preparing for impact
i often feel like the guy at the circus who spins a couple of plates on his fingers, and before you know it he is spinning plates on his feet, nose and wherever else he can find a bit of room. i was thinking about this question today: how can i accomplish all i sense God wanting me to accomplish with a sense of peace and joy and godly priorities?for me, the answer is preparation. spiritual, emotional and physical preparation. early in my ministry i just used to go, go, go. i hardly took a day off, or a vacation. that is really bad. someone once told me, you don't need to take a day off after all the devil never takes a day off. but a wiser person posed a question: who are you trying to imitate, God or the devil?
God, of course took a day of rest, and so in time i finally have learned the vital practice of taking one day off a week. for me it tends to be thursdays. i don't talk ministry, take calls or do anything work related. i sleep until i wake up and do things that help bring physical, emotional and spiritual stength back. in engage in things that emotional recharge me, spiritually refuel me and physically refresh me.
the other thing that helps me move forward, though i have many objectives, is to take the first part of everyday to study, exercise, and other soul and body enrichment exercises. then i take time to plan my year, month, week and day with God. planning enables me to accomplish so much more. the balance of planning and flexibility can be seen in the proverb "a man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." i plan and remain flexible for the leading of the holy spirit.
those are some ways in which i prepare myself to be effective in life and ministry.
posted by J.R. Woodward @ 5:06 PM
2 Comments:
thanks for posting this, jr. i really needed to be reminded of that need for preparation this week. i know how to prep for exams and presentations, but too often i fail to adequately prepare for other work that god has for me to do each day. thanks again.
JR. This is Tim Borseth (tim@rockisu.com)
Brother, could you send me the notes you have on the message you gave at the Emerging Leaders time about 2 years ago on the topic of this world's system.
I wanted to use some of it in a message this Sunday.
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