April 4th, 2009
Caged Birds Don't Fly (Part 4)
Final thoughts from my vacation about the value of time away.
Thought #5: It gives me greater traction in my leadership and communication.
I liken this to driving a car on ice or snow. When you start to spin the tires, you’ve got to let up on the gas in order to reestablish traction. The same is true in life, leadership, ministry, etc. By getting off the treadmill of my daily life, I am able to see where I’ve been spinning my wheels and wasting my effort. Then, as I reenter my daily life, I’m able to get a renewed traction toward my ultimate purpose and values.
Thought #6: It restores and refreshes my passion…for life, love, ministry, and people.
For example: Roxann and I have been married for 30 years as of this June. I love her supremely. But, our relationship can get a bit lost and unintentionally distant in the midst of our busyness. (Note: My secret to being able to invest so much time in ministry is found in the fact that Roxann is as much a ministry-aholic as I am.) Vacation allows us to remember what great friends we are; how much we enjoy being together (hasn’t changed since college); how we’re enough for each other, etc.
The same is true in every area of life. The routine and busyness can begin to rob us of our passion. This can also creep into our spiritual lives and passion for God. It’s a miserable and dangerous place to live. Getting away can cure us of this kind of passionless living.
Here’s the reality. Initially, it’s very difficult for me to pull away from my daily life. But, once away for a time, it becomes tough for me to come back. Of course, either one (work or vacation) out of balance becomes negative. The key is to find the healthy balance for you and be true to it.
Thought #7: It brings great value to the church.
- By allowing the team to stand on it’s own and be celebrated for their contribution
- By Allowing the church to be exposed to God’s work through different people, personalities, etc.
It is vitally important to the health of a church to see, understand, and know that the church is more than the senior pastor and/or a couple of highly visible and talented key players. It’s one thing for them to hear it said. It’s another for them to experience the reality. By taking some time away, I allow this to happen.
- It allows us to discover, develop, and experience gifted communicators.
I can’t tell you how hard it is to find communicators who can capture and keep the hearts and attention of thousands of people while moving them to understand and act on God’s truth. Many don’t have the gifting or ability. Those who do have a hard time getting the opportunities and experiences required for developing their gifts and abilities. By taking time away from teaching, I am able to provide the opportunity for this to happen.
- It allows the church to get the best of me.
The reason for this is obvious…“Caged Birds Don’t Fly.”
Because of my driven nature, I haven’t done a great job on establishing appropriate and consistent time away in the past. And, I honestly think that I’ve robbed God, my family, my ministry, and myself as a result. It’s my prayer that I’ll learn and practice a good balance on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis in the future.
I’d love your thoughts while I go back to resting and thinking.
Reading My Kindle 2 in Paradise
Categorized: Leadership |
kev
Good insight! It is easy for me to get lost-in-the-hustle when my life is managed by my calendar. It is only with the greatest of efforts that am I (from-time-to-time …) able to ‘get in front of my calendar’, managing the beast instead of being ruled by it. Calendars are easily driven by living up to the expectations of ‘others’ rather than by narrow purpose …
Andrew Harbison
The analogy is perfect. Thats what makes you an awesome pastor though. Life is like hitting a patch of ice. Sometimes you just need to easy off the gas to get a grip on things.
Joe Horenkamp
Brad,
You said:
“And, I honestly think that I’ve robbed God, my family, my ministry, and myself as a result. It’s my prayer that I’ll learn and practice a good balance on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis in the future.”
Don’t be so hard on yourself, and your prayer seems to be working.
I mentioned to Kevin Valentine once, that when he steps to the podium the next time he speaks, to stop for 10 seconds, look at the 3000 people before you, and know that you are MAKING A DIFFERENCE!
Cheerrs, Joe
Jenna
I have so enjoyed reading your blog. It’s such an encouragement to me along with the Northridge audio podcasts. I am living and teaching English in Taiwan so it is nice to be able to listen and read the talks at Northridge. I’m 20 years old and am experiencing God as my best friend. I appreciate the time you put into sharing your heart. God bless.
Dave
The madness started a few years ago for me, I had to write everything down in my calendar or I would forget half the stuff I wanted to do.To be honest, none of it was turning out very well. I finally figured out that I wasn’t forgeting things but I just was trying to do to much. Focus and priorities are on the top of my prayer list for myself this year.
kel
Just an observation. We as the church, your flock, HIS flock. . . . benefit immensely from your time away. We love that you are our pastor. And I think that the your time away refreshes you and Rox. It really fires you up and allows GOD to use you much more. And at the same time it allows us to remember that; we do not attend BradRidge but GOD’s church and allows us to refocus on who he is as well.
Thank you so much for allowing GOD to use you and for not watering down who HE is and what HIS word says. That in and of itself is amazing. Peace.
Marcus Winston
You wrote: “I’ve robbed God, my family, my ministry, and myself as a result.”
That’s a pretty serious charge unless you were just engaging in self-pity or false humility.
That means all the years you & your wife were wallowing in ” ministry-aholicism” again, YOUR words, you were ministering as someone who was ROBBING GOD & your family.
You’ve got a lot of fans who will rush to your defense and that speaks well of you. But ask YOURSELF this…what were you really ministering if while you were ‘ministering’ you were stealing from both God and your family what they had a right to have?
And how can you in good conscience tell others to put God first and family second when it turns out, that for so long…
…You were doing neither?
Marcus Winston
UMich
Debbi Carmody
Pastor Brad:
I’ve been perusing your website today. I’m a prodigal. A prodigal female reverand. It’s been five years since my last church membership…and I believe the reason I left was to get away on vacation to heal from all that happened. I just never thought that five years would pass, and here is where I turn up…. and this is where I decide to tell my story…
So much had occured, a beautiful marriage (I thought) gone to another woman, a bright hope for a future in the church as elders and teachers. A masters degree in Theology, a beautiful Florida home with a great big income, lot’s of friends, conferences, seminary in two schools,services, preaching to women in different countries,opportunities, great prophetic words,and then…crash. It all ended.
The church no longer needed me as a single woman in a leadership role. The reason, my husband must have left me due to rebellion, why else would he have chosen another woman, they reasoned? They had me step down. I was defrocked, no longer would the title reverend grace my name…. I would need time they said. And time there has been.
So much time that I have managed to find my own way once again…Loving God forever in my heart, yet experiencing rejection on an even deeper plain, from the very church I had come to love and serve… I never dreamed that I would walk away after all that brought me to Christ and His church in the first place.
So,the years have passed and been full of events, my Father died in 2007 and I moved back from Washington State to Plymouth-where I am originally from to be near him and pray for his salvation. Six months after his death, my born again cousin was shot by her x-husband who in turn shot her employer, and then himself. The powerful ministry the Lord allowed me to be a part of with the families was more than I could ever imagine to deal with.
I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of a CPE program at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, what a touching didactics program they have, and serving in the emergency room was like evangelism on the front lines…
And now, today, I reflect and read and see your congregation loving you —and you as transparent and fresh as the forgiveness the Lord bestows to us all. God has given you the talent to reach those of us who have experienced deep spiritual abuse.
I will not take any more of your time here, but I thank you for all your time and the thoughts you place here on the pages of your web site. Keep going on vacation,You just never know who might be reading.