Time To Go…

Today is the last installment of writing about Building Below the Waterline by Gordon MacDonald.  It has been a blast doing with with Bill Grandi from  Cycleguy’s Spin and Michael Perkins from The Handwritten.

Now on to the post.  I had worked for ten years at an inpatient Drug and Alcohol facility.  I started out by going through patients luggage to make sure they were not bringing in contraband and making sure people were staying in their rooms. Through the years I worked my way to second shift, then I was trained and promoted to Experiential Therapist, and I eventually was promoted to Adolescent Addiction Counselor.  I worked in that position for several years and then one day my supervisor told me that I could not make any more per hour or be promoted any more because I did not have a degree. You see,  I had left college with nine hours remaining and planed to take care of those right away but procrastination and never got a round to it.

Now for four years while I was working as a counselor, I was also a part time Youth Pastor (for the record – there is no such thing as a part time Pastor) in my first church ministry position.  The first couple of years at the church I had a pastor whom loved me and poured himself in me and helped me grow as a Pastor and a man.  Then we went a year without a pastor as he left to take another position closer to his home and more in line with his giftedness.  The church then called a pastor whom I did not see eye to eye with in many areas which pushed me to begin to search out what I was to do.  I knew the one thing, I was not to do was to make a big deal about my problems with the pastor with the whole church because I knew that it could cause a split in the church or even splinter it.

My wife and I took a vacation away to the beach with some friends seek God on what to do with the church.  The answer we got at the time was to stay.  We stayed there six more months and during that time we really then we prayed again about what to do.  Then we got an answer because that was when I was told by my supervisor that I could not move any further in the facility.  My wife and I both knew that it was God telling us that it was time to go.  During those six month of prayer and seeking God, He began to work on me about the need to finish my degree and began to give me a vision about furthering my education even more.  I applied to go back to the school that I had the remain hours from – which was five hours away – and I got accepted.  They had a graduate program I was interested in and for my wife and I this was all confirmation  that we were to leave this first church to go on to finish my degree and then head on to seminary.

This then leads in the book today – MacDonald in the book talks about eight signals that it is time to leave your church when you are a pastor (pages 243 – 248):

1. Incompatibility – simply and inability for the Pastor and congregation to get on the same page.
2. Immobility – this is where there is really no sense of direction and the knowledge that fresh leadership will bring it.
3. Organizational Transition – Organization reaches a growth point where a new kind of leadership becomes necessary.
4. Stagnancy – Pastors do not think they can no longer personally develop or develop in leadership in their present circumstance.
5. Fatigue – No renewing for the Pastor – they feel like they are always on spiritually/psychologically/ and physically.
6. Family Morale – where the situation is harmful for the spouse and/or children.
7. Closings and openings – Simply with great prayer/ advising/ and counsel the Pastor sees that they are at the point of conclusion.
8. The Age Factor – The Pastor can no longer keep up with the pace and demands of the position they are in.

When it comes to my leaving the church I would say that I would have fallen into the seventh one on this list.  We sought through prayer and counsel and simply saw that we were at the point of conclusion at the church I was serving in. Some of the reasons were because I had several teens who were graduating and so it made it a good time to leave. Another reason was that I was not seeing eye to eye with the vision and direction of the Pastor and really things were pretty tough with the church.

Something else to go with this is that I was actually at the point of conclusion with my full time job as well.  God was moving us as a family both spiritually and physically and making us pretty uncomfortable.  God was moving us five hours from most of our family.  We were as a family leaving many comforts of life for us.  I was leaving a job that I had done very well at.  My wife was leaving her family really for the first time.  We were taking a risk and trusting God.  There were many changes where were headed too.  My wife was going to have to work and she had been a stay at home mom for the past few years.  My daughter was going to have to do day care which she had never done.  I was going to be working full time and taking a full load of classes.  It was a rough and tough time for us but it was a time of growing and that is what it always is when God says it is time to go.

For all of us, we need to listen closely to hear God say it is time to go….

Have you ever left a job or ministry position?  How did you deal with it?  What was the biggest struggle in your leaving?  Did you enjoy this series by myself and the others?

