I’m grouchy this week.  Sarcastic with co-workers. Caustic with my family.  Yesterday a friend asks, “What’s wrong with you?” and I shrugged it off.  Didn’t know anything was wrong until he got me thinking about it.  I thought it was all the porcupines around me with quills flared ganging up to irritate me—including the freeway speed-control freaks who blocked my way. Sure I was short with everyone, but they deserved it for getting in my space.  ?

This morning I’m praying about a decision and I realize how stuck I feel. It’s not all the porcupines around me causing my acidic attitude. It’s a thistle rolling around inside me.  I’m stuck and irritated by that helpless feeling of stuckness.

It’s like spinning your wheels in a snow bank.  Your build up all this heat from the tire spinning and it hardens the snow into ice, increasing the spinning and decreasing your chances of getting out without help. So I decided I need help getting unstuck.

It’s easy to blame the porcupines around us when we’re miserable. Truth is, it’s usually something inside creating the porcupine in the mirror.

Mark Reed

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

Contributing to God’s Kingdom work generally involves giving rather than getting.  After long periods of giving, to expect others to give back is normal.  In fact, having reciprocal relationships in ministry helps to provide balance and enduring ministries.

What is fair to expect to get out of being in ministry?  Paul writes in 1 Timothy 5:18, :”Do not muzzle the ox (quoting Deut. 25:4) …The worker deserves his wages”.  We are led to believe, to receive something for giving is expected, similar to the idea in Galatians 6:7. “A man reaps what he sows”.  Let’s also not forget eternal rewards (Luke 6:23).

As a ministry leader and servant, what do you get out of ministry?  Whether you receive monetary support or not for ministry, what do you get that motivates you to serve Him with your best?

Two words motivate me more than anything else: Cherry Pie.

As a teacher and leader I know that I’m supposed to use intrinsic more than extrinsic motivation.  Get employees to want to complete a project because of the skills they will develop (intrinsic) rather than because they will receive a cash bonus (extrinsic). Intrinsic is true motivation that builds self-discipline.

But extrinsic motivation is not bad and it works well for short-term results—especially when I need motivational booster  shot.  I need to exercise to lose weight so I will be a healthier person—a ho-hum motivator for me.  But when my doctor said, “Exercise or I’m putting you on medication,” I started walking every day. And when I’m low on motivation, I stoop to dangling a short-term incentive in front of myself: walk 30 minutes today, and you can have a slice of pie tonight.

We’re not pure and spirit-driven enough to always find inner motivation in spiritual discipline. Sometimes we need an external, physical reward for doing something spiritual.  I’ll stop by the coffee shop for a latte after my prayer walk today.

When you don’t feel like being spiritual, it’s okay to dangle a carrot—or a latte—or maybe a cherry pie.

Mark Reed

Author of Rehearsing for Heaven

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.   

How often in times of stress or worry have you said, I’ve got to pray harder? What does praying harder look like?  More intense until sweating drops of blood?  Louder, longer, with more feeling? Jesus agonized in prayer, but he taught others to pray without drama:Make your prayers simple. Ask your Father with faith, humility, and persistence. Seek, ask, knock, i.e. pursue your requests as though you have a father who knows your every need and willing provides every need.

For me, praying harder means trusting more, realizing it depends less on me and more on my Father.  Trust without ceasing. Set aside anxiety after making my request. I’m struggling to shift my agony in prayer to agonizing over faith in the Faithful One and to sweat over letting go, to let him control, to accept whatever outcome he chooses.

Mark Reed

Author of Rehearsing for Heaven

Solomon, speaking about foolish living wrote:  At the end of your life you wil groan, when your flesh and body are spent.  You will say, “How I hated discipline!  How my heart spurned correction!” Proverbs 5:11 & 12

These are tough words to read and hear from a man of wisdom.  Yet, Solomon speaks to the core of our heart of need to remember His purposes for practicing spiritual disciplines.  Here are some reminders:

One purpose for practicing spiritual disciplines is to bring a deeper dependence upon our Father.  For example, moving from an inner chaos towards renewal and power through God’s Spirit.  Developing relationships based upon God’s righteousness and grace.  Seeking God’s goodness to happen in others and our self in the midst of turmoil and loss.

A second purpose of practicing spiritual disciplines is to become more God-centered.  In ministry, serving can be both giving attention to others while being the center of attention.  While we preach, lead, teach or e-mail, we expect others to pay attention to us. Sometimes we treat God the same way.

