May '09 Our Diverse Community

Let’s be honest from the start: Have you ever been at a place in your life where nothing seems to work? You know that place where your daily routine has become as predictable and dull as the moon’s surface. Somehow you feel like you’re trapped in a bubble. Allow me to offer you an example from my life; it just may mirror your own.

I have been working at one of the fastest growing churches in America. It’s been a great privilege to minister to hurting people, teach the saints, heal the sick, restore broken relationships, etc. However, lately the drag and monotony of the ministry has increased in my life. I need a personal breakthrough of some kind. I know I sound like I am complaining, but I have to make my points clear so you can appreciate the rest of this article. You see for the past fifteen years my life has been consigned to one location, the church. What I mean is that most of my friends are people who either attend the church or are employed by it. I personally put in fifty hours or more each week, and for my spiritual nurturing, guess where I attend? You got it. In other words, it seems my whole world is wrapped around one place. This is the bubble I am referring to. To add to this, I have also been going through some personal transitions such as experiencing the empty nest syndrome, some personal, long standing challenges with a family member, and the middle-age blues, better known to men as mid-life crises. I know what you’re thinking at this point, “Would someone please give this guy a vacation.” At this point I don’t need a vacation. What I need is therapy, preferably on one of the beaches of the Caribbean islands, sipping on a virgin margarita.

These challenges and transitions are real life issues contributing to what I hail as the “Bubble Effect.” My question is, what actions can one adopt to break out of this bubble? The first person I thought about was Jesus. How did he manage himself during his ministry time on earth? Can you imagine the demand that people put upon Jesus’ time? At the same time it seemed that Jesus was able to manage himself and his ministry quite well, and lead others to new dimensions of spiritual vitality. I don’t know about you but I want to know his secrets for staying fresh, productive=2 0and fruitful during times of great demand in his ministry. So what’s the solution? I have researched some of the strategies that Jesus employed to revitalize himself and his ministry. The following five principles are rejuvenating strategies for personal breakthrough.

Bursting the Bubble: Rejuvenating Strategies for Breakthrough

1. Jesus prioritized a lifestyle of prayer and fasting

A daily and personal connection with God was the single, and most important aspect that kept Jesus from experie ncing burnout and stress. Prayerlessness opens the door to significant burnout because you begin to depend more on your own strength and ability to produce results that can only be produced by spiritual means. Prayer is crucial to our survival, without it we weaken and spiral into spiritual lethargy. Prayer is about connection, and staying connected with the Master is crucial for survival, not to mention personal revival.

What is fasting, besides a neglected spiritual discipline in our day? The main purpose of a fast is to kill the desires of the fleshly nature. You know that part of you that demands more of the unregenerate nature, rather than the things of God. Jesus said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.” (John 6:63 NKJV) The Holy Spirit rejuvenates body, soul and spirit while the flesh zaps vital energy in all three areas. So what nature currently rules over your life, the flesh or the Spirit?

Prayer and fasting are spiritual disciplines that bring the flesh into subjection, at the same time replenish and reignite our spiritual v itality to produce supernatural results, without all the hassle, and striving that leads to burnout.

2. Jesus took periodic retreats

Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
(Luke 5:15, 16 NIV)

A time came in Jesus’ ministry where the crowds demanded more of his life. His strategy to avoid being trapped in the bubble was to withdraw from the demand of needy people. It’s interesting to note that the scriptures never allude to a scheduled day of the week that Jesus took off. On many occasions he worked on the Sabbath by healing the infirmed. Instead Jesus took periodic retreats whenever he felt tired or needed spiritual nourishment. It was during these sporadic retreats he rejuvenated his vigor and strength.

During my “bubble effect” experience I was fortunate enough to have a caring and compassionate pastor/employer who recommended a 30-day leave of absence, so I could get away to recover my passions and recalibrate my sanity. It was to be a time to connect with God, and replenish spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. When I spoke about my situation to another pastor, he simply remarked, “I am surprised you didn’t take a leave of absence after five years of service.” Time away from the need to minister to people is not a sin. As a matter of fact it’s too often neglected among pastors and church leaders. Somehow pastors feel guilty of leaving the sheep, thinking perhaps the wolves will devour them. You see the way to advance is to take periodic retreats. To retreat is to spend time in solitude, to reconnect with God at a deeper level, and to renew one’s sense of purpose and pers on.

As I write this article I am almost through with my 30-day leave of absence. It has been a time of renewal away from the daily grind of the ministry. I can’t believe I waited so long to do take such a substantial retreat.

3. Jesus spent considerable time with the lost

The Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” (Luke 15:2 NIV)

For some time I have shared with my wife and friends my personal diagnosis of the Bubble Effect. I knew I needed a change in perspective or personal transformation, but how? So many times those who give spiritual advice can’t seem to find any for themselves. I needed to find an outlet somewhere outside of this “bubble.” Jesus found his niche among “sinners.” He spent considerable time around them. It was the religious crowd, the Sadducees and Pharisees, who created most of the problems for him. Jesus was refreshed when he was around the unchurched or those who were short-circuited by a Pharisaic religious mindset.

