HOPE IS THE RUNWAY OF FAITH

 

Tree Through the Seasons

 

When we gaze upon the winter's tree with branches barren of leaf, do we worry that the leaves might not return in spring? 

 

I hardly think so.

 

Even the weakest of the brethren do not have such impotent faith.

 

Why then, do we believers fear that God's promises will not be upheld after the temporary season?

 

Are we not God's children?

 

Does He not want the best for us?

 

Our hearts affirm the answer; it is yes and always.

 

Let us always be steadfast in faith standing firm on the promises of God.

 

The faith of the righteous is assured.

 

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May God Bless You!

Tips to Become a More FIT Church Leader

I have proposed that the term CHURCH FITNESS is a better descriptor than CHURCH HEALTH to describe the state in which we desire to see the church.

(See my article in Churchleaders.com)

A FIT CHURCH must have a FIT PASTOR, but we often see pastors that are stressed and over worked. This is especially true with pastors of churches that have leveled off or are in decline. It is very important for these pastors to be fit and strong.

Fitness has been defined as a set of attributes that people have or achieve that relates to the ability to perform physical activity or the body's ability to function efficiently and effectively in work and leisure activities. Exercise is the primary method for a person to achieve fitness.

Applying this idea to the church as a body, I have defined CHURCH FITNESS as having the life-giving breath of God in its members with the ability of each member to function together effectively toward the fulfillment of its unique God-given mission.

For a church to become FIT, it is necessary for each member to become fit--especially the church leaders. The following activities done daily will increase strength, contribute to the fitness of the whole person, and ultimately increase the effectiveness of the church leader.

1. Do a daily physical activity such as a brisk walk.

2. Do a brain exercise, such as counting to 100, then counting backwards from 100 to 1.

3. Have a positive emotional moment each day by watching an inspirational video or looking a pictures of loved ones.

4. Engage people everyday that you do not already know and shake their hands.

5. Raise your hands and worship God for a period of time each day.

These activities may seem random, but there is an explanation for each one. Exercise is an essential activity for a person to become FIT. When a person exercises, their muscles are strengthened, the ability of the heart to bring the vital oxygen to the rest of the body grows, and the whole body increases its ability to function properly. But physical muscles are not the only areas of a person that needs daily exercise. There are five "muscles" of the body. They are physical muscle, cognitive muscle, emotional muscle, social muscle, and spiritual muscle. Positive activity in each area will strengthen the leaders and give them strength to bring their church into health and fitness.

Activity in each area should be processed through what I call the Philippians 4:8 filter. Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." Therefore, truth, honor, righteousness, purity, loveliness, good repute, excellence, and praise are the standard to which all activities are held.

The first way to become a better church leader is to exercise their physical body.

Engaging in any physical activity increases fitness. Many studies have shown that physical activity helps the body in many positive ways including the prevention of insulin, it reduces the risk of cognitive decline, lowers the risk of strokes, boosts the immune system, and heightens the ability to fight off illnesses such as colds and flu. An inactive lifestyle increases the changes of colon and breast cancer, heart attacks, increases the loss of lean muscle, increased bone loss, increases the feelings of depression and makes weight gain more likely. Many hard working pastors do not have the time or the inclination to exercise daily. However, studies have shown that any amount of physical activity positively affects the body. Find a physical activity that can fit into your daily routine. Something as simple as walking around the block or your building will reap many positive results.

The second way to become a better church leaders is to exercise your brain.

Researchers have done many studies that indicating the legitimacy of brain exercise and its benefits. Brain exercise has been linked to faster thinking, better memory, greater focus, creativity, better listening, and even a better mood. A simple daily activity like counting to 100 and back again to 1, helps focus the brain and builds will power by accomplishing a repetitive task like counting. Besides this activity, there are many brain exercises which bring results. One researcher suggests practicing "mindfulness". Mindfullness is actively paying attention to your immediate surroundings as though you are experiencing it for the first time. Mindfullness helps the brain to process information through all of your senses--how things look, how they sound, how they smell, how they fool. Exercising your brain daily will help you become a better leader.

The third way to become a better church leader is to exercise your emotions.

Pastoring a church, or church work in general, can be very emotional. It is critically, important for the leadership of a church to maintain a positive emotional outlook. Finding an activity such as viewing an emotionally inspiring video, looking through a family photo album or other memorabilia  that brings positive emotional feelings helps the mind, body, and spirit feel better. As human beings, we are emotionally affected by different things. It is important that we have daily positive emotional stimuli and exercise our emotional muscle.

The fourth way to become a better church leader is to interact with people, especially those that we do not know well.

Imagine the impact it might have upon your life and the life of your church if you shook the hand of a stranger every day. This action would necessarily require social interaction with the community each day. This activity exercises the social muscle of the body. Human beings are social beings. Even introverts seek social interaction. I fear that the proliferation of social media on the internet has decreased meaningful face-to-face social interaction. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram makes us feel connected to celebrities and people that we will never meet. We know more about people, but do we really "know" them? There is nothing that can replace the physical connection we have when we shake someone's hand. The face-to-face interaction required by hand-shaking is one of the most effective ways to exercise social muscle.

The fifth way to become a better church leader is to spend dedicated time worshipping God.

The apostle Paul tells us one of the reasons that God's wrath will be poured out on the wicked is that they have exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served created beings rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25). Humans are designed to worship God their creator. The most significant thing we can do as Christians on a daily basis is to worship God. To tell the truth, without worshipping God, everything else seems futile. Worship is exercising spiritual muscle. Other spiritual disciplines are important for spiritual growth, but none are as important as worshipping God.

Exercising our physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and spiritual muscles are the keys to holistic personal fitness.

CHURCH FITNESS relies upon fit leaders.

I want to hear from you. Please leave a comment below about your thoughts on this post or on CHURCH FITNESS in general.

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How to Live With No Regrets

The last thing that we want is to look back over our lives and regret the way that we lived our lives. Bucket lists have become very popular. There are many things that we all would love to do and places that we would like to see, but there never seems to be enough time or money. However, our lives are much more than a collection of experiences. A recent Hospice report lists the five most common regrets from people who are dying.

They are:

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

We are told to dream big, set goals, and succeed in life and many of us (especially males) are driven to do this. What is not always realized-and what the dying know-is that we often lose sight of what is really important and exchange what we aspire to for what is expected.

2. I wish I hadn't worked so hard.

This is one of the most common regrets among men hospice patients. I am sure that these individuals would not suggest that working hard is not important, but my interpretation of this is that we need to balance our work with other important aspects of life. Men too often sacrifice spending time with their family for the sake of work. Let us not make this mistake.

3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.

As I contemplate this regret, I am mindful of all of the people that have touched my life that probably don't know what they mean to me.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

The popularity of social media has made contacting friends and acquaintances from the past much easier; do not neglect this mean of staying in touch

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

I realized some time ago that happiness is a choice. Do not make the mistake of NOT choosing to be happy.

What is NOT listed is as revealing as what IS listed. Notice that specific places and experience do not seem as important to people coming close to the end of their lives.

It is often said that hind-site is 20/20. Looking back is always easier and clearer than looking forward and we cannot change our past, but we can influence our future.

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