Tag: Balance

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Reset Book Review by Jeff Bush

By David Murray

  • Just as a runner must set his pace or he will lose the race, so must we do as Christians. Pastors and ministry workers are getting tired and quitting way too often. 
  • We might say we believe in sovereign grace, but we yell and scream when things don’t go our way in ministry. We must realize it is God that gives the increase. 
  • Not all life or ministry depends on you.
  • Yes, it is better to give than to receive, but if we never receive we will end up drying up.
  • We must learn to slow down and pace ourselves in life and ministry. Not just so that we may live longer, but we will be more joyful, fruitful, and grateful as a result.
  • There are warning lights that are physical (insomnia, being aggravated, etc.), spiritual (still preaching or teaching, but not getting anything from it, not being touched by sermons from others, etc.), marital, mental, etc. Pay attention to these warnings. 
  • If you don’t slow down, God might slow you down.
  • God is a God of order, not of confusion, and we should live orderly lives. 
  • If you do not prioritize your life, someone else will prioritize it for you.
  • To prioritize life, we should break things up into four categories: definitely do, desire to do, delay to do, and don’t do.
  • We must learn to prune in areas. Instead of making a millimeter of progress in a million areas, it would be better to make much progress in a few areas. 
  • We must learn to say no to the nonessential so that we can say yes to the essentials. Learn to say a slow yes and a quick, no.
  • What we eat affects our mood. 
  • What energizes one person does not necessarily energize another person.
  • Replenishment is supposed to be for every day, not for once or twice a year when you get away from everything.
  • Our parenting as fathers should represent well the Fatherhood of our God.
  • Contentment in ministry is secret to longevity in ministry.
  • Sometimes God lets His children go through the wilderness university, and once broken and taught, can use us greater.  
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Planting a Church Without Losing Your Soul: Book Review by Jeff Bush

By Tim Morey 

  • Spiritual competencies are as important, if not more, as other competencies.
  • You as the pastor are not meant to hold all of the church problems. If you try to do what only God can do, you will live anxious and exhausted. Be the Pastor and let God be God.
  • When Elijah was discouraged, God spoke to him about the physical: food, water, and sleep. The physical is connected to the spiritual.
  • Overeating and unhealthy eating is common for those in ministry, but it is not good.
  • Don’t wait until you break. Let God and others help you with your emotional needs.
  • Many church planters started a church, hoping for the story of someone else, but God might want to write your story differently.
  • God doesn’t always meet us in the way we want or expect, but He does always meet us how we need.
  • The number one problem of pastors is isolation.
  • The main thing you will give your congregation is the person you become – Dallas Willard 
  • Church planters become professionals at “winging it.” The problem is you cannot “wing” your spiritual life.
  • The church’s strengths and weaknesses mirror the pastors strengths and weaknesses.
  • Suffering contains the seeds for success.
  • Church planters often have a mixture of confidence and self-doubt. Humility is needed.
  • Suffering keeps me humble and aware of the things I do not know.
  • We fear suffering, but we should probably fear more the absence of suffering.
  • It seems in 2 Corinthians 12 that Paul’s greatest asset was his greatest weakness – and that very likely could be the case with each of us.
  • Are you able to embrace the difficulties as a gift from God? 
  • Without suffering, how could we develop empathy – helping people in an understanding way.
  • Power without love is reckless and abusive. Love without power is sentimental and anemic.
  • According to a survey at Duke University, 43% of US churches run less than 50 people. Another 24% are between 50-100 people. 21% are between 100–200 people. 10% are between 250-1000 people. And 2% are 1000 or more.
  • A study from Harvard Institute for religion says the median size of a church in the US is 80 people. Only half of 1% of churches in the US are mega churches (2,000 plus people). 
  • We should focus more on making big Christians instead of trying to make big churches.
  • We must move from being superheroes to equippers.
  • If you as the pastor are doing the bulk of ministry, you are doing it wrong. Ephesians 4 teaches that the pastor is to equip others, not just do all the work.
  • Teaching others to do what you do means you don’t get to be the hero. 
  • Before we deal with difficult people, we must face the issues with the man in the mirror.
  • If you lose your family, you lose your ministry as well.
  • Do you want your kids to grow up loving church or hating church? Do you want your spouse to be thankful they married someone in the ministry, or regret it?
  • To succeed in church and fail in your family is to fail.
  • As a church planter, you will likely not have as much money as the people in your church, but you do have more power over your schedule than others do. You can use this to your strength to make sure you have time for your family.
  • Most church planters feel like they can’t get away, but a healthy church needs their pastor to be absent so they can learn to take care of areas. Your family and your church need you to get away.