We may not often reflect deeply about how our own self-awareness plays a crucial role in the capacity to lead in our various settings.
All tagged self-care
Confessions from the Wilderness
I have been in an unexpected wilderness for the past four weeks, as my depression has stepped out of line for no apparent reason, and is upsetting my routine.
Dispatch from the Contemplative Ministers' Initiative
What matters most is that the ones pointing our churches to the spring of living water, are drinking deeply from it themselves.
Arguing with Brené
Brené Brown and her writing on vulnerability and shame have made waves throughout the West as millions are finding help and healing in her work.
My Final Breakup with Diets
I didn't grow up in the church so when I sauntered in at 19, it was the first time I had ever heard that my body was created in the image of God.
Control Syndrome
When we encounter those situations that we cannot control, instead of getting angry, we should examine why our lack of control troubles us.
Soulitude: Facing the Monsters of Leadership
Community has become such a buzzword in the American church that it seems like the miracle suave for all our ills, and in many ways it is.
Liking to Be Liked
We like to feel like we make a difference, that people appreciate us and know that we are there. I like to be liked … and sometimes that’s a problem.
'Tis Merely a Soul Wound
The danger for a pastor or minister is that their cancers can be buried under a veneer of piety and forced pleasantness, lingering for years, festering in the shadows.
Spiritual Direction, Patience, and A Man Called Ove
Like fiction where the author tells us what each nod or smile means, it is a lovely image! Except, I haven’t experienced it to be true.
Shabbat and Learning to Let Go
God, creator of the universe, stopped to rest. Not because he had to but because he chose to. God took a day off, then he called it holy!
It’s All Who You Know
We only see the attributes of God that are directly named in the Scriptures we study most. And, these views of God are not endearing in their nature. Instead they are distancing, alienating characteristics.
Shhhhh!
There is always a crisis to respond to, but when do we ever tell the world and our minds, "Shhh"?Shut off everything else (or put everything in silent mode). Close your eyes, inhale and exhale deeply and sit in silence.
Reordering Life
Sometimes our discontentment reminds us that we are actually practicing a form of idolatry. We are putting ourselves in the place of God.
Soul Care in the Wilderness: A Preacher’s Journey
I learned how to take care of my soul in the wilderness of small town and small church ministry.
The Discipline of Friendship
Friendship requires trust, openness, and time, which can be difficult for ministers to achieve. People with whom you can be real, open, vulnerable, honest, and forthright with.
January’s Gentle Whisper
New Year’s has become a time to plan to build for ourselves the best year we have ever had. It is important to stop at some point in our ever-moving lives and ask if what we are doing is good.
Reaching Goals and Holding Them Loosely
The New Year is convenient times in my life but I recommend looking at the rhythm of your life and look for the natural breaks or cycles that you are already following.
Treating Depression
Is there a cure for this pain? Is there a way out of this darkness? Is there light that will break through these clouds? Is there hope for a better future? Yes.
Reframing Depression
We must debunk these myths in order to understand depression more fully. Only then can we intervene in ways that will truly be helpful.