31. Write things down! Are you supposed to get back with someone? Did you promise to call? Are you supposed to prepare for a meeting? Write it down. You might be surprised to know how many people never do this.
32. Nurture your prayer life. I came across this line the other day, “Pray is not the only thing we do…but it is the most important thing we do.†Nothing is more important than paying attention to one’s own interior life before the Lord.
33. Be kind to the custodian, the secretaries, the mother’s day out teachers, and others who are sometimes taken for granted.
34. Beware of using the church to satisfy unmet emotional needs and deep wounds from previous years. There are far too many ministers who struggle with tremendous anger (which often has nothing to do with the church they presently serve). Getting help for this can finally bring a peace that many have never experienced.
35. Place a serious priority on becoming more and more like Jesus. There are rich resources available. I love Nouwen, Dallas Willard, Thomas Kelly, Gary Thomas.
36. Don’t worry about who gets the credit. At times you will see others get credit for your hard work and ideas. On the other hand, you may sometimes get more credit than you might deserve.
37. Most everybody has a favorite minister. Don’t worry that you are not it. You are probably somebody’s.
38. Affirm others when they learn and are inspired by the teaching of other ministers. Don’t allow your insecurities to dampen the joy they are experiencing as the result of another’s ministry.
39. Show up. No you can’t go to everything. That is not even important. Yet, it is important to have the wisdom and good judgment to know what events or situations need your presence.
40. Pray for the wisdom to know what is appropriate behavior in various situations. Many people have made mistakes in judgment by saying what was inappropriate for the occasion. Ask yourself, "Are other people uneasy with what I am saying? Am I embarrassing people?"
41. Be quick to apologize. Defensiveness only advertises your immaturity.
Jim: Thanks for the remaining items. Number 34 blindsided me years ago when I moved from Florida to California. Of the 8 years in Florida, 7 were horrible! I look back on the first 5-6 years (I’ve been here 13) in CA and tremble at some of the stuff I preached. In reality I was working through my own problems by taking it out on this church family. And I have a graduate degree in psychology! but pain can cloud our perception greatly. Fortunately some wise friends (our worship leader / former elder) and a couple of good elders helped me to see what I was doing and gently guided me away from all of that. I can truly say this church family has probably helped me far more than I’ll ever help them!
Always enjoy your blogs! Thanks for taking the time to share with us.
You need to send these to
Leadership or another
journal. They’re great.
Clay
Thanks Greg/Clay–Good to know that you guys thought these were worth reading.