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MORE OXYGEN TO THE FLAME (p. 20)
In ministry, years and joy can have an inverse relationship. For most pastors, serving God will always be more joy than sacrifice. Two Christian leaders who have burned brighter and hotter as they have aged are Ben Patterson and Zig Ziglar. Ben is dean of the chapel at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. For more than 30 years, Zig has been a popular motivational speaker.
Was there a moment when you discovered the meaning of genuine joy?
Patterson: I can tell you when I became a Christian, and I can tell you when I began to “get it” about joy. I’m sorry to say my discovery about joy was only about six years ago. Ziglar: Our oldest daughter died on May 13, 1995. The Bible tells us to rejoice always. How do you rejoice under those circumstances? We’re still weeping. In weeping we can still have joy, but joy is a condition you’re in because of a decision you made.
Is joy felt most profoundly in suffering?
Ziglar: The longest 24 hours of my life were those after my daughter’s death. The next morning I took a walk and was praying and crying the whole way. When I returned, the Lord spoke in such a distinct way: “She’s fine. She’s with me. And you’re going to be fine, too. I’m all you need. You just keep walking. Keep talking. Keep praying. Keep crying.” Patterson: Not long after deciding to be grateful, I was sitting in church one evening. As the choir was singing a beautiful piece, I felt, as C. S. Lewis describes, the stab of joy. I sensed God’s presence. My first thought was, Lord, that is worth anything in the world. Whatever I have to do, I’ll do, if I just get a look at your face once in a while.
What would you say to somebody who says, “I want more joy in my life, but I realize I’m a very angry person”?
Patterson: I think you’ve got to repent. Anger is a joy killer. We simply cannot be grateful and angry, or joyful and angry. The temptation of anger is it makes you feel strong when you feel weak. It’s like alcohol, which gives you a false sense of strength. Ziglar: I often tell my audience, “Now this won’t get you out of clinical depression, but if you’re down in the dumps or upset, the first thing to do is write down what you’re upset about. Second, ask yourself, ‘How long do I want to stay there?’
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS (p. 28)
John Ortberg, a pastor at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, listened to the advice of a wise spiritual mentor and learned how to minister at a healthier pace.
One of the great illusions of our day is that hurrying will buy us more time. Our world has become the world of the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland: “Now here, you see, it takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that.”
Though our age intensifies “hurry sickness,” it’s not a new problem; people in ministry have been subject to it at least since the days of Jesus. During one hectic season of ministry, Mark notes of the disciples, “Many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.”
If you want to follow someone, you can’t go faster than the one who is leading; following Jesus cannot be done at a sprint.
Jesus was often busy but he was never hurried. Being busy is an outer condition; being hurried is a sickness of the soul.
As much as we complain about it, though, there’s part of us which is drawn to a hurried life. It makes us feel important. It keeps the adrenaline pumping. It means I don’t have to look too closely at my heart or life. It keeps us from feeling our loneliness. As long as I have meetings to attend and occasions to preach and teach, I can demonstrate that I am an important person.
Hurry, then, is not just a disordered schedule. Hurry is a disordered heart.
We don’t have to live this way. The hurried can become unhurried. But it will not happen by trying alone, nor will it happen instantly. You will have to enter a life of training.
One useful practice might be called “slowing.” This involves cultivating patience by deliberately choosing to place yourself in positions where you have to wait. For instance, over the next few days or weeks, try these:
- Deliberately drive in the slow lane on the expressway.
- Declare a fast from honking.
- Eat your food slowly.
- At the grocery store, discover which check-out line is the longest, and get in it. Then let one person go in front of you.
- Reread a book.
- Take an hour simply to be with God.
Ministry must be done in a rhythm of engagement and withdrawal. Wise followers of Christ have always understood solitude to be the foundational practice.
But what exactly is solitude? Some people ask, “What do I do when I practice solitude? What should I bring with me? The primary answer, of course, is “Nothing.”