This post is a part of the blogging on  the book Building Below the Waterline by Gordon MacDonald with two of the best bloggers out there – Bill Grandi from  Cycleguy’s Spin and Michael Perkins from The Handwritten .  We are sharing each Wednesday our thoughts from 2 chapters,  which means you will be able to see how God will l speak to us as individuals and then you if you read all three blogs you will see how God then weaves what we write all together.  I pray your are encouraged by the blogs.

The Ministry Sweet Spot

In Gordon MacDonald’s book Building Below the Waterline he writes a chapter called Ministry’s Sweet Spot.  In this chapter he writes about he and his wife Gail started a program that they called LDI: Leadership/Discipleship Initiative.  It is a program that they developed years ago that is still going strong and it is about finding and developing leaders.  It is about accelerating spiritual growth in these people.  It is about developing  people into those who love one another as Jesus loves us.  It is to have people who demonstrate what it means to feel called and gifted, and to discover that there is no greater joy  than to be caught up in God’s purposes. (page 219)

Now these people were/are  hand picked by Gordon and Gail.  They are those that they believe to be teachable and who ask good questions and who go out of their way to grow spiritually.  They are those with essential social skills and who have great respect for others and are not argumentative or abrasive.  They are people who do not sit for an entire evening and do not say anything but they are people who will mix it up with others.  It is a process that even after people are picked, it is so grueling that people   They pick twenty and about twelve will agree and along the way they will lose a couple because of the intenseness of the program. (pages 221-222)

They begin their process in September and they start by teaching them to read analytically.  They teach people how to not jump to conclusions and how to push themselves to learn and to draw conclusions only after they are finished reading.   After they learn this, they move onto the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and they help people learn about themselves and the differences between people.  They study spiritual disciplines, biblical characters, and spiritual giftedness.  The process of learning these things is done by modeling and by group discovery and not by lecture.  One of the last things they do in the year long process is share their story – triumphs and testing – they are to share their whole story.  After their story, the group members are able to ask questions and then finally they lay hands on them and pray for them which last at least thirty minutes. (pages 223 –224)

For MacDonald leading and teaching this program was his sweet spot in ministry.  It is the place where he feel most alive and doing his best ministry.  I began to think about what I would call my ministry sweet spot.  To be honest right now I think my sweet spot would be….well…. I am not sure. So I sit here and think…….. I love to prepare and preach messages but I also love the personal interactions with people through ministry – visiting in homes and hospitals and getting to know people and seeing Jesus work in people’s lives.  So as I sit here and think, I believe that I would have to say that Pastoring as a whole would be the sweet spot right now because I love to minster to people and see people grow in His grace and knowledge and that comes through preaching and ministering relationally with people.

Let me ask you – what would you say would be your sweet spot?  Have you ever been in an intensive program like this one?

 This post is a part of the blogging on  the book Building Below the Waterline by Gordon MacDonald with two of the best bloggers out there – Bill Grandi from  Cycleguy’s Spin and Michael Perkins from The Handwritten .  We are sharing each Wednesday our thoughts from 2 chapters,  which means you will be able to see how God will l speak to us as individuals and then you if you read all three blogs you will see how God then weaves what we write all together.  I pray your are encouraged by the blogs.

Disappearing Act

What would happen if you did not show up for work for ten days and during that time you would just go and do something completely different from what you normally do?  Gordon MacDonald in his book Building Below the Waterline  tells of a friend who was a college president who would do this very thing.  He would work as a shoe shiner, at a railway station or at fast food restaurant.  Why would he do this?  “Because in my line of executive work, it’s easy to lose touch  with the larger, very real world of common people.  And once a leader loses that touch, a growing ineffectiveness seeps in.  You forget where the action in life is centered.” (Page 198)

MacDonald does a good job of showing that we as pastors need  to know that people do not eat, sleep, and breathe church like we do.  People live everyday trying to get by in life and do not think about church – they are certainly thinking about God but church is another story – it does not cross their minds.  MacDonald goes on to tell how he used to show up at people’s work to visit with them and see what they did.  He talked about how appreciative people would be but more than that it gave him a real glimpse into their everyday life and would give him avenues to talk with people about their life.  He talks about how now pastors have classy offices where they expect people to come to and make appointments to visit and get counsel. (Pages 199-201)

There are several thoughts I have here.  One is that I have study that I spend time in each week and it is good for being quiet and me preparing at times but sometimes it just keeps me away from people which I do not like at all.  Now with this understand that I live in a rural area where it can be a little hard to go to work with some people because they work so far away.  One of the the things that I do is go and sit at the local mom and pop convenience store where all the old men sit when the weather is nice and some of them are church members and some of them are not.  I sit with them on occasion and when I have it has made a real difference with me and with those I sit with and visit with. 