There is something about the lost that refreshes me. During the first four years of my ministry experience I coached my son’s Little League team. I enjoyed every moment with him but I soon discovered that spending time with the “unchurched” refreshed me in ways that regular churchgoers could not. Being around the lost reminded me of my calling and mission, and kept me focused on the right priorities. Don’t misinterpret me I love ministering to my church family. However, at the time I knew I needed something new and different in my life. I needed to seek out20and make friends among the unrepentant. I need to go back and find my place among them, like Jesus did.

4. Jesus was energized and engaged by purpose

I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is whyI was sent. (Luke 4:43 NIV)

Purpose, to me, gives our life meaning and ignites our motivation to change things in a chaotic world that is going in the wrong direction. Jesus had a purpose and it drove him to the cross of shame on Calvary’s mountain. He became the sacrificial Lamb of God, and our gracious Savior. There are three significant offerings that purpose contributed to Jesus’ life:

a. Jesus deeply felt his purpose

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost. (Luke 19:10 NIV)

Jesus not only felt his purpose deeply, he often vocalized his mission statement. He was not sent to the sacred but to the sinner, the lost sheep of Israel. He often made this public knowledge and openly demonstrated it by loving the unlovable, healing the sick, etc. Jesus knew his purpose in life. He was driven by it all the way to the cross.

b. Jesus was fueled by purpose

“My food,” sa id Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”
(John 4:34 NIV)

What is the purpose of food? It’s to provide nourishment to fuel our body to exert energy for optimum output. Jesus’ food, however, was simply to do the will of his Father in heaven. He was determined to complete the mission assigned to him, and his final words on the cross of shame where simply “It is finished.” God’s agenda gave Jesus purpose and fueled him each day until he fulfilled all the purposes of his life.

c. Jesus passionately forecasted his purpose

I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent. (Luke 4:43NKJV)

We can learn a valuable principle from this passage of scripture. You must learn to forecast your purpose over, and over, and over again, and not be ashamed of it. If you are embarrassed of your purpose in life then it is not an authentic design for your life. Purpose gives us a cause; something worth fighting and sacrificing20for. The apostle Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel.” Therefore, he was not embarrassed of Jesus and his message. Paul proclaimed Jesus’ gospel passionately throughout his entire life. Paul, like Jesus, ignited the passions of his generation as he forecasted, followed and finished the purposes for his life.

5. Catharsis: Jesus released pent up emotions in a healthy way

And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. (Luke 22:44 NIV)

Jesus wept. (John 11:35 NIV)

From these passages of scripture we can deduct that Jesus released his emotions in a healthy way. He did not hold back tears in times of deep personal loss, nor did he hide his intense feelings in the garden. One of the keys to staying sound in ministry seems to be the healthy release of emotions. Jesus understood this. He employed the principle of catharsis.

Catharsis is a term that simply means emotional cleansing or purging. Dictionary.com defines catharsis as: [Brackets mine]

1. The purging of the emotions or relieving of emotional tensions, esp. through certain kinds of art, like tragedy or music, etc. [Jesus enjoyed nature, and often took retreats alone. At one point he relieved tension by overturning tables, and chasing the moneychangers away from the Temple.]

2. Psychotherapy that encourages or permits the discharge of pent-up, socially unacceptable affects. [We can go to counseling, pray and seek repentance.]

3. The discharge of pent-up emotions so as to result in the alleviation of symptoms or the permanent relief of the condition. [Jesus confessed his struggle in the garden, and exercised regularly by walking long distances.]

Emotional management is so crucial in today’s chaotic world. We can manage our emotions by proactively dealing with the issues of the heart. Emotions are powerful, if not managed correctly contribute to lethargy, soul and mind depletion, which are contributors to our demise. God shows us throughout scripture that the “issues of the heart” have to be dealt with in an appropriate and expeditious manner. The heart is where all the issues of life flow; good or bad. The condition of our heart establishes the quality of our life. The book of wisdom gives us advice on this issue:

Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:23 NKJV)

If you can manage your emotions properly you have what is called self-mastery, the ability to govern yourself. In other words, you are able to control yourself from talking foolishly, and hurting those you love with your words and actions. A daily purging (repentance) and cleansing (forgiving and receiving forgiveness) of the issues pent up in our heart will relieve stress and reduce burnout significantly. You see unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, envy, and jealousy, if left festering in our hearts produces what I call drag. Allow for an example, drag is like carrying extra weight on your shoulders, and you know what extra weight does, it slows you down and depletes your energy20and stamina. Imagine a marathon runner carrying a backpack with twenty-five extra pounds on his shoulder. How far do you think he will go with that extra weight? Can he compete with others who are not carrying a loaded backpack? The answers are obvious.

Catharsis is simply a way of taking care of the emotional side of your life. It is the process of letting go, and venting in a healthy way the pent up issues stored up in the heart that poison the soul, rendering you ineffective. Has catharsis been part of your strategy to stay sane? You may want to consider it before its too late.