Sources of Burnout

David Yearick, pastor emeritus at Hampton Park Baptist Church in Greenville, SC and former senior pastor of 39 years, shares the most common ways that pastors burn out.

Physical Burnout

• Lack of proper sleep and rest
• Little or no exercise
• Obesity
• Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
• Illness

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Sam Storms on Satan’s Schemes

Sam Storms discusses Satan’s schemes (2 Cor 2:11) and activities with a view to equipping the church to “be aware of them and fully prepared to respond.”

Make no mistake: Satan has a plan. Although sinful, he is not stupid. He does not act haphazardly or without a goal in view. He had “designs” for the church at Corinth and he most surely does for your congregation today as well. In Ephesians 6:11 Paul referred to the “schemes” (lit., methodia, from which we derive our word “method”) of the Devil. He has cunning and wily stratagems not only for the individual believer but also for the corporate body of Christ.

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How to Spend Your Day Off

Colin Adams, Associate Pastor with Charlotte Baptist Chapel in Edinburgh, shares ten guidelines that he tries to follow in spending his days off.

1. Thou shalt not under any circumstances ‘work the job’ on this day.
2. Thou shalt not neglect small and satisfying tasks.
3. Thou shalt not neglect biography and other soul assuaging books.
4. Thou shalt not ignore friends and family but enjoy the company of one’s nearest and dearest.
5. Thou shalt not fail to have unhurried conversation opportunities with one’s wife.
6. Thou shalt not neglect ‘getting away’ from the city for a change of scene and a breath of fresh air.
7. Thou shalt not neglect prayerfully watching over one’s soul and in hearing the Word of God.
8. Thou shalt not fail to give quality attention to one’s children.
9. Thou shalt trust God, who works even while we rest.
10. Thou shalt not blog.

What would you add to or subtract from this list? What do you typically do on your day off?

Read Colin’s whole post at Unashamed Workman.

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How to Kill Sin in Your Life

Pulpit Magazine has a three-part series by John MacArthur on killing sin. He shares helpful, timeless advice that, while not new, is something we need to be reminded of often.

For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. —Romans 8:13

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The Sovereignty of God and Prayer

Matt Weymeyer, pastor of Community Bible Church in Vista, California and graduate of The Master’s Seminary, has contributed a four-part series to Pulpit Magazine entitled “If God Is Sovereign, Why Pray?”

My purpose here is to examine the Bible’s teaching on the sovereignty of God and the prayers of man with the goal of answering the question, “If God is sovereign, why pray?” This will be done by briefly defining what it means that God is sovereign and then by offering five answers to the question of why people should pray.

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Reasons for Hope

Nathan Busenitz of Pulpit Magazine recently finished a six-part series on hoping in God. It was helpful and encouraging—good solid reminders about God that serve to strengthen our hope in Him and His promises.

In short, we can hope in God because of His (1) person, (2) power, (3) plan, (4) past record, and (5) parental care.

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Dealing with Conflict

Reformation21 has a solid article by C. J. Mahaney (Wikipedia | Theopedia) on dealing with relational conflicts. He draws his comments on James 4:1–2 and draws three main points:

1. Conflict Is More Serious Than We Think
2. Conflict Is Simpler to Understand Than We Think
3. Conflict Is Easier to Resolve Than We Think

Here are a few highlights from the article:

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Overcoming the Pleasures of Sin with the Pleasures of God

We often take a very negative approach to fighting sin: don’t lie because it is wrong, or don’t lust because God forbids it. These are true, but don’t go far enough, nor do they represent the fullness of the teaching of Scripture. Furthermore, they often prove ineffective. Our sinful hearts bristle at naked restrictions.

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75% of American Adults Overweight

Maybe not yet, but studies are predicting that this will be the case by 2015. According to Dr. Youfa Yang, who led a team of researchers from Johns Hopkins University,

Obesity is a public health crisis. If the rate of obesity and overweight continues at this pace, by 2015, 75 per cent of adults and nearly 24 per cent of US children and adolescents will be overweight or obese.

The research also predicted that “obesity [will] soon become the leading preventable cause of death in the United States.”

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Coping with Human Role Models

People naturally look to others for cues on fashion, speech, opinions, and whole life full of choices. Whatever decision we have to make, it seems easier when someone else has made it before us. We learn from these people. They teach us how to live life. Many of us come to respect and admire these models.

Christians often struggle with viewing their leaders as superhuman, almost beyond sin. The plain fact is that whoever your role model is, regardless of his position or intelligence, he still struggles with indwelling sin.

We’ve all had to deal with the trauma unleashed when one of these models fails. We’ve all felt hurt, deceived, or angry. If a leader falls that we didn’t particularly favor, maybe we even feel validated.

Christian leaders seem to fall the hardest. Their job is to preach and teach against sin, yet they inevitably give way to temptation. When that sin finally becomes public, particularly when it’s hidden or has been improperly dealt with, the world around them seems to implode. Their ministry is questioned, their accomplishments, even their religion. The problems in personal life casts a shadow across every context they live in.

Then the media digs in. Journalists spread the news, and the blogging aftermath lasts for weeks. Everyone has an opinion, everyone has a soapbox. The leader typically becomes either a martyr or a criminal. When the shine wears off the story, however, the man is soon forgotten.

Suzanne Hadley, writing for the Boundless Line, touches on the same topic. Her article highlighted an unusual thought that is too often absent from coverage of public failure. It’s an evidence of grace, thinking in this direction. Humanly speaking, this thought is not default.

Her mind does not tear into the villain, she looks instead toward herself:

. . . probably it hurts the most because it makes you more keenly aware of your own sin and propensity to fail. You think, If that person failed, what is the hope for me?

This attitude is nothing but the dramatic work of God. I’ve been the devastated pupil, I’ve been hurt by failure. I can attest, this thought was not controlling my mind.

If this perspective is so divine, so unnatural, what can we do about it? If this is how we’re programmed, what’s the point in complaining about it?

Suzanne points it out precisely:

The hope is Jesus Christ and the victory He promises. Living under Christ’s control and not becoming entangled in sin is possible. Still, in this world, we all experience moments of failure—some more devastating than others.

and,

It [hope] comes in the form of the truth God tells us about our sinful tendencies and the grace He offers through the all-sufficient sacrifice of His Son.

This thought, the Gospel, should be ruling our minds, dictating our thoughts, our speech, our actions. When we are aware of our own depravity and God’s view of it, we’ll be less tempted to condemn and more amazed by His grace at work in our lives.

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