Ramping up for the busy fall season can be a stressful time. And for us pastors, mental health is still a critically underserved area of our overall health. When time seems short and stressful demands are growing, it may seem easiest to push your health and self-care needs to the bottom of the list — but doing this can eventually … Read More
Maximize Your Church by Maximizing Your Systems
We all use systems to help us accomplish our objectives every day. Think about the system you have for getting dressed in the morning. You don’t put on your deodorant until you get out of the shower. You drink your coffee before you brush your teeth. Right? There’s a system to the way you prepare yourself for the day that … Read More
Are YOUR Poor Health Choices Impacting Your Family?
By Steve Reynolds One of the first things I did when I stepped onto the field of living a healthy life was to examine how I was living. I quickly realized that my decisions had not only negatively impacted me but had also negatively impacted my entire family. Because I did most of the cooking and grocery shopping at our … Read More
Mental Wellness: Praying for Yourself
See if you can relate to this scenario. It is five minutes before a big presentation, an important conversation, or a major event, and you find yourself praying, “Oh, God, please be with me here. This is such a big deal, and it really needs to go well. If you would just supernaturally intervene right now, I would be grateful.” … Read More
Finding Your Starting Point to the New You
How do you feel today? Do you feel healthy? Do you feel strong and energetic? How are you doing spiritually? Are you walking in deep relationship with God? How about emotionally and mentally? What is going on in your heart and soul? Are you living out the life God has in store for you, or is that life being sidetracked … Read More
Mental Wellness: Praise God During Times of Stress
Praising God when things are going well is easy, but how quick are you going to praise him when you feel overwhelmed? When your stress level is high, practice praising God for giving you the opportunity to grow. Let the strain you feel be a reminder to worship God for all he is doing in you and through you. As … Read More
Breaking the Cycle of Stress: The Big Sleep
Sometimes the best thing you can do to accomplish more is to get some much-needed rest. That is the idea behind the big sleep—a concept we came across several years ago and have made great use of ever since. Let’s say it is Thursday afternoon. You are trying to pull things together for an upcoming weekend commitment, but because of … Read More
Mental Wellness: Communicating with God
Stop and think about the incredible privilege of prayer for a minute. You have the ability to communicate with God–the author of the world, your Creator–whenever and wherever you want. You don’t have to know a secret code, use any particular phrasing, or go through a priest. You can talk with God anytime. He is ready and willing to … Read More
The Power of Serving: 7 Ways to Change the World
I don’t usually read Forbes magazine, but I can’t keep myself from picking up the yearly edition in which the magazine announces its roll of billionaires. I like to check whether or not I made the list. I know this may surprise you, but I have never seen my name alongside Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. Before I became a … Read More
Why You Should Never Be Ashamed to Seek Counseling
Never be ashamed to seek Christian counseling. Talking to a professional about the things going on in your life can help you process and deal with your emotions in a healthy way. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing so. In fact, there are many benefits. Several years ago, before my son was born, Kelley and I went through … Read More