I also do something a little different to get out of the church and with others and it might not make too much sense to some but here we have a hunting club.  For the seven weeks of deer season, men (some who are church members and some who are not) gather every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday to hunt together.  We get there and talk and laugh and share then hunt and then gather back up on ‘the hunt club path” to talk about what we saw and what happened.  It has been a real time of ministry and opportunity to share with others and see them outside the church. 

These are a couple of the areas that I disappear to be with people who are living their everyday  life away from the church,  These are a couple of the areas that I find connection with people who are members and find connection with people who are not.  These are a couple of the areas that I find fresh ideas and realize that for people their lives do not center around church like mind does.

If you could get away and do something different for 10 days – what would you do?  Where is your favorite place to get away and connect with people outside of church and work?

This post is a part of the blogging on  the book Building Below the Waterline by Gordon MacDonald with two of the best bloggers out there – Bill Grandi from  Cycleguy’s Spin and Michael Perkins from The Handwritten .  We are sharing each Wednesday our thoughts from 2 chapters,  which means you will be able to see how God will l speak to us as individuals and then you if you read all three blogs you will see how God then weaves what we write all together.  I pray your are encouraged by the blogs.

Soul-Deep!

In Gordon MacDonald’s Building Below the Waterline he talks about Soul-deep preaching (pages 163-172).  Soul-deep preaching is called “Anointed” or “Sprit -filled” preaching by others as they reflect on the origin of the preaching power (164).  He talks about how soul-deep preaching produces conversion or brave new actions – things that only come from God and His Spirit working.  Anyone of us who are called to speak the Word of God desire times when we have the power of the Spirit come and conversion happen and people making decisions that have eternal impact and make choices that will change their lives and others lives positively for all eternity.

This chapter has me thinking about my style of preaching and preparation and wondering about if it is soul deep or not.  Here is one thing that I have learned and is that there are all different ways of doing preparation and all different styles and that no one way is the “right” or “anointed” way when it comes to preaching style or preparations. 

Now there are are other things that MacDonald covers here that are important when soul-deep preaching.  First is that it is an “act of God”.  There is not a technique or a mechanic that produces a soul-deep message.  It can come from a scholar or an uneducated man because is is an act of God.  The person does matter though according to MacDonald – an I agree – because personal holiness is an issue that makes a difference on if God will act.

Soul-deep preaching affects people in their daily lives and as MacDonald says it does not “teach people to survive only in the protected cage of the church and among Christianized people”.  Soul-deep preachers are ones who preach with passion.  He then goes on to talk about those times when God for whatever reason chooses to really crack through hardened hearts and they happen only when it is covered in the non-negotiable and that is prayer.  I firmly believe and MacDonald does too, that any message that is soul-deep begins with prayer.

Soul-deep preaching produces repentance, a deep love for Jesus, and causes the listener to image how when they go out the door from the church and then how they can make difference and serve Jesus in a powerful way.  Soul-deep preaching is remembered and lived out beyond Sunday.

MacDonald ends with a quote that really sums this up for me and one that I find powerful.  It is a quote by founder of the Quaker Movement and a man who was said to truly be a soul-deep preacher.

“I took people to Jesus Christ and left them there.” – George Fox

This quote I think sums up my passion for preaching.  I want to be know as a preacher who takes people to Jesus and leaves them there.  This is my aim every time I am privileged to stand up and share the Word of God.

Who preached a soul-deep sermon that you heard and what it about?  If you are a Pastor – have you ever had a message be soul-deep?  What were the results that were seen from it?

This post is a part of the blogging on  the book Building Below the Waterline by Gordon MacDonald with two of the best bloggers out there – Bill Grandi from  Cycleguy’s Spin and Michael Perkins from The Handwritten .  We are sharing each Wednesday our thoughts from 2 chapters,  which means you will be able to see how God will l speak to us as individuals and then you if you read all three blogs you will see how God then weaves what we write all together.  I pray your are encouraged by the blogs.

