Jim Martin's Encouragement Note #102
What feeds your soul? . . . What you've got going for you . . . When we experience transition . . . A minister's dead-end street (especially for ministers/church leaders) . . . Etcetera
(Unsplash - Jeremy Yap)
The List of Five
What Feeds Your Soul?
Imagine this: You wake up tomorrow and it's the perfect morning. The coffee is freshly brewed, the air is crisp, and the day is ahead of you. How do you want to spend these first few hours?
Some might spend this time checking Facebook or Instagram and reading various comments. Or it might be spent looking at various YouTube videos.
Yet there are certain practices which can nourish us at our core. Over time, these practices can leave us feeling grounded, energized, and alive.
In a recent interview with actor Alan Alda, Kate Bowler posed three profound questions:
What feeds you?
What excites you?
What exhausts you?
The following are my responses to these questions.
What feeds you?
Starting the day with coffee, my Bible, and prayer.
Reading a book that is life-giving.
Having conversations with my adult children about life and their hopes and dreams.
What excites you?
Being with my grandchildren and enjoying whatever we might be doing together.
Going out of town with my wife to a place that we will explore.
Laughing with friends, either in person or by phone.
What exhausts you?
Meetings that should have ended an hour ago.
Finding myself in several “emotionally expensive” situations which seem to almost be happening at once.
Being with a person who constantly gripes and complains, often repeating the same complaint again and again.
So I'll ask you - what experiences leave you feeling genuinely replenished? What makes you feel fully alive? What seems to sap your spirit dry?
Perhaps part of that discipline begins with simply being self-aware of what feeds me, what excites me, and what exhausts me. As I look at my upcoming week, being aware of this helps me create a schedule that is more life-giving than life-depleting.
Identifying these are the first steps towards intentional living and prioritizing what will likely contribute to you becoming your very best self.
What You've Got Going For You
She walked into an office building one morning and greeted a co-worker with, “Good morning!” The co-worker replied, “What’s so good about it?”
At times, you and I may begin our day with very low expectations. After all, some of us deal with car troubles, family illnesses, expensive repairs on the washing machine or refrigerator. We have challenges with our adult children.
Yet, in spite of all this, you and I have so much going for us.
1. You have a God who loves you.
2. You have Jesus who desires an intimate relationship with you & wants you to place your trust in him.
3. You have the Holy Spirit who lives in you. He is a constant guide and a source of strength who helps you do what is right.
4. You can talk to God and pour out your heart in prayer.
5. You have the investment of someone who believed in you long ago.
6. You probably have beautiful memories of loved ones, either past or present.
7. You have the opportunity and capacity to learn something each day.
8. You have the daily blessings from God, both those you recognize and those you don't which sustain you through the seasons of your life.
9. You can look into the mirror and see an inner beauty that can't be distorted by age, by sickness, or by someone's mistreatment.
10. You can rest assure that God is for you! (Romans 8:31-39). He is in your corner!
You may have challenges. You've probably known some heartache. You may be anxious. However, know that you have so much going for you!
When We Experience Transition
It was a Saturday. I got into my car with a list of errands and began driving. A few minutes later, I was mindlessly turning into the parking lot of Harding School of Theology (Memphis).
I remember thinking, “Why did I come here?”
Perhaps I mindlessly drove to Harding School of Theology that day because this is what I have doing each weekday morning for the last ten years.
Ten years ago, Charlotte and I moved to Memphis, Tennessee where I began working with Harding School of Theology as vice president. (This is a role which is mostly administration.) This was after almost four decades of serving congregations in Texas, Missouri, and Alabama. Little did I know, that for the next ten years, I would experience an incredibly fulfilling ministry with this opportunity to invest in the next generation of ministers.
Last year, Charlotte and I decided together that for me, ten years of seminary administration was long enough. Since then, the difficult decision was made to close the Memphis campus after 66 years and consolidate with the main campus in Searcy, Arkansas. We will not be moving to Searcy and my time with Harding will end in August of this year.
As you might expect, I am experiencing a mix of emotions. The ending of both my time at HST and closing of the Memphis campus brings about sadness, particularly as working relationships come to a close.
At the same time, I am filled with gratitude for the time with the seminary in Memphis. I look forward to the next chapter of my life, even though there is uncertainty.
I certainly plan to spend more time with our four grandchildren. In some form, I would like to continue to preach, write (this “Encouragement Note”), and encourage. I am uncertain as to what this will look like in the future.
You may be interested to know that I will have more availability to coach one-to-one, either in person or by way of Zoom. A coaching conversation once or twice a month can help you make tremendous progress in various areas of your life.
Specifically, if you feel “stuck” either personally or in your work/ministry, this could be helpful to you. I can also be helpful to you, through these coaching conversations, if you are experiencing a transition in your life or ministry.
This is not just for ministers/church leaders but anyone who reads this “Encouragement Note.” If you are interested, let me know at: jmartin9669@gmail.com.
A Minister’s Dead End Street (Especially for Ministers and Other Church Leaders)
Talk to most any minister. Most of us have been there.
Things are not going well. We hit a wall of frustration. Then we begin blaming.
“If it wasn’t for the elders.”
“If it wasn’t for that one minister.”
“If it wasn’t for that little group in our congregation.”
Perhaps we blame because it provides some relief - even though it may be fleeting.
Jonathan Storment (a minister in Little Rock, Arkansas) recently expressed a harsh reality of ministry. He said, “Blaming feels good and accomplishes nothing.”
When I heard these words, I stopped the podcast and listened to this convicting sentence again.
Wow. I recall seasons of my ministry when I did far too much complaining.
Are there frustrations in ministry? Of course! The question is, “What kind of person am I becoming by the way I handle these frustrations?”
I went through a season of complaining endlessly about the challenges in my ministry. It was like I was trapped in a cycle of blame. In the meantime, nothing changed but me. I was becoming more and more of a complainer.
Perhaps it would be more productive to focus on questions such as:
How can I lead or invest in these people so that we function better?
How can I better equip these people so that we minister more like Jesus?
How can I acknowledge my frustration to the Lord without choosing to be a complainer to the people around me?
Asking such questions, may help us stay off the dead-end street of complaining.
Etcetera
1. This is a fascinating conversation between Duke professor Kate Bowler and actor Alan Alda. Hear this on Kate Bowler’s podcast.
2. I’ve mentioned this before, but church leaders and ministers may want to look at this wonderful book by Matt Snowden and Joshua Hays. The book is: Soul Culture: Stewarding the Five Ingredients of Our Common Life. I was skimming through the book this week and was struck again as to how good it is.
3. Brian Harris has written an excellent post entitled “Leaders as Weight Carriers.” In particular, I like this quote: “While toxic leaders narcissistically get everything to revolve around them, great leaders are there to serve the interest of the group.”
4. Tim Ferriss recently interview Seth Godin. Such an informative conversation!
I serve as Vice President of Harding School of Theology, Memphis, Tennessee.
Every other Monday morning, I publish this “Encouragement Note.” You can subscribe at jimmartin.substack.com. You can also find me on Facebook - @jim.martin or Instagram - @jimmartin.jm. My e-mail address is: jmartin9669@gmail.com. Feel free to write. I would love to hear what is encouraging — Jim Martin
Bill, thank you so much!
Thanks so much, Sydney!