In the midst of life challenges, what sustains you?  Is it your outgoing personality?  Stubborn perseverance?  Your church and family?

The writer of Hebrews describes believers as runners.  Their endurance is based on following the example of Jesus, fixing their eyes on Jesus as they run life’s race.

While training, a runner experiences a battle within their will due to the physical and mental stress.  As a Christian, we know our focus on Jesus is essential, yet life’s hassles and obstacles slow us down and wear us out.

Gordon MacDonald in his book, A Resilient Life writes, resilient people believe that quitting is not an option.  They know that “walking” is unthinkable.  They are convinced that building resilience is a daily pursuit.

Weariness and exhaustion is a reality, but if quitting is not an option, take the advice of the Hebrews writer, who encourages the runners not to “fall short” of the finish line (God’s rest); but daily seek His Word to penetrate the heart and mind.  We realize our personal stamina will wear out,  only the power of God and His Word will empower us to endure the race.

While running life’s race, what empowers you to endure?

There are many opinions about New Year’s resolutions, many saying they don’t work.  Do any resolutions work?

G. K. Chesterton’s quote is the best by far.   

Handling stress in ministry is often typical, yet challenging. Developing the ability to be resilient while under stress often becomes the key to preventing burnout.

Social science research has found one’s “social support” and “supportive relationships” to be a significant factor in coping with stress. In fact, research (Burkinshaw 2004) found leaders’ resiliency to stress was dependent upon their social support; defined as “the ability to rely on others to aid them with stressful situations”. In fact, emotional, supportive relationships were found more important than taking care of one’s physical health.

Do you think the writer of Ecclesiastes said:  “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

Rate (1-10 scale) your ability to rely on others to aid you with stressful situations.

If you rated yourself as an “8″ or above, you do a good job relying on others. If a “7″ or below, ask yourself, “What gets in my way of relying on others?” How could you reliance on others be different?

Contact gary@ministrycare.org for questions or comments.

“You are what you think about” both Jesus and Solomon told us, along with “You do the things that you harbor in your heart.” James Allen wrote, “Man is made or unmade by himself in the armory of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself; he also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace.”

Random thoughts—good, evil, indifferent—pass through our minds, but it’s the ones we keep and develop and build images around, those are the thoughts that define us. Same with emotions—emotion happens to all of us, some more intensely than others and triggered by different events—but emotions pass through us and those we keep and nurture are the ones that affect our actions and attitudes.

So we need to develop our thought filters and emotion filters. And meditation is one discipline that helps us do that.  Try this: select a characteristic of God such as patience and focus your thoughts on examples of his patience from the Bible, from your life and others’. When or with whom is he patient that I am not? Try focusing on a verse, an act of Jesus, the example of people you admire. Do this several times a week and you will discover an increasing ability to focus on the “keeper” thoughts and to throw away the  worthless ones.

“Set your mind and heart on things above!”

Mark Reed

Author of Rehearsing for Heaven

As Jesus and His disciples entered Samaria on His way to Jerusalem (His time on earth was drawing to an end), He was not welcomed by the Samaritans (Luke 9:51-ff). Remember how James and John asked Jesus, “Do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” Their passion and respect for Jesus consumed their thinking and words which was rebuked by Jesus.  Why?   

We know Jesus’ mission was “to seek and to save”, not judgmental fire.  Maybe you can relate to James and John, being caught up in moments of rejection or frustration can cause us to want to retaliate in righteous indignation.  For some of us, it’s easy to become critical, in time bitter about what looks like rejection or apathy.

Think back, when was the last time you felt resistance from someone who lacked interest in Jesus?  A time when you saw a lack of response to God’s Word and call?  How did their lack of interest affect you?

How can we respond to someone’s lack of interest and our ill feelings?  We can take a breath of fresh air, a moment to breathe in God’s goodness rather than reacting.  Even when we feel alone in God’s call by numerous deaf ears, walking away to let go gives us the opportunity to find peace and time to refocus.

What works for you?

I have a friend who has no problem accomplishing absolutely nothing for several days in a row. This blog is not for him or people like him. It’s for me and people like me-I feel guilty when I’m not doing something profitable.  I struggle with that work/play balance.  I multi-task relax time with work time to relieve the guilt.

Last weekend my son and I took a long road trip.  While he drove, I worked on a notepad, and while I drove, he worked on his laptop.  We talked some, but we both had a hard time just sitting there and enjoying the scenery and the presence of each other.

Nothing wrong with the multi-tasking since it helps get things done-except if it interferes with the recoup time I need. I know I need downtime, playtime, and renewal. I find it hard to fit into my schedule. So I started scheduling it-put it on my calendar.  And when I finish the relaxing time, I check it off as a task completed. When downtime becomes a scheduled task for me, it’s permission for me to relax.

