ZonderFann

i got a copy of rev magazine in my box today and as i paged through it i saw a page devoted to burnout in women’s minsitry.  it listed some of the top reasons women burnout in ministry, but these can be applicable to men and women alike:

• lack of communication
• not enough delegation
• unclear vision
• mixed up priorities
• lack of encouragement

the page also offers 5 ways to “burn-proof” your minsitry.  the first one was to pray.  in reading anne jackson’s book, mad church disease: overcoming the burnout epidemic as well as wayne cordeiro’s leading on empty, prayer is vital to your life as not only a minister, but a christian.  obvious, right?  well, maybe i’m alone on this, but when i am overcommitted, misunderstood, de-energized, and have clouded vision, prayer is forgotten about.  

in reality, all else should be forgotten about.  wayne cordeiro says “i needed God to quiet every voice but his own.”  when i communicate well and often with kate, we click.  when i don’t, we don’t just not click, we break.  anne jackson says in mad church disease,

“God knows us even more intimately than our spouces do.  and he designed us to express our deepest thoughts and longings to him…when we break away from prayer, whether we consciously realize it or not, we’re also breaking away from our natural design to talk and listen to our Creator.  and without that line of communication flowing in both directions, we’ll begin to burn out.”

take some extra time to pray today, allow that line of communication flow between you and your Maker.  and just like with your spouse, you don’t even have to always be saying something to communicate.  just be with Him.