“The Hard Stuff”

Have you ever had to say “the hard stuff” to someone?  You know the stuff I am talking about – the painful things that people do not want to hear but the things that must be said.

In Gordon MacDonald’s book Building Below the Waterline he talks about Pastors saying the hard stuff.  This chapter is one of the greats in the book because it talks about something that you do not learn about in seminary or bible college or really anything that is talked about too much in life in general but that is needed.  MacDonald talks about people pleasers which he was one back when he was a young pastor and was too sensitive to hear “the hard stuff”.  He also talks about a time when he shared “the hard stuff” in a message without doing his homework.  MacDonald then goes on to  talk about how Paul had to say some pretty “hard stuff” to say to the church in Corinth.  He then goes on to then say that the if you are going to say “the hard stuff” you have to be on sold ground.  He ends the chapter with a story about when he had to say some pretty “hard stuff” directly to a congregation.

When I think of saying “the hard stuff”,  I will many times in my mind go back to when I worked in the counseling field and had to say some pretty hard stuff to people but really that was part of the job.  Then my mind bounces to my years of ministry and looking into the eyes of people and having to say some pretty “hard words”.   I have also preached some messages with some pretty “hard stuff” in them.  It is never easy to share the “hard stuff” whether it is in counseling, ministry, or in preaching.

One time – many years ago – I had to say some of the hardest stuff I ever had to say especially to parents.  I was a young Youth Pastor and was being mentored by a Senior Pastor who was more than just a boss but a real friend.  He is a good and godly man and I have great respect for him because of how he taught me to deal with “the hard stuff”.  When I shared with him in our weekly mentoring meeting  something that I overheard at a youth group event he said we needed to do hard thing which was that we needed to talk to the parent of the one it was said about as soon as possible.  We prayed together about and the then he called the parents and set up a meeting with them.  The next day I went with the Pastor to the house of the teen and met with the parents and had to tell them that I have heard that their child was involved in a horrendous sin.  We then talked directly to the teen and let them know what was being said and the teen denied it that day.  Sad thing is about 6 months later they told their parents it was true and walk away from God to a lifestyle that broke their parents heart. 

Saying “the hard stuff” is never easy and so in order to be able to say it  I think we would do well to follow the advice given by MacDonald in the book (pages 149 and 150).  First is get your facts straight and ask if “the hard stuff” really needs to be said.  Second is have a deep prayer life that is operating out of love and not one to punish.  Third is making sure that it is being said with deep affection and priestly concern for the person.  Lastly, make sure that when you are saying “the hard stuff” that you are not under the same judgment.

So how do you handle saying “the hard stuff” to people?  What is the hardest thing you ever had to say to someone?

This post is a part of the blogging on  the book Building Below the Waterline by Gordon MacDonald with two of the best bloggers out there – Bill Grandi from  Cycleguy’s Spin and Michael Perkins from The Handwritten .  We are sharing each Wednesday our thoughts from 2 chapters,  which means you will be able to see how God will l speak to us as individuals and then you if you read all three blogs you will see how God then weaves what we write all together.  I pray your are encouraged by the blogs.

The 3.A.M. Phone Call

In Gordon MacDonlad’s book Building Below the Waterline he talks about getting that 3.A.M. phone call as a pastor.  In thinking about that, it caused me to think of a pretty personal story about my own 3.A.M. phone call.  This phone call has changed me for life in a positive way even in the midst of tragedy.

Many years ago I was leading a small group in my home and a new couple from the church came the first night of a new group.  They had a 5 year old son and an 11 month old daughter.  A couple days after that first meeting in our home I got word that the 11 month old was very ill and in the hospital.  So when I heard that, I went to the hospital to find that the baby was being transferred to John Hopkins.  I saw the mom long enough to pray a very quick prayer and told her I would meet her at Hopkins.  I got to Hopkins and once they finally got the baby stabilized I got to go in the room and talk with and pray with the parents. There was, as you can imagine, a whole bunch of family members showing up at the hospital.  I stayed with them late into the evening and then we found out for sure what the diagnosis was – it was spinal meningitis.

With that diagnosis and the way things were headed, it was looking bad.  I made the decision with the encouragement of the parents to head home and as I did  I was in pain for these parents.  The next morning I went to the church and picked up another pastor and we went and spent the day with the family.  We were there when someone came out and told them that Dr. Ben Carson was coming to see about putting a shunt in to relieve the pressure on the brain on the little girl.  We all knew that things were looking very bad but there was a sense of hope and possibly that things could be okay over time.