One of the great obstacles you will likely face is that extended solitude will feel like a waste of time. We’re so conditioned to feel our existence is justified only when we are accomplishing something. But also, for me, this feeling comes because my mind wanders so much. I used to think if I devoted a large chunk of time to praying, I should be able to engage in solid, uninterrupted, focused prayer. But I can’t.
Brother Lawrence said it like this: “For many years I was bothered by the thought that I was a failure at prayer. Then one day I realized I would always be a failure at prayer; and I’ve gotten along much better ever since.”
GOOD NEWS FOR THE WEARY (p. 38)
Anthony Laird, pastor of East Tucson Baptist Church, finds unexpected fruitfulness that comes from fatigue. Archibald Hart follows with a self-test, “Am I Too Tired?”.
I’ve birthed a kind of fatigue theology. I’ve seen surprising victories won from my personal battle with tiredness.
Fatigue is good because it softens the soul. The grind of ministry wears down my professional defenses. In those vulnerable moments, I receive a great treasure: intimacy with a brother in Christ.
Fatigue helps me hear a softer melody of life and then replay it so my people can understand it. The message I often need to preach is “Slow down!”
Fatigue teaches me to preach a more human Christianity. What attracted people to Christ was his divinity and humanity. He too got tired. He slept through a storm!
Fatigue is my Jethro. He comes and says, “This thing you’re doing is not good—not for you, not for the people you claim to be serving.”
Effective ministry often begins at the end of our rope, not the beginning. If the grace of God becomes great when we are small, fatigue can be one of those ego reducers that allows God to show himself strong.
GET A (BALANCED) LIFE! (p. 52)
Gary Preston, pastor of Bethany Church in Boulder, Colorado, answers those who say, “You’re not working hard enough.”
I define a balanced life as a life lived according to biblical priorities. Usually we think of priorities as a list, ranked from most important to least, which implies I must fulfill my first priority before I can move on to the second.
But I have found another analogy more helpful: I see my priorities as pieces of a pie. Each piece is important (or else they would not be priorities!); the challenge is not to keep them in order but to serve each area an appropriate portion of my life.
In seeking the specifics of a balanced life, I developed the following criteria for the hours I spend at church:
Are my working hours compatible with my current family situation? “The boys sure miss you when you’re gone this much.” Or, “I miss taking our morning walks together.” That is my cue that I may need to slice the pie a bit differently.
Does my work schedule set a positive example? Pastors dare not model laziness, but often laziness shows up as putting in long hours at the office but neglecting the other important priorities.
Helping our church recognize I work differently than most professionals is an ongoing challenge. The way pastors work will never be fully understood by everyone. I print a summary of my work schedule in our church bulletin or newsletter so people will know when I am available to meet with them for routine issues. (Emergencies, of course, don’t need to fit the schedule.)
Such upfront communication has affected the church’s attitude toward my work and my need for balance.
6 Christian leaders divulge their diverse ways to re-energize body and spirit.
Gerald Durley: “Most Saturdays, I turn on the Family Channel and watch four or five cowboy shows. I go to the gym to shoot baskets. I listen to jazz. Things completely different from day-to-day ministry.”
Patricia Duckworth: “I recently started flying lessons, something that demands concentration. Also, family vacations or just walking in nature make life enjoyable.”
Richard Swenson: “God created two gifts—laughter and music. Laughing at myself is one of the best things I do. Music massages me at the deepest level.”
William Moore: “How I start the day can refresh me. Being in God’s presence is a tremendous source of joy to me.”
Dave Roever: “My wife and I both love to ride motorcycles, and we love the mountains of Colorado. Another never-ending source of joy is my grandkids.”
Bufe Karraker: “I find joy in staying after men who need the Lord. Nothing pumps my tire like snatching someone from death to life.”
Herb Miller, president of Net Results, Inc., presents 12 oft-overlooked qualities of spirit that determine your effectiveness as a leader.
Studies suggest that leadership is like a necklace with 12 diamonds. A pastor can lack one of the 12 with few people noticing its absence. When six diamonds are missing, job stress increases. If eight are missing, vocational pain replaces job satisfaction. If all 12 are missing, the individual is usually a former church employee.
