Clergy Myth-Buster

This is a re-print from an article I have recently read, slightly (very slightly) modified ... 

Few understand the stress and emotional pain experienced by clergy.  Current research suggests that, when compared to the general public, pastors are more at risk for a variety of health concerns, including burnout, depression and chronic illness. Adding to many pastors’ distress is the notion that they should not have clay feet. Parishioners, unfortunately, share this misconception. As a result, pastors are the least likely of any group to seek professional help before a problem evolves into a major crisis.
Crises are like cancers: both evolve in stages and, without proper treatment, can destroy lives. The goal is to catch a  problem in Stage 1, when it is small and confined to one area of one's life, and then provide treatment to prevent the problem from metastasizing into a major crisis.
Many pastors are aware when they have Stage 1 problems but are very reluctant to seek help. With the support and help of parishioners and close friends also in ministry, the clergy can discard the “no clay feet” myth and be encouraged to seek help early.   Parishioners are not the only ones who need help through periods of crisis and despair... clergy do too.
As one writer states so well, “The real miracle is not to walk on water, but to walk on Earth.” The purpose and commitment of anyone who has a heart for those in ministry is to help the clergy become better at walking on Earth, and by doing so you can help him/her become better servants to the people of God.
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self-love... speaks only one language
true-love... is bilingual
and an even greater love is multi-lingual,
demonstrating u can love (value) yourself,
love (value) another,
and love (value) others;
this is how I envision perfect love

Little Man

My little (and first) grandson Nolan hit the 3-month-old mark on Feb. 7th, Tuesday of this week.  He gives me GREAT joy, and as I look at so many other grandparents like my sisters DJ and Charlene, and my friends Bruce and Martha, who have recently had grandbabies I know that all grandparents feel the way about their grandchildren that I feel about mine.
When our Jonathan and Nathan were little they had the most AMAZING grandparents in my mother and in Ron's mother and father.  There was something ESPECIALLY special about the relationship they shared with Ron's father "Hoss" ... I SOoooo wish he were still here with us to continue to be a part of their lives and a part of little Nolan's.  I know that Nolan and Nolan's little cousin Aubrianna would have given him tremendous joy.

I got to have little man with me this morning as I was in the church kitchen cooking for our volunteers ... he seems
very happy when he's with us in the kitchen, taking in all the sights and smells of a good meal being prepared among and with friends.  After breakfast I took him into my office with me while I pulled the music for Sunday service and listened to some of my favorites on Itunes ... he LOVES LOVES LOVES music and gets his happy on when the music starts playing.  When I sit at my piano and play and begin to sing, he smiles HUGE and tries his very best to sing along with me ... he is just so precious.  I know that music is gonna impact his life as he grows even as it has mine and his father's.

God loves children ... may we all do everything that we can to ensure that ALL of God's little children are cared for and loved as God himself loves us, and may we enjoy EVERY MINUTE we have with them and NEVER be guilty of hurting them in any way.  May we only ever be a blessing to them as God entrusts them into our care.

Now I'm off to the auditorium to play the piano and make some music with my sweet little grandson before I take him back to his daddy ...  I'm a blessed mother and "Nana".

It never fails ...

You wanna do something more to position yourself for God's blessing and God's favor?
You wanna talk to God about your heart's desires for your children, for your family?
You wanna start a small group / life group for continued Christian growth?
You wanna write music to glorify God that will capture the heart of the listener and move them to a greater awareness of Him?
You wanna read your Bible more ... and shake off things that dull your senses to God?
You wanna lead a church to a place of spiritual growth like never before?

Believe this ... WHEN you do those things ... when you even BEGIN doing those things, Satan will FIGHT with all his demon power to resist you.  He will bring tension to your life in ways you cannot even understand.  I know this first-hand. 

And I also know this ... the prize is worth the fight, so I'm in ... so BRING IT.  I will not be idle, I will not sit down ... I will take up the challenge to be more Christ-like and will do all that I can to never let sin feel "normal" around me or in me.   I want my heart to be a dwelling-place for God's Holy Spirit and I will take steps to liberate myself from things of this world, things that hold me back, in order that I may again find true liberty in Christ.

So ... would you pray for me?  And would you pray for your Pastor?  We both have a heart to do God's work ... and also carry heavy burdens about which we do not often talk.  God knows ... and He knows our hearts to do His will.  

Quiet, but not without opinions

I am a relatively quiet person (some of you are already laughing, and I can give you, that, but in the very least I am MUCH quieter than I use to be),   often holding most of my thoughts inside of myself ... that, admittedly, is a two-edged sword.  It does pay to be quiet, and yet there are times when things need to be said.  It's like, pick your battles, or decide what is worth really going to the mat over.

I don't have any close friends who are strongly and openly opinionated - my personality is just not conducive to close friendships with people with that characteristic - my anxiety level goes through the roof and migraines occur when I spend too much time around such persons.   I often do not give voice to my opinions though it means I sometimes really struggle to keep them inside my own head without letting them drive me crazy.

I really am not at ease around people who strongly assert their opinions liberally and without restraint.   Nearly every day I hear things about which my mind is forming strong opinions, but I will not give voice to those opinions unless I decide with absolute certainty that my opinion merits me opening my mouth.  The truth is, nearly every person has opinions about things, and it is equally true that every person will form their own opinions, often based on their unique life experiences, and I can respect that.  If you want to know my opinion, just ask, and I'd welcome the opportunity to dialogue with you about commonly shared interests.   And know this ... I can love & respect people even if my opinion is different than theirs.

Some will form opinions about my position on this subject, but I choose this:  as much as is within me to do so, live at peace with everyone.
(Romans 12:18)

Wide Open Spaces ....

I just returned from another trip w/my father to Gainesville for doctors' visits ... and as is our habit, we left a day early to give them a full day of rest & rejuvenation at a river house before we spend the long day at multiple doctors offices ... my very dear friends own the river house and it sets on the banks of the Suwannee River about 45 minutes NW of Gainesville.  It's very quiet and peaceful there.

Every time I exit the interstate there in Live Oak and begin the 30 mile descent south to the river house, driving through wide-open-spaces and litter-free/traffic-free country roads, I begin to feel months of accumulated anxiety slip away from me.   It never fails ...  I feel myself beginning to relax and breathe deeper, more evenly, more naturally.  I absolutely, positively, feel better in wide-open spaces.

One thing I LOVE about the quiet, slow pace at the river house, and in the country in general, is that I feel more in tune with God and feel more at peace with myself.  I find I can focus better and have a greater desire to dive deeper into God's word with evening bible reads and quiet morning bible reads as well.  It's like I actually HEAR God when I'm there at the river reading His word, and His word feels more alive to me there.

Those who know me best probably already know the reason for this ... I am somewhat A.D.D. and in order for me to "get it" I must be in a quiet, still, peaceful place; otherwise, what I'm trying to read, hear, or understand is lost on me ... it vanishes very quickly, as quickly I try to digest it it slips away from me ... UNLESS I am digesting it in a quiet, calm place of no distractions.

I'm glad to be home, but also my heart longs for quieter days ... I long for quieter times and quieter places to feel closer to God.  I think I'm a country girl at heart ....