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What’s your life? Fight or Journey? No contest, right? It’s got to be Journey. Ah-ah, no mixing the two. No ‘well, what about a fight while I’m on my journey?’ The point about the metaphor is that you have to choose one. Just one. Fight or Journey. First, some reasons why we avoid the idea of Fight. Well, it involves violence and most of us are not physically violent. We might engage in arguments – let’s call them fights – but for the most part, we avoid physical violence. Very understandable. I love Elton John’s Saturday Night’s All Right for Fighting, but I’m not familiar with that kind of scene. Be thankful you don’t live in the Middle Ages, where your lifespan would probably have been determined by your physical ability with sword or bow. Second, a fight has winners and losers and this is anathema to people who are committed to community. A community – the church – is surely about downplaying conflict and highlighting shared values. Furthermore, who wants to think of life in terms of what you’re against? Fighting is so . . . unpleasant. With me so far? Hope so. What’s the attraction of the journey? Well, for one, it has great antecedents. Pilgrim’s Progress, for example. The life of faith has to do with progress. We’re moving closer to God. Movement is surely a journey. We feel this inside instinctively. Not surprising, then, that ‘journey’ is a well-worn theme in art and culture. Dante’s Divine Comedy (Hell, Purgatory and Paradise) is the archetype of the Christian journey, second to none in its depiction of the soul’s progress towards God (even given some of its mistaken theology). And then there’s the depiction of journey in the Old Testament. From Abe to Zerubbabel, the Israelites are on the move. There is almost no OT figure who doesn’t travel long distances. They may be seeking to stay still, but they don’t do it. They move and as they move, they learn and make mistakes and more importantly, we learn about God’s character in the process of their journeying. New Testament. More movement. Jesus, the itinerant preacher. Luke emphasizes Christ’s decision to travel to Jerusalem (Luke 9.51) as a high point of his gospel. Indeed, Luke-Acts uses ‘journey’ as its dominant motif. Not only this, but some of the most famous parables include journeys. The Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son both use journeys as metaphors into which spiritual truths are poured. You could also add The Parable of the Tenants, when the King leaves and sends his son back to his land. Finally, St. Paul’s missionary journeys form an essential part of God’s message about mission. All believers are called to ‘go.’ We’re all to journey and while we go, we will experience the presence of the Spirit, who is with his journeying believers. A strong metaphor for our spiritual journey towards God, surely. So, which one should we favour? If we had to choose. Which one aligns most closely with Scripture? It’s a close call, but I’m going to make a controversial case for Fight. But not this week. My case for Fight comes next time. This week, we’re releasing the first of a series of articles on Divorce by Neil Powell, the City of London Director for City to City U.K. and a chair of City to City Europe, a church planting organisation . They are excellent. Click here for the first one entitled ‘What does God think of divorce?’

