Take time to sit at His feet.

I came across the following quote from Dr. Heidi A. Campbell who is a professor of communications at Texas A&M University.

She is known for her work in digital religion and studies related to religion and new media, and has published 11 books on these themes including; When Religion Meets New Media, Playing with Religion in Digital Games, Ecclesiology for a Digital Church and Networked Theology: Negotiating Faith in Digital Culture.

“Church leaders & pastors are weary from the constant problem-solving of pandemic-pushed changes to church practice. They are overwhelmed with managing the expectation of different populations in their congregation, both those who resisted the technology transition and called for a quick return to offline worship and digital natives who felt churches lacked creativity and interactivity in their online offerings. Amidst sharing their interest in exploring what the church’s new relationship with technology should be post-pandemic, there is a tone of frustration, exhaustion, and in some cases, disillusionment with the culture that the church has created. The reality is many religious leaders are, or are on the edge of burnout.”

Unfortunately, it would seem that many of us are feeling as if we are drowning under the pressure of ministry life and find it hard to keep our heads above the water.

As noted in a post I wrote a few weeks ago, the Barna pastor’s report which looks into the well-being of pastors shows that in the United States many are on the brink of burnout and nearly two in five pastors have considered quitting full-time ministry.

Carey Nieuwhof also acknowledges that “burnout seems to be an epidemic in ministry leadership. In fact, there are more than a few of you who know you are right on the edge of the cliff you could so easily fall off of.” Carey has experienced burnout in ministry and provides nine insights that he identified as he went through it:

1. Your motivation has faded.
2. Your main emotion is ‘numbness’.
3. People drain you.
4. Little things make you disproportionately angry.
5. You’re becoming cynical.
6. Your productivity is dropping.
7. You’re self-medicating.
8. You don’t laugh anymore.
9. Sleep and time off no longer refuel you.

Read Carey’s post to get a fuller understanding of each of these steps.

If you’ve identified with just a few of these insights then it may just be a sign that you are tired.

However, if you identify with most, or all of them, then you may be on the cusp of burnout (or at least experiencing the signs of brownout) and it’d pay to seek immediate professional help – either through a doctor and/or a trained Christian counselor.

Now, for those of you that are wondering what brownout is – Brownout is becoming more widely recognised as a phase of burnout. It is characterized by; being lethargic at work, being disengaged with what you are doing and what you used to enjoy doing, becoming stuck in a certain routine and not seemingly wanting to break away from it, or coming up with ways of changing one’s circumstances, and/or a loss of interest in coming up with new solutions that would benefit both yourself and your employer.

So, how can we prevent brownout / burnout?

Take regular breaks, exercising (preferably outside), keep a healthy diet, get plenty of sleep, pursue a hobby, practice self-care, set boundaries, manage your time and priorities, delegate the lesser tasks that you have, assess you workspace and ensure that it is comfortable, connect with others and get support, and rest.

I don’t mean just taking a day off here or there when you can fit it in to your already busy schedule. I’m talking about truly resting! Unplugging the phone, tablet or computer and disengaging from “the Kingdom of noise” in everyday ministry life, I touched on that here.

You see, pastors, church and ministry leaders, and officers often give, and give, and give – until they can’t give any more, then they crash and burn.

I’m pretty sure that God doesn’t want that for any of us!

Throughout the scriptures He calls for each and every one of us to refrain from striving to achieve this and that, instead calling us to come and sit at his feet.

The classic scriptural example of this is found in the story of Mary & Martha. Martha is busily doing all the work of preparation and comes to the point of utter frustration, calling out to Jesus – she asks “can you get Mary to come and give me a hand?” (refer to Luke 10:38-42).

As a parent I can relate to this – on multiple occasions throughout my life, Annette has been busy getting stuff done after coming home from a busy day at work and shouts out to get the attention of someone else in the house to give her a hand. I cringe to think of the many times that I have ignored her pleas for help in the past, these days I am getting better 🙂

Now, admittedly there are times when we need to get the myriad of tasks completed around the house, otherwise we’d all be living in squalor or would not have anything to eat (afterall someone has to get it or prepare the raw ingredients into something worth eating).

And that’s not to say that things don’t need to get done and sometimes on a deadline – if you cook something too long it can spoil or burn, the dishes need to get washed and the rubbish needs to go out etc.

But how often can we fill our time doing, doing, doing – that we forget that we need to spend time being and enjoying what we have. And even in those quiet moments we end up filling them with numerous other distractions.

The thing is, if we don’t do these things it can breed a level of resentment in our lives. However, we need to slow down and take time to be with our Lord and Saviour – to sit at His feet and just be. We need to sit at His feet and grab a hold of what only He can give us – Rest!

Is that easy? Absolutely not!