“Work hard. Play hard. Live happy.”

Mark Reed

Author of Rehearsing for Heaven

See Mark’s Heaven blog at http://www.hopeworthy.com/blog

This is a guest post from Scott Couchenour. Scott is passionate about the health of ministers and leaders and has one simple mission, to make your mission less burnout. You can find more information at servingstrong.com where Scott provides useful content and dynamic coaching. Also follow Scott on twitter @servingstrong.

Park between the sign and the intersection and you risk receiving a ticket on your windshield. Pack your day so full you can’t possibly get it all done and you risk burnout.
Simple. The road sign provides margin for safe traffic.
Using time wisely provides margin for effective ministry leadership.

We all agree – it’s impossible to fit 9 pounds of anything in a 6-pound bag. Doesn’t matter how hard we try to stuff it all in. Why? Because we live in a finite world. Only so much time in our day. Only so much energy in our being. We need daily margin.
But how do we build margin into our daily routine?

From Hundreds… Place every task into ONE SINGLE LIST. The minute you have more than one place to look, your mind spends energy trying to keep up. This is energy you can’t afford to lose. Knowing it’s all in one place frees mindspace for being present in the moment. This goes for one single calendar as well.

…To A Few… Prayerfully prioritize. Ask for God’s wisdom as you scan your master list. Allow Him to lead you to the important few among the trivial many. Lift those key items out of your master list and place them on a weekly planner.

…To Three… Plan no more than 3 tasks per day. I know what you’re thinking, “Only three? You must have it made.“ But here’s the deal: when you put a dozen tasks on your list for the day (knowing full well you will never get it all done) you put your head on the pillow at night in a defeated mindset – not a good thing to sleep on.  The key benefit of 3 tasks is this: If you get all 3 completed, you can borrow from tomorrow’s 3. Then, at the end of the day you feel ahead of the game.

The truth about time is that interruptions will happen. It’s not a matter of “if”. It’s a matter of “how many”. A phone call, a bunch of email messages, a family’s crisis, a broken kitchen sink pipe… we never know what the day holds. Be realistic and learn to never “park too close to the intersection.”

Serious about building margin into your leadership? Here are some additional resources:

Margin (Dr. Richard Swenson)

The Big Rocks (Steven Covey)

10 Ways To Create Margin Time (Ron Edmondson)

This is a guest post from author Mark Reed

Whenever my friends practice Lent by avoiding TV or junk food, I quietly scoff at their fasting-made-easy approach. I try not to discourage them or judge their motives, and inside I question my own motives and methods.  Fasting is designed to increase self-discipline in order to strengthen my will power against temptation and build my endurance for Christ’s work. It’s like working out the spiritual muscles—it should be hard work, a tiring workout. Sometimes you’re sore afterward. Sore, but stronger. So fasting from TV can be good if I’m using that time to pray or help someone—something that builds spiritual muscle. If going without junk food for 40 days strengthens my will-power so I can say no to spiritual temptation, then it’s a helpful spiritual discipline. How would you design your own “40-days to a Leaner Spiritual Life.”

Mark Reed

Author of Rehearsing for Heaven

Weeks prior to the cross, Jesus was described by his close friend John, as “troubled”, “deeply moved” and “groaning”.  We find three of these instances in John, 11:33 (Lazarus’ death); 12:27 (predicting His death); 13:21 (predicting Judas’ betrayal).  Word studies describe these deep feelings as: grief, internal anguish and violent agitation.

All human beings know what “troubled” feels like.  Saying the word “troubled”, agitates the lips and distorts our pleasant feelings/thoughts.  Troubled situations and feelings cause our body, mind and spirit to wobble out of balance, interfering with the events of our day.  So what event or situation has troubled you recently?

Emotional disturbances in ancient Hebrew times, were identified in the heart.  In the Greek era, emotions were often depicted in the belly.  Heart or belly, emotions are hard to manage at times when they are numerous.  For example, trying making sense with words when feeling very excited.  Try making a decision when emotionally confused.  Better yet, try not to talk when you are very angry.

The Gospels do not scientifically or psychologically describe what Jesus did with His emotions.  Though we read how He confronted the Jewish leaders, stood up to would be stoners and faced the His betrayer, along with angry mobs.  Several word studies identified Jesus, “checking His emotions”, using restraint in how He expressed them, though did not repress them.  Instead, when expressing His emotions was generally through prayer and petition to His Father.  Ought we to do the same?

Comment below, how do you express your “troubled emotions”?