“Waiting, I waited”. So the opening words of Psalm 40 say in the Hebrew. Translators usually express it, “I waited patiently”, avoiding repetition and evoking the eager expectation the Hebrew word apparently expresses. Not the tedium of shivering at the bus stop until the delayed number 9 arrives. Nor the irritation of queuing for doors to open at a show. Rather, it is the excitement of a child counting off sleeps as she marks days on an advent calendar. “Expecting, I expected!” Still, the literal translation expresses something rich. What else is there to do while we await something we can’t expedite but to wait? Sure, life’s routines continue, but everything drains of colour when the mind fixates on something longed for. In our age of fast food, high-speed rail links and super-fast broadband (or, at least, the expectation of all of the above!), waiting time is a waste of time. Not so in God’s providence. In His economy, time is never void. He wove the principle of fruitful delay into nature. From a seed germinating slowly beneath soil to a developing body hidden in a womb, change is often unseen and slow, but it is real and cannot be rushed. This principle extends to the ways of the heart. Growth in faith is seldom instant and God’s schedule cannot be hurried. Consider Christ, intentionally delaying his journey to Bethany where Lazarus lay close to death and saying, “for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe” (John 11:15). Hear the apostolic command to “count the patience of our Lord as salvation” (2 Peter 3:15). God’s timing is perfect. “Waiting, I had to wait!” But waiting is hard. Expecting, hoping, longing for God’s deliverance, David waited. It wasn’t a picnic. You don’t welcome delays when life feels bottomless, like you’re being swallowed by a quagmire! But, in His time, God lifted David on to a solid rock and gave him a new song. From this new perspective, things looked different. Where there had been darkness and doubt, now he saw innumerable reasons to praise (verse 5). Where he had felt like God always demands sacrifices, he now realised that offerings were an expression of a readiness to obey that should be all-embracing (verse 6). Where life had been reduced to a drive to survive, its purpose was now shaped by a higher calling - God’s Law, buried in his heart, bubbled up in joyful surrender to God’s will (verses 7-8). From heart-felt conviction, David testified to the great congregation of God's deliverance (verse 10). But the Lord made him wait first! God’s salvation transformed David, but so did the wait. Before his tongue could be loosed to speak for God, his ears had to be bored open to hear Him. We too, people tasked to teach God’s truth, cannot speak with conviction until it enters our stubborn hearts. It’s in delay that we learn dependence. In anticipation, we develop patience. In frustrations, we grow faith. We may not like it, but we can trust in the Lord’s faithfulness as David did (verse 11). He has promised our deliverance and His promise is sure. We await salvation from heaven when Christ returns. And as we wait for future salvation we testify to past deliverance. Because waiting, we still wait. David’s troubles were far from over as he wrote this psalm. The confident, “As for you”, of verse 11, which declares God’s faithfulness, is met with the contrite, “As for me”, of verse 17, which confesses his own neediness. David was encompassed by evils without and overtaken by iniquities from within (verse 12). Yes, his enemies delighted in his hurt, but the greatest conflict, the one that most threatened him, was within. If we are honest as leaders, I suspect we are the same. Our greatest challenge is not a hostile culture or an unruly congregation but a wayward heart. Prone to giving in, wearing out, puffing up and breaking down, we too are poor and needy. Yet how often we pretend! Donning masks, we hide our weakness. But David, the king, had no such inhibition. He confessed his need as He praised His Saviour. In the congregation he was simply one of the worshippers – another sinner saved by grace! Just a poor and needy soul for whom the Lord took thought. Waiting still, we can be still as we wait. David ends the psalm where he begins. Grateful, but still broken. Confident in the Lord’s power, but doubtful of his own resilience. Knowing the Lord’s saving work in him wasn’t complete. The season we call Lent will soon be upon us. It’s a time to reflect on temptation and deny our desires in expectation of Easter joy. As we edge towards it, take time to remember the Lord’s salvation and to confess your continuing need of Him. Pray with me David’s words in verses 11 and 17 of Psalm 40: As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me! As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!

Living Leadership podcast Series 3, Episode 1 In this first of a three-part series based on John 21, Paul Coulter begins to explore the statement that "Faithful ministers lead people in obedience to Jesus" by focusing on the person of Jesus and the leader's relationship with Him. Listen now