There is always something vying for our attention, as mentioned before there are a myriad of distractions that we can fill our time with – But we need to be intentional about being in His presence.

This week I pray that you find the time to nourish your soul, to fill your tank, to throw off the things that so easily bind us. That we can be refreshed, re-energised and renewed by the power of God to influence our mind.

For God wants us to be in His presence and cast off the issues of this world for a time and rest at His feet.

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3 Constant Truths for A Constantly Changing World

The following post originally featured on the Brentwood Baptist Church blog, who have multiple campuses across Tennessee in the US and was written by Sarah Caskey.

I have reposted it here as amongst all the change and upheaval that we are facing in our world today, it is extremely helpful to be reminded of assurance we have in God that; He never changes, what we experience in our lives doesn’t change His love for us, and change brings refinement and opportunities our way.

This is something that I am constantly aware of, as I’ve had to adjust multiple aspects of my life over the past few months and years as I come to grips with an autoimmune disease (Scleroderma) that has turned my world upside down just a tad.

There is an element within me that calls out in amongst all the other noise, reminding me to embrace the change that I am having to go through. Even though it may be hard, frustrating, upsetting and a struggle at times, my life continues to be an example and an inspiration to others that are journeying through life, facing similar challenges than I am. Many of which are searching for support and encouragement to continue fighting the battles that we are each faced with.

Thankfully, God is the strength that I have come to rely on and continues to astound me in ways that I could never have imagined 🙂

Sarah writes: Whether on a grand scale or just within the pieces of our own personal lives, we have all felt the effects of change. But even in the midst of isolation, grief, lack of control, or fear of the unknown, there are constants to cling to amidst our storms. So here are 3 constant truths for a constantly changing world.

1. Our God never changes.

God in His infinite wholeness and goodness continues to remain steadfast. This truth is difficult for us to process in a world where tensions run high and our circumstances seem to waver with the wind. Yet the Scriptures are full of the meditations of God’s people proclaiming His consistency amidst the world’s – and our own – lack thereof. James 1:17 (Christian Standard Bible) reminds us that He is “the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” Our God is sovereignly in control and remains with us while the world seems to spin wildly and uncertainly on. The immutability of God is a truth we can cling to when change is imminent.

2. The changes we experience do not change God’s love.

Because our God doesn’t change, His affections for His people don’t change, either. This means that our identity and security are eternally linked to the God who has provided salvation for us through Christ. Even though we continually find ourselves amidst chaotic and tumultuous circumstances, His love endures and continues to remain steadfast.

Isaiah 43:1 declares God’s heeding and promises to His people. Though life’s fires and floods approach, He reminds them, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine.”

To “alter” is to enact a partial change that still preserves someone or something’s initial identity. We can rest in knowing that these experiences will serve to alter us more into the image of the Son.

We are being held in the hands of a God who never changes and who has secured our identities as His own, forever unchanged. God’s unchanging character extends unchanging love towards His people.

3. The change we experience brings refinement.

One synonym for the word “change” is “refinement.” The Word of God is full of references to Him as a refining fire. 1 Peter 1:7 writes that – in the midst of difficult, change-ridden circumstances “the genuineness of your faith – more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire.” We can hold tightly to the truth that the legitimacy of our faith is strengthened as we endure these difficult times of unforeseen upheaval. We can know that the end result is God’s glory as He uses all things for good, never wasting an opportunity for us to draw nearer.

On the other hand, the opposite of change can be stagnation: to remain unchanged, unaffected, and unresponsive.

The Lord’s unwavering hand is at work in the midst of what we can only perceive to be chaos. Yet our stagnation impacts our ability to truly see His faithfulness in our midst.

We can trust that He is still orchestrating meaning when the madness is all that we can see.

As we gravitate towards new unknowns, we can remember that our unknowns have already been made known to the Lord. There is no circumstance that He has not already navigated beforehand. His unchanging character extends unchanging love that will result in the changing of our hearts more into the image of His Son. The end result is glory to His name and our hearts drawn nearer. Though we don’t have the answers, we do have an anchor: our God remains unchanged and is beckoning us – amidst all our confusion and consternation – into His immense sovereignty to find our rest.

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Reminiscing

View of the Acropolis from the Carpark

It’s hard to imagine that 3 years ago today Annette & I had landed in Athens in Greece and were taking in the panoramic views of the city from our hotel and enjoying soaking in a rooftop swimming pool as we overlooked the Acropolis.

We were privileged to be a part of the Footsteps of Paul tour, taking in the sights and sounds of parts of Greece, the Mediterranean and Anatolia (modern-day Turkey).

Scripture has definitely taken on new meaning to us both since we visited the ancient communities where the Apostle Paul established the early church – and to whom he penned his epistles to the Thessalonians, Philippians, Corinthians, Colossians and Ephesians.

