What a powerful morning yesterday! The testimonies were really moving and the team did an excellent--EXCELLENT--job of leading in worship. It truly confirmed what I have been thinking and feeling about the new direction of our ministry there. We need more days like yesterday. Real stories. Honesty. A call to tell our story. Brokenness and healing. Acceptance and Love. Awesome day!
Life group was good last night too. We had some honest sharing--something we've needed more of. One day we'll get there.
This morning I had a meeting in Franklin about the South Nashville Gathering. It will be the last Sunday night in April. South Nashville churches will gather at a local outdoor amphitheater (seats around 3000). It should be cool.
Mondays are always fun for me. I usually get to spend them with my family. The meeting earlier today was a rarity. I am typically very guarded with my Mondays. I have found that if I am not, they get eaten up by things other than my family. Learning how to say "no" has not been an easy journey for me. Reading the book "Boundaries" was so helpful. I was written by...(can't think of his name--Henry Could or something). As I was saying to my mom earlier today--there are so many great things to be a part of. Sometimes, if we're not careful, we can over commit to the point of not being useful to anyone. Ministers are especially vulnerable to this. We often feel guilty for saying no to worthwhile activities. There's a voice in our heads that says, "If you really loved God and people, you'd find a way to do this or that". Or...someone hints to us that unless we get involved this event will surely suffer. It's like this weird combination of martyrdom and pride. Sometimes we end up thinking we're needed for the success of something while also feeling bitter about having to do it. Now--obviously, this isn't always the case, but I know A LOT of people who fit this description. I used to more than I do now. It's a hard habit to break. The primary thing I am concerned with is that my family gets the best part of me. I don't want my kids to grow up seeing me tired, burned out, empty, and heavy hearted regarding ministry and church work. I want to be honest with the difficulty of it, but I want to reserve the best parts of me for them instead of giving them the left overs. You can pray for me regarding that if you think of it.
Baby Sam continues to grow and kick. Maddie and Ella talk about him and pray about him nightly. It's hard to imagine what life will be like in a few months, but we are excited for his arrival.
Have a great Monday, friends.
Monday, January 31, 2005
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4 comments:
Brandon - thanks for sharing your thoughts on boundaries and saying no. I've been fueled by the guilt monster for far too long. I've also believed the lie that if I don't do "it" no one else will - and certainly no one can do "it" as well as I can. I've gotten burned out. So this year I am learning to say no. I am giving back virtually all of my leadership responsibilities and letting others cultivate their skills in that area. I'm spending more of my time (at least attempting) with God rather than doing things for God. I think if I get some of these things figured out while I'm still single, it will maybe be easier when I have a family to juggle too. Anyway, thanks for sharing. I love reading your blog.
One way to diminish your opportunities to say no is to start cussing. You might get condemned for foul language, but you'll get fewer invites because no one really wants to be around you.
Laughing out loud at Fajita/Chris ... hilarious.
I don't have anything profound to say...just AMEN!!! Satan has a very sneaky way of using guilt to try and divert us from what's really important...
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