Overwork. If you’ve reached the point where you can see it, that’s good. But it’s just the start. Ministers who work too much often live in a state of denial, but perhaps you don’t. You know your hours are damaging you and those around you. And you want to change. Time to examine the drivers that have been there for a long, long time. Since you were young. You probably know where this is going. It’s time to think about the most important people in your life: your parents (or caregivers). Until you have taken a long, hard look at how you were raised, you’ll never be able to understand why it is that you function the way you do. So, let me introduce you to Tony. He’s the eldest of three, a typical eldest child. Diligent, earnest and rather serious. High standards have always been a part of his life. High standards require hard work. That’s just how the world works. His parents rarely affirmed him or valued his achievements, it was just expected. He came to faith in his late teens and now ministers in a church with a bottomless pit of needs. His sermons are carefully prepared but inside he’s dying. He feels that he will never meet the standards that he thinks God requires. He trots out the gospel, but it’s never really penetrated his soul. So he works hard in the subconscious hope that his deeds will be sufficient. For his God or his parents, he cannot distinguish. Now meet Philip. He’s a middle child of five. His siblings are multi-talented, the older two excelling in their chosen professions. However, his youngest brother drained the home of all its emotional energy. While Phil was in his teen years, Bruce was occupying most of his parents’ attention. So Phil feels lost; he’s angry that no one seemed to notice his achievements, his awards, his A grades. In addition, his father worked ridiculous hours. Leaving early and returning home late, that’s the model he has observed his entire life. So now he leads a church. He works hard, following the model of his father. Work = life. He can’t seem to distinguish between ministry and life in general. It’s all just one constant flow. But at least now he’s noticed. And often appreciated. Nowadays, even his father notices him. But that will surely only last while he’s putting in 70-hour weeks. Finally, meet Pete. Gregarious, charismatic Pete has a testimony to match any ex-offender’s. Rebellious during his teens, he spent time on the streets, kicked a heroine habit, left his faith and has now returned. He’s experienced true grace, but inside he desperately wants to compensate for his past. His parents say they forgive him, but his father seems distant. So he works to prove himself. He works to show he’s a new man. And if that means long hours, then so be it. The honest truth is that without his work, he doesn’t feel he deserves anything. So he must work. He must keep going. As with many addicts, he fears the dark and lonely places, which still pull at him. And work keeps those away. But at a cost. You may or may not see yourself in one of these descriptions. But one thing is absolutely certain. If you work long hours, it’s an absolute certainty that your past is part of the explanation. It just is. You may have ways of coping. You may have ways of rationalising your behaviour. But perhaps you’ve reached a point where you’re starting to see what’s driving the overwork. If that’s the case, then you’re in a good place. God’s answer to our fractured pasts is always the same. His love and grace. Not the concepts. The reality of his abiding presence in our hearts. By his Spirit. His Spirit tells us who we are. And he can guide us into understanding how it is that we’ve become the people we now are. At 25. At 45. At 70. It doesn’t matter how old you are. Your present is the result of your past. Especially those first 18 years. And God has a way of healing our pasts by drawing us into truth. Because he is the Truth. This week, we’re releasing Part Two of an article by Marcus Honeysett on the importance of a church leader’s home life. Click here.

Living Leadership Podcast - special episode A one off episode exploring what pastoral care is in terms of motivation, methods and means derived from the triune God who is our Shepherd. This episode marks the launch of the Gospel-Shaped Pastoral Care Course in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, next Monday (3 February 2020). Listen now

Last time, I asked the question, ‘Overwork – what’s that all about?’ Over the next few posts, I’d like to address the major reasons why church leaders work too much. So let’s be clear. This is a serious problem. It is not virtuous. It is not good. Some leaders may think they have ‘extra capacity.’ They do not. And finally, it is damaging. To the leader. To the church. Time to figure out what’s driving your overwork. This week, the Protestant work ethic. The leaders I know are wonderful, caring, conscientious people. They are diligent, they are often disciplined and they get a lot done. But many work in environments created for them by the denomination or the church ruling body which, frankly, are unhealthy. The expectations are unrealistic – just one more home visit, one more meeting, one more service – and because of their work ethic, they soldier on. The virtue which resides inside so many leaders – that they are compassionate, caring people – is the very thing which is causing them harm. It’s damaging to health and relationships. They feel trapped. The only word I have to offer is ‘boundaries.’ In many cases, leaders do actually have the ability to set out boundaries. You may think you don’t have this ability, but you do. I’ve lost count of the reasons I’ve heard from leaders trying to justify their overwork. No one else can do it. They want me, they won’t accept anyone else. The leader has always done this. The board says I have to do it. It’s my job. I could go on. Boundaries. Yes, you can set them. Yes, some things won’t be done which used to be done. Yes, some people will be disappointed, perhaps even upset. They may even speak badly of you. But it’s simply false to say ‘I have no choice.’ You do have a choice. You also have a choice to see clearly the damage that results from overwork. Here are some of the downsides of overworking: As a leader, you are a model, so when you overwork, you create a culture in which your overwork is viewed as normative. Many, especially younger church staff, will view your overwork as virtue, when it isn’t. It’s unhealthy. When you overwork, you are probably harming relationships in ways of which you are almost certainly unaware. When you overwork, you do not present as a mature leader, but one who is driven by something other than a clear understanding of your identity in Christ. As a leader, that’s disastrous for those you lead. Your overwork is almost certainly a sign that you haven’t learned to embrace a major part of your role: equipping and releasing your people. So, here is a set of statements that might be helpful to embrace: It is healthy to say ‘no.’ It is healthy to stop working at a certain time, and limit your access to emergencies only. It is healthy to turn down invitations. It is a sign of health when others take on leadership roles in your church. It is a sign of health when others are equipped to serve. Others can preach. Others can lead services. Your reputation is not paramount, your physical and spiritual health is more important. You can change. I’ve barely got started, but this is a blog post and my word limit is almost up. To conclude, however, I wish to offer hope. That final one, you can change. It’s a message we all need in some area of our lives. God has called you into leadership because of his grace, not your work capacity. The grace that you have preached on more times than you’ve had hot dinners, it’s a never-ending stream of wonder. With God’s grace, you can address the problem. But only if you’re prepared to look it in the face and acknowledge it. God’s grace is designed to draw you back again and again to your core identity: God’s beloved child. Out of this will flow good work practices. Be encouraged. There’s hope. This week, we’re releasing an article by Marcus Honeysett on the importance of a church leader’s home life. Click here

