accountability
If You Ignore This You Will Fail
First marathon I ever ran in I never completed, in fact I almost died. The more time ticks on the harder it is to remember the feelings and...
Are You Vulnerable In Your Ministry?
Christopher Wesley
Sep 18, 2011
No matter how many time I try to defy stupidity it seems to smack me in the face. I was doing laundry (last minute) before a trip when I noticed a pile of old, smelly painter canvas in the corner. I thought, “Huh, I should wash and dry those so they don’t get mold.” It wasn’t a bad idea, but I shouldn’t have stuffed the massive canvases in our moderate size washer and dryer.
Fortunately, the washer was okay; but, the dryer? Wasn’t damaged too bad, just messed up one of the baffles. When things like this happen I have to make a decision:
“Do I fix this on my own or do I get some help?”
Whether it’s home repair or ministry seeking out help can be:
Humbling Embarrassing Intimidating
Emotions like these three can be hard to face and embrace. Early on in ministry I ignored those feelings which has caused me to:
- Lose thousands of dollars on a fundraiser.
- Overwhelm ministers to quit
- Over promise and under deliver
- Miss out on big opportunities
If I had realized that the emotions stirring inside of me were really God destroying my pride I would have avoided the damage that came from my poor decisions. As youth ministers we need to allow ourselves to be vulnerable so that God can destroy the sins that prevent us from living out His plan.
The way I’ve learned from my mistakes is through:
The way I’ve learned from my mistakes is through:
- Journaling
- Spiritual Direction
These two methods aren’t the only way, but they way work for me. Journaling allows me to see where I’ve gone wrong and the spiritual direction gives me accountability. If we are truly going to take on the big problems, we need to let the
Big Guy take them on for us. But again, these aren’t the only two ways of allowing God to work within us, so I would ask you:
How are you vulnerable with God?