We were told the that the surgery was starting  and  then we saw Dr. Carson not long after the surgery was to have taken place leave.  It was not a good sign.  I and the other pastor had just finished praying with the family when they came out and told the parents that they were to come back to a conference room that a couple of doctors wanted to talk with them.  To my and the other pastor’s surprise the husband and wife asked us to go back with them to talk with the doctor.  It was us, the parents,and their parents waiting for the doctors to come in and talk and from my past experience, this was not good at all.  Then two young doctors came in the room with stern looks on their faces – a male and female came in.  Their faces soften and with tears in their eyes and  as gentle as possible they told the parents that the surgery was cut short by Dr. Carson because the baby was brain dead.  The pressure that built in here brain caused her to have seizures and then a stroke – she would not live much longer.

It was one of the most painful moments for those parents and I had no idea what to say.  A lesson I had learned in a tragedy of a child dying not too long before this was that when I do know what to say, I simply say nothing.  I hugged them and cried with them and when the time was right prayed with them and their entire family.

The baby, although she was brain dead, was still living.  The doctors had gently described to the parents that she would slowly get weaker and weaker and eventually pass away.  We stayed with the parents and whole family for several hours more when the parents did one of the most unselfish things.  This was when they pulled us aside, they told us that we needed to leave.  They said, “you two have young families, go home, hug your kids and be with them and when we need you, we will call”.  I told them to call me no matter the hour – that we would be there for them.  At 3 o’clock that morning – which was about 5 hours later  – I got a call asking me to come back to the hospital that the baby was not expected to last much longer.  I called the other pastors and the three of us drove down to Hopkiins.

We got there and the baby was in a large bay that the hospital had moved all the other children out of.  The baby was hooked up to all kind of monitors and so forth.  Then in her sensitive way, the mother asked if the baby could be unhooked from everything so that she could hold her one last time.  The doctors and nurses were so great and they unhooked the baby and allowed the mom to hold the baby. The whole family gathered in the room and she sat in a rocking chair and we all sang children’s songs.  We sang “Jesus Loves Me” for the second time and when we finished the Doctor who was in the room with us looked at the mom with tears in his eyes and said, “she is gone”.  It was painful and beautiful all at the same time.  The parents then asked all three of us pastors in the room to pray with them.  We did and later we left changed by all that had happened.

Sometimes shepherding a flock can be painful.  Sometimes shepherding a flock you will have no words but you just need to be there with them.  Sometimes the 3.A.M. phone call is just as life changing for you as it is for the one making the call.  I can honestly say that I have been changed for the positive by this experience.

Have you ever got a 3A.M. phone call?  Have did you respond to it?

This post is a part of the blogging on  the book Building Below the Waterline by Gordon MacDonald with two of the best bloggers out there – Bill Grandi from  Cycleguy’s Spin and Michael Perkins from The Handwritten .  We are sharing each Wednesday our thoughts from 2 chapters,  which means you will be able to see how God will l speak to us as individuals and then you if you read all three blogs you will see how God then weaves what we write all together.  I pray your are encouraged by the blogs.

Public Prayer

I remember this prayer  pretty clearly.  It was years ago at the start of a trustee board meeting in a church where  I was an associate Pastor.  The chairman of the board looked at a board member ( there were 16 of them) and he said “Eric would you open us up in prayer?”  Eric looked at the chairman in a funny manor, a few moment of silence and then stammered out an “ok”.   I did not have a good feeling at this point and then Eric prayed.

God…..I ask the you ….guys I am not good at this whole praying (He then got encouragement from the men in the room and then continued)….I ask that you help us guys here tonight to ummmm…….(silence that seemed to last forever) ……do what it is ummmmmmm ….really I am not good at this at all is there someone else who should pray ( He then got more encouragement from those in the room and contined)….well help us to do what it is you want us to do in here tonight. Ummmm… (then another long period of silence)…guys I do not know what else to say (He was then encouragement to pray for a couple request that were mentioned)…God help the sick people that someone talked about earlier and help those who need you.  How should I end? (He was then just encouragement to just say Amen and then he finished)…well then…Amen.

