released a two-minute video.

Feeling challenged? Explore further at Http://doesGodwhisper.com  

If you like it, share it!  We encourage you to post the video to your blog, your facebook page, or your twitter feed.

Our belief is that God is still speaking to His people today. Together, we’re hoping to elevate the truth that listening, hearing, and responding to God’s whispers is not only one of life’s greatest joys, but will change the world.

Obeying the Spirit instead of your own self-centered whims will lead you to places you've never been, challenge you in ways you have never been challenged, and invite levels of sacrifice you never dreamed you could make. This is the power and the promise of full-throttle faith, of living a life fueled solely by God." -Bill Hybels

I QUIT (Part 1) Quit Being Afraid Of What Others Think: Choose His Love

This vimeo is from New Life Fellowship, the church home of Pete and Geri Scazzero. Based on I QUIT, a newly released book that highlights the propensity of Christians to pretend 'everything is fine' and the need to learn the importance of Biblical quitting, this sermon focuses on quitting our fear of what others think of us.

http://vimeo.com/18679957 

Discovering our Spiritual Identity (part 3)

Trevor Hudson's video blog this week touches on the concept on 'remembering' and the importance of 'reflection'

Discovering our Spiritual Identity (part 2)

This week in Part 2 of Trevor Hudson's Video Blog we take a look at 'Identity' and the question of 'where do we come from?'

Discovering our Spiritual Identity (part 1)

Check out part 1 of Trevor Hudson’s Video Blog discussing topics from his new book, Discovering our Spiritual Identity. This week’s chapter is entitled “Our Picture of God” and invites you to explore how you perceive who and what God is.

(Thanks Willow Creek South Africa!)

I want to be a flexible Christian

I am one of the most inflexible people I know.  When I do stretching I’m always the guy people laugh at who can’t reach past his knees when everyone else is touching their toes.  I’ve always been this way, and from time to time I’ve tried to do some stretches to get better, but I’m mostly resigned to the fact that I will be inflexible for the rest of my life. 

Thankfully for me when it comes to being a flexible Christian, it’s not about how far you can reach when you stretch.  Rather it’s about your ability to remain faithful to God but flex in order to take the good news of Jesus to the people around you.

In 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, Paul talks about his flexibility as a Christian.  Paul was flexible enough to become like a Jew to the Jews, to become weak to win the weak.  Famously he says, “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some”. 

Paul did not compromise his faith to reach others, but he did not remain alien to the cultures he was ministering either.  I’ve noticed as I work with an increasingly unchurched generation of young people the need for me to flex in my outlook so that to the high school student, I become like the high school student.  This doesn’t mean I get acne and crushes on the pretty girls, but rather it means that I seek to understand their world view and culture in order that I can best shape the Gospel for them.

 The same is true for my non-Christian friends, I do not adopt their values, that wouldn’t be flexibility, it would be weakness.  Rather I seek to understand their culture and be flexible enough to allow it to influence the way I practice my ministry to them.

Christians have to be flexible if they want to win people to Christ.  We have to be flexible because we are not like people who don’t know Jesus. 

Our lives are so radically transformed by the Spirit that we are not like anyone else in this world.  We must be flexible but always remain connected to the source. 

Sadly many Christians often end up like me when I’m doing stretches, unable to bend past their knees and happy to let all those people they can’t reach slip away. 

I pray that I would not be like this but would continue to work hard at being a flexible Christian for the sake of the gospel that I may share in its blessings and see many people bought to a knowledge and love of Jesus.

Chris Bowditch

Youth Minister

Holy Trinity Anglican Church Doncaster

Blog: www.youthministryandme.com