Taking Time Off Without Guilt
Because I have these breathtaking people around me and I never want them to feel like I'm not carrying my own weight, one of my most mammoth mind games and one of the biggest challenges I face is learning to take time off without guilt. Yet without this time, I know I cannot do effective ministry. So I try to follow a few simple rules:
- I have to remind myself that no one can put me on a guilt trip unless I buy the ticket.
- If I take a day off and I really want to come out of it replenished, I need to turn the technology off. (Honestly, I don't do this well but I'm working on it.)
- I have to say to myself over and over again, I want to pace my life so I will not be another one of the ministry fatality figures that litter the ministry world. I've done this for decades and I don't want to blow it now. I know if I can't pace this without guilt I'm not going to be able to make the long haul.
- The Strategic 5% – It's the big stuff that will really walk with you into eternity and it's the stuff you won't be able to do well if you don't take days off without guilt.
- Only you can control your own spiritual life with Jesus, no one will know if you are just a business associate.
- No one will ever control how you do your own most intimate family relationships.
- No one can control what I do about my own physical health but me.
Because I have these breathtaking people around me and I never want them to feel like I'm not carrying my own weight, one of my most mammoth mind games and one of the biggest challenges I face is learning to take time off without guilt. Yet without this time, I know I cannot do effective ministry. So I try to follow a few simple rules:
- I have to remind myself that no one can put me on a guilt trip unless I buy the ticket.
- If I take a day off and I really want to come out of it replenished, I need to turn the technology off. (Honestly, I don't do this well but I'm working on it.)
- I have to say to myself over and over again, I want to pace my life so I will not be another one of the ministry fatality figures that litter the ministry world. I've done this for decades and I don't want to blow it now. I know if I can't pace this without guilt I'm not going to be able to make the long haul.
- The Strategic 5% – It's the big stuff that will really walk with you into eternity and it's the stuff you won't be able to do well if you don't take days off without guilt.
- Only you can control your own spiritual life with Jesus, no one will know if you are just a business associate.
- No one will ever control how you do your own most intimate family relationships.
- No one can control what I do about my own physical health but me.
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This Youth Leader's Coach, "Coping With Stress and Burnout In Youth Ministry," is probably destined to be one of your favorites. I share candidly with you on stress and burnout. After 35 years in fulltime youth ministry, I've obviously experienced my share of both of these. So I wanted to share with you some of the pragmatic and medical things I have learned through the journey that can help you in these crucial areas.
Most of all, I wanted you to realize that when you feel pretty seriously stressed and even burned out, you are understood and not crazy! It's my honor to send this Youth Leader's Coach your way. Keep it filed somewhere so you can pull it out occasionally. It probably will be worth listening to more than once.
Lovingly Your Sis,
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In this month's Youth Leader's Coach, "Fighting For Your Own Spiritual Freshness While Doing Youth Ministry," I give you ten ideas that will be helpful to you in revitalizing your spiritual walk.
Lovingly,
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Dr. James Dobson says that overcoming guilt, even after repentance, is one of the primary weapons the Enemy uses on today's leadership culture. That's why I wanted to share with you this resource. I call this Youth Leader's Coach, "A Leader’s Guide To Overcoming Guilt." Prayerfully, this will be a resource that will be a game-changer for you!
Lovingly,
Contrary to what many people think, it is not your talent or your intelligence that is really the major predictor of how much happiness or success you're going to have in your life, your family, your vocation, or your ministry. A far more accurate predictor of those factors is your GRIT. And best news is that grit isn't something you are just "born with"...but it is something you can cultivate!
In this Youth Leader's Coach, I share pragmatics from the book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth. We'll take a look at what "grit" is. I'll also share four psychological assets that, if you choose to grow them over time, will help you grow your GRIT. As novelist John Irving says, "To do anything really well, you have to OVEREXTEND YOURSELF."
Committed to growing my GRIT,
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