Some things you might want to know about Eric.  He had been a member of the church for many years before being asked to pray.  At the time he was asked to pray he had been on this board for about a year. I never heard Eric pray out loud again

I have learned some lessons when it comes to public prayers by what I experienced with Eric.

• I have learned to always ask in advance if someone would be willing to pray so that they can agree to pray and know that they are going to be praying.
• I learned that not everyone is confident in their ability to pray out loud regardless how long they have been around the church.
• I learned how gentle the men in the room were because there was no laughing or snickering just encouraging of Eric to continue.
• I learned that public prayers are important regardless of who prays them or where they are prayed.

I also learned some things about myself but before I share that let me share this:  Gordon MacDonald in his book Building Below the Waterline talks about public prayers and specifically the pubic prayers of pastors.  He writes about how important the prayers of the Pastor are in encouraging and helping the congregation.   As a matter of fact, on page 111 he writes about how he see the Pastoral prayer on par with the sermon – that is putting importance on this part of the service.  He breaks the Pastoral  prayer into four parts.

Acknowledging God  – It is all about the congregation being reminded who God is – His attributes and actions.  This part of the Pastoral prayer needs to focus in on at least one aspect of God and our response to Him.  Focus on His Majesty, holiness, kindness, power and allow the congregation to be reminded that God is not sullied by human life. (pages 111-112)

Confession and Forgiveness – It is a confession that we in-fact are sinners as seen by some of our attitudes and actions over the past week against God and then you conclude this with an affirmation of God’s forgiveness for those who are humble in spirit and have a contrite heart. (pages 112-113)

Prayer for Our World – This part of the prayer looks outward at the world and the starvation, disasters, elections, and achievements – the macro events people hear about throughout their week.  All of us need reminding that God cares about and is concerned about his children all throughout the world.  When we do not pray for these things we make the implication that we do not care about what happens in the world.  (pages 113-114)

The Needs of the People – It is where we pray for those who are in trouble and know that they are in trouble.  this would be people in the congregation who have fears of joblessness, or a death in the family, those with illness, parents who are having teen issues, or whatever the need.  What happens in the prayer is that hope is given and authenticity is shared and urgency for the needs of the people is heard.  (pages 114 –115)

Now back to Eric and me.  I learned when Eric prayed that his heartfelt prayer was touching but it also made people really uncomfortable – it made me uncomfortable and others who came to me after the fact.  I heard some of myself in Eric’s prayer.  I found that with me and my Pastoral prayers over the years that they could be very touching but sometimes I could make people uncomfortable because I get very repetitive (not in a good way) and unfocused and bounce around in the prayer. Over the years  I might have prayed smoother prayers than Eric did that day but my content when praying publically has lacked on more than one occasion.  I sometimes actually now write out some prayers ahead and just fill in prayer requests and it really helps with my clarity and focus.  I have worked hard over the years to become better at public praying because it is an important part of the pastoral ministry.

Any thoughts on public prayers?  Pastoral prayers?  What is your favorite prayer from a Movie?

One of my favorite movie prayers is the prayer in Christmas Vacation – make me laugh every time.

This post is a part of the blogging on  the book Building Below the Waterline by Gordon MacDonald with two of the best bloggers out there – Bill Grandi from  Cycleguy’s Spin and Michael Perkins from The Handwritten .  We are sharing each Wednesday our thoughts from 2 chapters,  which means you will be able to see how God will l speak to us as individuals and then you if you read all three blogs you will see how God then weaves what we write all together.  I pray your are encouraged by the blogs.

Alone, Down, Sabbath, and Growth

Time is such an interesting thing – it is for some an enemy and for others it is a friend.  Gordon MacDonlad  in his book Building Below the Waterline writes about time and Spiritual Leaders.  He specifically writes about the down time of leaders which is of utmost importance because for spiritual leaders work and demands upon us  seem to expand to fit all the time that we possess.

This then causes MacDonald to ask this question: What are some of the necessary nonwork times each of us needs? MacDonald talks about four different times and I thought we would take time to look at these four from pages 88 – 92.

Alone-Time

MacDonald writes about how he regularly builds into his life time to be alone whether it is a day alone to walk, sit, or paddle a canoe on a wilderness river.  He writes about how important it is for him to have alone time.  He writes, In the alone times, my mind and inner spirit become once again a fountain of ideas and possibilities.   I am able to catalog the issues with which I am personally struggling, whether they are matters of faith, job, or relationship.