1. Excellence: high-quality performance and expecting it of others. A person’s commitment to excellence determines whether peers view him or her as a leader.
2. Objectivity: ability to assess reality accurately. The habit of holding up a wet finger to the winds of opinion is not leadership.
3. Innovation: ability to create effective new ways to get the job done. Innovators must possess sufficient confidence to move ahead despite negative comments.
4. Persistence: tenacity to keep driving toward goals. When they fall down, they pick themselves up, figure out why they fell, and try again.
5. Communication: ability to express ideas and goals clearly. Persuasive leaders know communication reduces the grapevine distribution of inaccuracies that will require three times as much energy later on to correct.
6. Inspiration: ability to express vision, ideals, and hope in ways that move others toward new thinking and actions.
7. Caring: genuine interest in people and concern for their needs. Caring is not just an extroverted personality; it is true compassion.
8. Sensitivity: ability to understand people and their patterns of reaction. Effective leaders can see things from another’s perspective.
9. Receptive listening: willingness to gather information before making judgments. Effective leaders convey a “why not?” attitude and listen carefully to those who offer ideas.
10. Forthrightness: courage to sensitively communicate concerns to others. A friend is someone who can be honest with you without breaking the relationship.
11. Effective conflict management: ability to help people work through emotionally charged differences of opinion in ways that build team spirit.
12. Effective time management: ability to select priorities based on a church’s goals and to focus on those priorities.
A LEADER’S PRIVATE PRAYERS (p. 83)
This excerpt from Richard Kriegbaum’s book Leadership Prayers offers prayers for those moments when you’ve exhausted your knowledge and need to tap a deeper wisdom.
“Do not be afraid! For the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chron. 20:15).
It is not my organization, it is yours, so I depend on your Spirit to show me what to do.
“May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).
You are such a listener, God! Help me listen to your Spirit so I will be able to listen to the unspoken messages people bring to me.
“Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail” (Lam. 3:22).
Help me to remember that with you mercy always triumphs over judgment. Help me to mirror your compassion, both in policies and in exceptions.
“Don’t sin by letting your anger gain control over you” (Eph. 4:26).
Give me your anger, God, against what is evil, not against myself or the people I love and serve.
“No one pours new wine into old wineskins” (Luke 5:37).
Give me words that will show respect for our past as we head for our future together.
STAYING FOCUSED DURING A BUILDING CAMPAIGN (p. 96)
David Berube relates how blueprints and bricks, fundraising and fears can tempt you to forget your calling.
That first year, a group of key leaders went on retreat to begin seeking God’s vision for us. After subsequent discussion, this emerged as our foundational statement: “Sharing Christ’s Love, Reaching Out with Joy.” The congregation later adopted this vision which gave us a framework to make tough decisions during the building process.
The greatest point of debate centered on whether our addition should have one or two stories. We opted to keep all our new people-space at ground level, making it accessible for everyone. Along with that demonstration of hospitality, we also avoided the cost of an elevator.
We envisioned a big building with a big plan for increasing income and attendance through rentals of the big gym. Inevitably, of course, we had to bring the dream in line with reality. In this we were helped greatly by the book When Not to Build, by Ray Bowman (Baker, 1992).
What would I do differently? We needed to show our progress more clearly. Presentations to ministry groups at regular intervals would have helped, as would a very visible bulletin board with weekly updates for the whole congregation to follow.
Louis McBurney, a psychiatrist who counsels ministers at Marble Retreat in Marble, Colorado, unfolds a story of a seductive woman who entices a pastor into an affair. Based on a composite of actual cases, McBurney warns that an affair can begin before you’re aware of it, unless you know the signs of the seductive “histrionic personality disorder.”
PREACHING TO THOSE WHO JUST DON’T GET IT (p. 108)
Edward Rowell, an editor at Lifeway Christian Resources, weaves a tale of deer hunting, cattle roping, and having a church member almost die of a heart attack after Ed preached on gossip. He found out that preaching can still get people’s attention.
1998 by the author or Christianity Today/Leadership Journal. For reprint information call 630-260-6200 or contact us.