Living Leadership Podcast - Series 2, Episode 2 The second of three talks by Dave Burke delivered at the 2007 Pastoral Refreshment Conference Midlands, exploring the theme 'Experiencing God's Love in Leadership'. Listen now

We need to talk about overwork. Not Kevin.* Overwork. Living Leadership was founded in 2009 partly in response to the very real issues around minister burnout. Our Annual Pastoral Refreshment Conference is a two day retreat aimed at providing leaders and their spouses with a restful space to . . . well, rest. Why should this even be necessary? Overwork, among other things. Stress. Pressure. Not enough rest. That’s why we need to talk about overwork. Because Christian leaders are burning out. And if they don’t actually burn out and leave the ministry, they’re often working right on the edge of their capacities. If this isn’t happening to you personally, I imagine you know another leader to whom it is happening. So we need to talk about overwork. The next few blog posts will specifically address the problem. First, a definition problem. What is overwork? In fact, we could step even further back. What is work when you’re a leader in the church? Doesn’t the bible talk about taking up your cross, giving everything? Doesn’t Jesus tell his followers that if they go back to plant a field, or attend a wedding they’re not up to the job? Doesn’t that mean my entire life is available for service? And isn’t that a good thing? What is work? It’s life. I’ve spent the day counselling people, preparing a sermon, serving food to the homeless, attending meetings, praying, leading a funeral, and then I get home and a church member calls me at 8.30pm because he wants to talk. So I talk. For an hour. That’s why I’m tired, but that’s the job. There’s nothing I can do to change things. What is work? It’s life. From the moment I get up to the moment when my head hits the pillow. And I’m struggling for balance, because ministry is life. I’m committed. Christ has called me and this is the cost. My life. Before I respond, I get it. I really do. The Lord calls us to serve. He desires 100% commitment; a life lived fully for him. Nothing that I write later is an attempt to deny this. But there’s a problem here. Overwork is driving good people out of leadership. It is burning them out and the church loses when good leaders quit. So, for those who struggle to see any light at the far end of a dark tunnel, let’s start by agreeing that God rests. On the seventh day, God rested. The writer of Genesis could have stopped at the end of the sixth day. Creation. There it is. It’s good. But he didn’t. He records that God rested, and then that day is linked to a day of rest for his image-bearing representatives. You and I. The Sabbath was instituted to recognise that human beings need to rest. Rest is not failing to give 100%. It is a vital part of a human being’s need. It is not even a result of the Fall. It is the way we are made and it is essential. It recognises our need for a rhythmic life, which ebbs and flows in response to our creator. No one is designed to work all the time. No one. Not even Jesus, who often retreated from his friends to spend time alone. The Sabbath was made for man, he taught. Rest was designed for us, to enable us to flourish. It is not an added extra, to be fitted in if there’s time. It is central to our make-up, because of the way we’re designed. Furthermore, a time of rest permits a time for reflection. You can’t stop and hear from God when you’re running at full capacity all of the time. You need time to pause. Time to breathe in. And breathe out. Stop right now. Breathe in. Hold for 10 seconds. Then breathe out. Rest is good. It restores. It heals. It equips you for the works of service to which you’re called. Rest is good. That’s all I have room for today. Next time, some answers to my original question: Overwork – what’s that all about!? This week, we’re releasing the second part of Marcus Honeysett’s article, ‘The Leader’s Heart.’ Part Two. Click here. *We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver - a book (2003), followed by a movie.