He also adds that family time actually fits into his alone-time.  He considers time alone with his wife to talk and share as part of this time.  He considers meal time with his family as well as part of that alone-time because he knew that he could be alone with his family at meal time.

For me personally – I need my alone time where it is just me and my thoughts.  For me I get this a couple of places.  One is at my study at the church – most of the time I am the only one in the church and it leaves me alone and with my thoughts and God.  I relish this time especially during hard weeks and I can get away to the study to reflect on the struggles and on God.  When it comes to family – I have time each morning before I go to the study that I sit and talk and share with my wife – I cherish this time.  I also love the fact that we eat at the dinner table each night as a family – we talk share and laugh while we eat.

Downtime

Downtimes are those times that come after we have put a high energy out or an intense period of ministry and interacting with people by incessant conversations, decision-making, and advice giving.  He also mentions that we all have season where we have carried people along spiritually and then those things are not there anymore and our minds and spirits need a break.  Downtimes are those times when we feel down and drained and need a break.  He writes that these times come and we need to make sure we schedule pauses in life after them because they are essential for the mind and emotions as a pause is for a person who engages in heavy physical labor.

Anyone who has been in ministry any period of time knows of the downtimes.  For me – this is why I take Monday’s off and rest.  After stressful weekends of ministry I need the rest.  I will also after a period of long ministry without really a break that I will schedule several days where I just get away from ministry by hunting or fishing or going to a movie with my wife.

Sabbath-Time

MacDonald write about this:  Sunday is no Sabbath for a Pastor, or for many in the lay leadership of large congregations….it is a time that amny of us in ministry grow more serious about the genius of the Sabbath experience.  I see Sabbath-time as a more deliberately planned piece of time for silence, reflection, spiritual discovery, and the joyful recounting of past achievements and activities.  Sabbath- time is definitely not a time for catching up on household chores, exhausting recreation, or parties.  Sabbath-time is retreat, withdrawal.  In it, one worships, meditates, and seeks a filled inner spirit.  At its conclusion, one is refreshed.

This for me is the weakest of these areas.  I would say my trip to the Stick conference was a Sabbath-time for me but beyond this I have not had one in quite some time.  I know I need it but fail to schedule it and in it I fail to be as refreshed as I should be.

Growth-time

Growth-time as MacDonald describes it a time when he exercises his body and it is also a time when he exercises his mind.  He tries to learn about new things by reading about them and gain new information.  He also talks about gaining a new hobby in his mid-life and for him it is photography, another friend of his it is bird watching, and another it is antique clock repair.  He writes about growth-time also meaning taking on challenges that stretch one’s imagination.

This is an area where I do some reading on areas that are outside of the norm for me.  I cannot say that I am at a point where I need to take up a new hobby as I love the ones I have and my son and daughter at this point keep me quite active.

So these are the time areas that MacDonlad see as important and quite frankly I see these nonwork times as vitally important in the lives of ministers especially but really for all of us.

What do you think about these four times and which one do you do the best at and which one do you need the most work on?

This post is a part of the blogging on  the book Building Below the Waterline by Gordon MacDonald with two of the best bloggers out there – Bill Grandi from  Cycleguy’s Spin and Michael Perkins from The Handwritten .  We are sharing each Wednesday our thoughts from 2 chapters,  which means you will be able to see how God will l speak to us as individuals and then you if you read all three blogs you will see how God then weaves what we write all together.  I pray your are encouraged by the blogs.

Trust and Leadership

This week in the thoughts on Building Below the Waterline by Gordon MacDonald are in the realm of trust.

On page 71 of his book MacDonald writes this:

One of my theories has been that a leader really does not begin to enjoy leadership “bite” or “traction” that is necessary to get things done until he or she has been leading for about five years.  Therefore, the fifth year and beyond are years where trust is all important because novelty and newness no longer exists.  As my father used to remind me, people will follow you for a while because they picked you.  But they’ll follow you over the long term because they have learned to trust you.

I have been at the church I am at for about 2 and a half years.  I know that there are some who follow me because I am still relatively new and because they have picked me to lead them but I still wonder about the idea of fully trusting me.  Now how do I build trust with them?