As part of my daily prayer routine which involves the Lectio 365 App, a free daily devotional resource that helps you pray the Bible every day, I was reminded a couple of days ago of the challenges that Christians within this Biblically historical place face each day. 

Today, only 0.2% of the population of Asia Minor, which is roughly what we now know as Turkey are Christians, and it isn’t easy for them to practise their faith.

The Apostle Peter also wrote to the believers living across the region of Asia Minor, who were suffering persecution because of their faith in Jesus. In 1 Peter 3:17-18 he writes; “For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.” (New International Version – UK)

The thing is, being a Christian doesn’t give us a free pass to avoid suffering, or an instant solution to it. It doesn’t stop bad things from happening to us. We will feel pain, we’ll grieve the loss of those that we love. We may even experience hostility and possibly violence because of our faith (hopefully not).

But we’ll do none of this alone, according to the Apostle Peter, because Christ brings us to the God who suffers, who comforts us, and ultimately delivers us.

Earlier in his letter Peter wrote that we “were called [to this life in Christ], because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” 

1 Peter 2:21 (New International Version)

Over the next couple of weeks I’ll no doubt be reminiscing about my time there three years ago (which I blogged about starting here), not realising then what was instore for Annette and I as we journeyed through a number of trials and tribulations both in ministry and personally.

So, to close, I’d like to share a prayer for the people of Turkey that was a part of the Lectio 365 devotional; 

Lord Jesus, I pray for my sisters and brothers in Turkey – protect them, and give them strength and courage to share their faith with others.

For those that Annette & I met along the way may our time together have been a blessing and through our interactions with them may they have seen more of Christ than of us.

As I think about them now I am reminded of the struggles that they have to contend with on a daily basis and pray that you will continue to look out for them and protect them in these challenging days.

Lord Jesus, I surrender my suffering and my struggling to You. I’d much prefer an easier life, but I trust You in the times and the places where things aren’t easy. Let Your will be done, and Your kingdom come, in me and through me. Amen

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World Mental Health Day

The following information was originally posted on today’s Lectio 365 daily devotional resource that helps me pray through the Bible every day.

May I encourage you each to check it out @ 24-7 Prayer where you can download it via the App Store or Play Store.

In part this is a bit of a follow up to today’s Word of Encouragement post as today is World Mental Health Day (Saturday 10 October).

World Mental Health Day was started in 1992 by a man called Richard Hunter, who at the time was the Deputy Secretary General of the World Federation for Mental Health. Over nearly thirty years, it has helped to raise awareness around the world and mobilise efforts in support of mental health.

The arrival of Covid-19 earlier this year, and the months of disruption, isolation and uncertainty since then have been hard for everyone, but they have been particularly dark and difficult for people who suffer with their mental health.

On their website, the World Health Organisation (WHO) writes: “This year’s World Mental Health Day comes at a time when our daily lives have changed considerably as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The past few months have brought many challenges:

• for health-care workers, providing care in difficult circumstances, going to work fearful of bringing Covid-19 home with them;
• for school pupils, adapting to taking classes from home, with little contact with teachers and friends, and anxious about their futures;
• for workers whose livelihoods are threatened;
• for the vast number of people caught in poverty or in fragile humanitarian settings with extremely limited protection from Covid-19;
• and for people with mental health conditions, many experiencing even greater social isolation than before.

And this is to say nothing of managing the grief of losing a loved one, sometimes without being able to say goodbye.” (World Mental Health Day)

How have these challenges affected me over the past few months?

Pressures with work. Health concerns. Isolation from friends. Anxiety about the future. Grief and trauma.

In spite of the fact that much has been done to raise awareness of, and reduce the stigma around, mental health, it’s still not easy to talk about this stuff sometimes. (Especially for guys) It’s easier for me to hold and hide everything inside, to respond with, ‘I’m fine’, when a friend asks how I’m doing, and to pretend that I’m OK. But it’s not a god thing to do.

“Our mental health is just like our physical health,” says the charity MIND, “everybody has it and we need to take care of it.”   

Imagine standing in front of a mirror for a moment and asking yourself ‘How are you doing?’ Are you holding or hiding anything inside?

According to the World Health Organisation, ‘half of all mental illness begins by the age of 14, but most cases go undetected and untreated.’

Many children and young people suffer in silence with anxiety and depression. 

In these days of uncertainty and constant change, where things are less than stable and our lives could be turned upside down through the actions of one or two that have very little regard for others. 

We need to be constantly on our guard, encouraging and building others up – as we don’t know the journey that other people are on, unless we get alongside them and share in a coffee and a chat. 

Here in New Zealand we set aside a week each year to raise awareness around Mental Health (I posted about it here) and yet, we still have one of the highest suicide rates in the world for young people – So there is so much more that we can do in this space, to not only raise awareness, but also be a safe haven for those affected by mental health issues. 