A third purpose is as a part of worshipping God, our creator and sovereign Lord.  In ministry, it’s easy to become frustrated or stressed, at times uncertain of God’s plan, provision and timing.  God still expects us to submit and trust.  Worship becomes the expression and evidence of submission to Him who sits on heaven’s mercy seat.

Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32-33

Jamie woke up thinking about who came to the Bible study last night and why others stayed home.  Mark e-mailed staff members this morning about turning in their attendance and expense reports for the elders’ meeting.  Monday morning, Jan looked over her tight schedule wondering when she was going to have time set up for Sunday services.

Your job description, ministry responsibilities and expectations often cause you pressure.  As you have grown, you have found ministry is primarily about God’s work within you and others; less about your efforts.  So relying on God’s internal work relieves some of the pressure, but you still need to get the work done.

In John Townsend’s latest book, Beyond Boundaries:  Learning to Trust Again in Relationships, he identifies two types of boundaries that empowers us to be free of unnecessary pressure.  First, “defining boundaries” identify who you are as a person, which allows you put aside false identities.  Then, “protective boundaries” keep you safe in unsafe situations, especially when unfair expectations are placed upon you.  How do these boundaries apply to you in ministry?

Now consider the following questions to deflate unnecessary pressure:

What pressure do I put on myself to succeed in ministry?

What boundaries do I avoid or cross in order to be successful in ministry?

What pressure can I lay down in order to focus on the primary calling from Jesus?

Feeling blamed or pointed out as the reason for a problem is often awkward and uncomfortable. Yet accountability and taking responsibility are important values in any relationship.  Blame often brings discomfort and taking responsibility can threaten our security, though both are necessary in personal growth. How do we balance feeling blamed and taking responsibility in our life and ministry?

First, listening to the problem is a key.  Facing the problem that exists can be quite painful, yet most important even when we may hear about the problem second hand.  Hiding or avoiding the problem generally causes more problems, internally and externally.

Second, seeking grace and strength from God (patience) to handle the stress and discomfort brings about a supernatural ability to cope with the problem.  Seeking peace about the issue gives an ability to think clearly and sort out the problem, heading towards a solution.

Third, responding in love, rather than reacting as the target of blame is another key; though easier said than done.  Taking responsibility does not come natural, more supernatural.  Kindness is God’s ability in us creating a Christ-like acceptance and response to a problem, whether the problem is our responsibility or not.

So accept your part of the problem and speak the truth in love about what is not your part.

What can you do today when problems arise?  How can you respond to feeling “blamed”?

Unsettled?

Eyes searching, feet moving, heart wanting more?  Do you ever feel this way?  Sometimes out of boredom, discontent or downright hunger we’re moved to search for more, something to fill the void or just different.

When we sense these unsettled signals, it’s time to respond.  Our eyes and heart wants to wonder, look into other fields.

What can help?  Here are several ideas:

1. Consider God’s mercy to understand our needy heart and wondering thoughts.
2. When feeling discontent, dig down into your heart with the Lord to find the cause, feeling and need.
3. Get it out.  Talk about these feelings and thoughts with someone who understands.
4. If you’re a visual person, draw out your thoughts, connect the dots to what’s missing or what’s leading you to wonder.
5. Let go, throw it down before God, the unsettled, discontent and/or boredom.
6. Pick up God’s mercy and truth, to fill your heart and mind to then reflect His goodness and glory.

We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with every-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18.

Comment about a time when you felt restless.

While speaking with pastors in Nicaragua about “self-care” this month, I was asked to preach to a church body who meets in an open air community center that has a vinyl tent covering for a roof.  Only problem with the facility, the tent roof has many holes in it, including several big ones.  These holes and the inch of water on the floor did not seem to be a problem for the people.
The worship band was rockin (in spite of electrocution) and there I preached standing in water and the rain.

God reminded me while preaching, these people came to worship and hear “the Word”.  Even in the midst of feeling distracted, uncomfortable and wet, worship existed in its purest form.  God was present and His Word was preached, even when the preacher wasn’t so focused.

How comfortable do we need to be when we worship? We know comfort or discomfort is not necessary to worship God, only Him glorified.  Similar to spiritual disciplines, the feeling of discomfort can distract our worship and focus on spiritual things.  God being glorified through our worship becomes our goal, not how comfortable or uncomfortable we are.

How does your focus on feeling comfortable or uncomfortable affect your worship?