MacDonald lists off seven ways he has observed through the years (pages 71, 72):

1. Trust builds with consistency – consistency of message, of vision, and of the management of people.
2. Trust builds with dependability – If you make a promise, do you keep it?
3. Trust builds with openness – In trustworthy people there is an absence of slickness, slogans, and strategies that do not offer the full message.
4. Trust builds with reputation for hard work – There is a sense that the pastor is on top of the job of congregational leadership
5. Trust builds with a belief that the pastor has an impartial pastoral eye for everyone – Treating everyone from the rich to the children to the poor with the same recognition.
6. Trust builds with longevity – The Pastor hangs in for an extended period of time building relationships through ministry (funerals, weddings, baptisms, etc.)
7. Trust builds with an ever-deepening spirit – Congregations want to feel that their pastor fixes his or her eyes on Jesus.

Trust is one of those things in life and ministry that makes such a huge difference.  MacDonald I think hits on it with these seven things I believe.

What are your thoughts on trust?  Why do you trust the leader or leaders of your church?  How do you build trust and what would you add to this list of seven that MacDonald has?

This post is a part of the blogging on  the book Building Below the Waterline by Gordon MacDonald with two of the best bloggers out there – Bill Grandi from  Cycleguy’s Spin and Michael Perkins from The Handwritten .  We are sharing each Wednesday our thoughts from 2 chapters,  which means you will be able to see how God will l speak to us as individuals and then you if you read all three blogs you will see how God then weaves what we write all together.  I pray your are encouraged by the blogs.

Becoming Who I Want to be

Journaling is really helping me and so I need to write something more about it.

As a matter of fact, MacDonald in Building Below The Waterline spends a whole other chapter on journaling and he writes that it was so valuable to him that he wanted to write more about it and so do I. 

There was a great discussion on journaling last week and in the book as I said MacDonald goes back to and he does so because it has had such a profound positive impact in his life and to me I want to come back to it for the very same reason.

I love that MacDonald calls journaling a dialogue with the soul because for me,  I have so found this to be true. He in this section writes a list of journal possibilities that I have found  to be very helpful and so I need to share them with you.  Here he write that when journaling is done regularly that several things become possible:

Once feelings, fears, and dreams are named, they can be dealt with, prayed for, and surrendered to God.  They come under control, no longer existing in a way that pollutes the soul and mind. – page 40

In my near 40 days now – I have found that I am dealing with things and facing them head on like never before.

If I record and reflect on the experiences of each day, I add to my base of wisdom.  Things usually forgotten or lost in the unconscious now, like books on a library shelf, wait to be tapped when parallel moments arise in the future.  Now one has precedents to draw from. -  page 40,41

I am already finding great encouragement going back through and reading what I have written.

Memories of God’s great and gracious acts are preserved.  He talks of Israel building monuments (Exodus 17:14) and then writes; One day, I realized that my journal writing was a memorial to God’s sufficiency. – page 41

Again – in the last month I have gone through some tough situations and I am able to look back and see what God is doing in my life – a powerful reminder.

I chart areas where I need to grow and mature.  As I look at journals form thirty years ago, I have realized I have struggled with the same knot of issues throughout the years.  He then writes, I would not have spotted many of these issues if I would not have written about them day after day. – Page 41

I have not written near long enough for this but I can see the truth in it.

A journal brings dreams alive.  Ideas have flooded my mind over the years, I have written about them.  Putting them into words helped me to discern the foolish ideas and develop the good ones. Many things I’ve done in the last few years had origins I can find in earlier journals. – page 41

Again I have not been doing this long enough for this but I look forward to the day when I can trace a great idea back to when and where God brought it to mind.

Journaling as I said last week is helping me to become the man I desire and the one I see Jesus desiring me to be and it is invaluable in my life.

Let me ask you – what is the one thing that has helped you to grow the most spiritually in the last year and would you suggest others to do it and why?

This post is a part of the blogging on  the book Building Below the Waterline by Gordon MacDonald with two of the best bloggers out there – Bill Grandi from  Cycleguy’s Spin and Michael Perkins from The Handwritten .  We are sharing each Wednesday our thoughts from 2 chapters,  which means you will be able to see how God will l speak to us as individuals and then you if you read all three blogs you will see how God then weaves what we write all together.  I pray your are encouraged by the blogs