Your harsh, brash or reckless words could be enough to cause someone to start self-harming, they could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and leads a person down a darkened corridor that they feel that they cannot escape from.

That is why the words of Solomon to his son David are so important for us to take on board in this day and age; as our words (and our actions) can either bring ‘Life & Hope‘ or they can completely annihilate us. 

Refer also to Proverbs 18:8 and Proverbs 26:22 and many more verses that relate to our words and actions here.

The thing is if we are carriers of the light, we need to set aside everything that hinders people from experiencing the light that shines through the darkest recesses of our thoughts and shed love, peace, grace and mercy upon all those that we come in contact with – the merest smile that we show to another person can literally change how they are feeling about themselves and their day. 

It is hard to believe that a little over a month ago we also celebrated here in New Zealand Random Acts of Kindness Day (I posted about that here) – Just maybe we need to revisit this each and every day so that we can be true ‘followers of The Way’.

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Sunday 27 September – Recap

If you were unable to join us last Sunday at 10:30am in-house, or at 6pm when we hosted ‘Church Online’ on our facebook Wellington City Corps or Wellington Citadel Band pages, you can have a recap of what we covered during our meeting by clicking on the link to our YouTube channel below.

This week we continued our sermon series looking at ‘Heroes of the Faith’ – Looking at people of faith that have had a lasting impact, or influence on our lives; exploring aspects of their faith and characteristics that appeal to the preacher / speaker and why, and how they can relate for each and every one of us as we continue living out our Christian faith.

Our Corps Sergeant Major (CSM) Ross McMillan shared from 1 Peter 1:3-9 where we see the apostle Peter writing to the ‘Believers of The Way’ scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia. Expressing praise to God for He is our Living Hope.

Simon Peter is a strong willed and impulsive disciple who had denied Jesus, but he went on to to be a Spirit filled apostle that would stop at nothing to praise our Father in Heaven, and to glorify the Lord our Saviour, Jesus.

We hope and pray that through the words and music that you hear, and the many talents used in His service to bring this meeting to you each week, that you will be uplifted in your spirit and encouraged as you continue trusting in God and living out your journey of faith. Knowing that through His Holy Spirit He goes with you, He is walking beside you, and He is also preparing a way forward for you.

And for those of you that have stumbled across this site, page or post and may want to know more about the Christian faith and what this can do to impact your life – why not check out the Gospel Message page as we all have a responsibility to share the “Good News” with others especially in today’s world 🙂

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Sunday 27 September

This Sunday 27 September we continue our sermon series looking at ‘Heroes of the Faith’ – Looking at people of faith that have had a lasting impact, or influence on our lives.

Corps Sergeant Major (CSM) Ross McMillan will be sharing from 1 Peter 1:3-9 where we see the apostle Peter writing to the ‘Believers of The Way’ scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia. Expressing praise to God for He is our Living Hope.

Simon Peter is a strong willed and impulsive disciple who had denied Jesus, but he went on to to be a Spirit filled apostle that would stop at nothing to praise our Father in Heaven, and to glorify the Lord our Saviour, Jesus.

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New Zealand’s Covid-19 restrictions around attendance numbers within Wellington and much of the country have been lifted and we are now able to meet in person with very minimal operational requirements, which is a huge answer to prayer for many who have been hanging out to gather together as a collective body of believers.

So if you are in the Inner City of Wellington on Sunday morning why not come and join us @ 10:30am at 92 Vivian Street, Wellington – Limited parking is available on site via 6 Jessie Street.

For those of you that are unable to attend for whatever reason or are wanting to check us out online you can view our ‘Church Online’ Service @ 6pm (NZ Time).

Links will be posted on our Wellington City Corps and Wellington Citadel Band Facebook pages and on this site on Sunday afternoon.

Please share these far and wide amongst your friends, family, social media contacts etc. so that we can continue reaching out with God’s love to those that may need it in these uncertain times, as we endeavour to ‘bring life and hope to the Inner City of Wellington’ and beyond.

This Covid-19 pandemic has forced the church worldwide to ‘reimagine’ what our methodology looks like; at a local level, within the wider New Zealand picture, and also in this ‘online’ space worldwide. This brings with it many challenges and plenty of opportunities, as we seek to be ‘His hands and feet‘ in a world that desperately needs to see the “Life and Hope” that can come through the Message of Christ’s love.

It is our intention that through our musical offerings and the sharing of God’s Word for us in these days, that you would journey with us as we embark on making our services even more accessible in today’s world, and that you would be blessed by them and share that blessing with others.

May God continue to bless you each, and encourage you as we each endeavour to live out our Christian Faith in these unprecedented times 🙂

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