Comments on: Strengthening the Soul (1)

By: Pat

Pat — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 03:05:57 +0000

Thanks, Jim.

By: Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-01 | chrisaltrock.com

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-01 | chrisaltrock.com — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 01:05:33 +0000

[...] article by @JimMartin on Strenthening the Soul http://godhungry.org/2010/07/26/strenthening-the-soul/ [...]

By: Jim Martin

Jim Martin — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 21:14:17 +0000

Pat, I suspect that many who read your words can identify with you. There are times in my ministry when I just could not see any hope with the congregation that I was working with at the time. To come to that place is quite discouraging.

I commend you for giving it one more year. I think you are right on in regarding to focusing more of your time/energy in feeding your soul. There is something about such a commitment that is actually a great gift to the church. I think Ruth Haley Barton is right. The best thing that any of us have to give in our leadership is our own transforming selves.

Please let me hear from you again as this next year gets underway. I look forward to hear how you are doing with this commitment to focus your energy on your own soul.

By: Pat

Pat — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 13:13:10 +0000

This post has hit me where I live. I have wrestled with whether or not to continue serving in my leadership role and just when I decided not to, I became broken and wrestled with God for about 2 weeks. I’m going to give it one more year, but I find the task ahead daunting because I know what I’m facing. But if I focus more of my time and energy on feeding my soul then maybe I can let go of the fact that the church is not embracing some things. I know I’ve seen it in the past that when I let go I begin to hear people start saying things on their own that reflect what I’ve been trying to say all along. But what hard work when you know what the church could be and to have to hit the same old brick walls. I’m looking forward to your posts on this topic.

By: Clay Knick

Clay Knick — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 23:15:45 +0000

Jim, I must confess I am jealous. Envious too. (That you took the class with her).

I read two of her reflections today from the archives.

By: Jim Martin

Jim Martin — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:33:09 +0000

Cathie, I have found several of her books very useful and in particular the disciplines that she suggests. Glad you enjoy her work as well.

By: Jim Martin

Jim Martin — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:32:14 +0000

Clay, I am reading the book again. This time I am especially paying attention to the exercises and suggestions at the end. The class was great.

By: cathie orozco

cathie orozco — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 02:01:57 +0000

how fun that you were able to attend this event. i just love her stuff. thanks for sharing your experience. ACU is using one of her books to offer a class this summer for the student life group of staff. daniel and i have both participated. it has been wonderful.

By: Clay Knick

Clay Knick — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 23:07:49 +0000

Great book! I’m reading it now. One of the best I’ve read this or any year. I’m pretty sure you recommended it here once and I got it then and didn’t start it until last month. Would have loved that class!

By: Jim Martin

Jim Martin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:24:32 +0000

Good question Craig. For me, I try to start with what seems to really matter to God. For example, I might begin with loving God and loving people as two qualities in life that God really values. Then I try to think about the practical application of this.

So, the things that matter are those behaviors which seem to reflect these two values. So as I think about loving people, I think about the people who are a part of my life: My family, my friends, people in our church, our community. I would hope that my life would be invested in some of these people because I believe that loving these people really does matter.

There may be a better way to come at this Craig but this is where I begin.