It’s hard enough getting up to run in the early morning; but, it’s an entirely different thing as the weather gets colder. Your bed feels warmer, your eyes are heavier and you tell yourself, “Only crazy people do this.” I consider myself one of those crazy people. No matter the reason, in order to go out in the wee morning on a cold day you need to be prepared. It’s not a lot, it’s just enough to get you going and out the door with any hiccups.
Doing ministry week in and week out can be exhausting and one of the keys to longevity is linked to your efficiency. Meaning:
The more prepared you are going into any situation, the more likely you are to succeed.
Seems like a basic principle; however, it’s one that can easily be ignored. Here are a few preparation tips that might seem unnecessary; however, if done they will lead you to a more efficient ministry.
- Agenda – Creating an agenda for a meeting, your day or week is like mapping out the path you will travel. There might be tangents or alternate routes that unexpectedly come up; however, the agenda will set you back on course. Writing one of these up should only take a few minutes and it will save you a lot more time.
- Materials – The night before a big run I like to lay out all my gear, from shoes to racing bib. The purpose of laying it out is so that you don’t go scrambling for things last minute. It sounds elementary; but, it’s necessary because making 100 copies with 2 minutes before program starts is painful.
- Rested – One of the keys to long distance running is making sure you have plenty of sleep; however, sleep is something many of us lack in this industry. Making sure you plan rest, plan margin or give yourself an opportunity to breathe is that room you need to take on chaos and survive the unexpected elements. When you are tired in ministry you won’t react or perform in every situation the way you hoped.
- Prayer – This is the one we take the most for granted. If you walk into anything without consulting God, you are basically taking an unnecessary risk. God has orchestrated the moments we walk through; therefore, it would make most sense to consult him in how to proceed. Again seems obvious; however, how many of us really do this consistently?
Preparation in any area of our life is key; yet, it’s easily overlooked. I’ve been guilty of walking into meetings, starting a message and running a program not being fully prepared. I’ve survived; however, the outcome wasn’t as great as it could have been. And we’re all in ministry to do more than just enough, we’re in this for so much more.
How do you prepare for a big week?