What’s the longest name in the Bible? No, this isn’t a joke from a cracker – like the old chestnut that goes: “Who’s the shortest man in the Bible? Knee-high-miah” – it’s a serious question. If you’re on top of your Scripture trivia you may answer, “Maher-shalal-hash-baz” (Isaiah 8:1). And you might be right. Certainly, many people say that’s the longest name (and word) in the Bible. The name of one of Isaiah’s sons, it means something like, “The spoil speeds, the prey hastens”. Like another son of Isaiah named Shear-jashub (Isaiah 7:3), meaning “a remnant shall return”, this boy's name was laden with prophetic significance. In just a few years’ time, Assyria, hastening to take the spoil, would sweep down from the north, taking the people of Israel into exile. But before God affirmed that in the naming of this baby, He had assured Isaiah through his older son’s name that a remnant would survive. We may not be facing an Assyrian invasion, but rapid cultural changes and deep political divisions across our nations may leave us fearful for the future. But before you (re)name your child “Leaving looms, the union crumbles” or “Remainers moan, democracy dies”, take heed of the meaning of Shear-jashub. God is sovereign and the gospel will prevail. Whatever happens on the world stage, the Lord’s promises will stand. Shouldn’t that put all of our political hopes and fears into perspective? But, ‘Baz’ may not have the longest name in the Bible after all. Take a closer look at a verse that’s familiar at this time of year – Isaiah 9:6. In our English translations the name reads as four titles separated by commas, but it could be written like this: Pele-joez-el-gibbor-abi-ad-sar-shalom. And you thought Baz’s name was a mouthful! This last of four prophetic names in Isaiah 7-9 clearly refers to someone greater than either of Isaiah’s sons. As does the other name we haven’t mentioned yet - another Christmas favourite - Immanuel, meaning “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14). There’s some uncertainty as to whether a child born in Isaiah’s time fulfilled the ‘Immanuel’ and ‘Pele…’ prophecies in part, but the achievements prophesied for this child go way beyond anything in the history of Israel. With the benefit of Christian hindsight, we know they can only refer in their fullness to the Lord Jesus. He is Immanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:23). He is also ‘Pele-joez-el-gibbor-abi-ad-sar-shalom’. This longest name signifies much more than a tiny remnant clinging on while the world turns upside down. It inspires us to hope for wonderful things to come and breeds peace as we wait. Advent and Christmas are often intensely busy for Christian leaders. Stretched between creating attractive programmes and caring for lonely people, we can forget what the longest name in the Bible tells us. So, I urge you just now to take a few moments and reflect. Jesus is your Wonderful Counsellor. If you’re ever foolish or confused, take heart that all wisdom is found in Him and He guides us tenderly through that other Counsellor He promised, the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the Mighty God or, as some translators suggest, Hero God? If you feel weak and weary, perhaps even about to go under, remember He came to your rescue and He holds you firm. Jesus is the Everlasting Father. If you struggle with rejection and self-loathing, rest in the arms of the God who was revealed to be a faithful Father through the incarnation of His Son. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. If your heart overflows with turmoil and tensions, hear Him speak the shalom of God, commanding the waters to ‘Be Still!’ and restoring your soul. The team in Living Leadership will be praying that you, the shepherds of God’s people will find space over this season to be refreshed in the grace gift of God in Christ. So, let me close with a prayer for you: God, our Everlasting Father, affirm us in your unfailing love. Lord Jesus, our Prince of Peace, calm our troubled minds. Holy Spirit, our Wonderful Counsellor, lead us into faithfulness. Three in One, our Mighty God, enable us to endure unto the end. Amen.

Living Leadership Podcast - Series 2, Episode 1 The first of three talks by Dave Burke delivered at the 2007 Pastoral Refreshment Conference Midlands, which had the theme 'Experiencing God's Love in Leadership'. Listen now

As go the leaders, so goes the church. Peter Scazzero.* Gulp. That’s a lot of pressure. But it shouldn’t be. After all, Christ is the head of the church. So what’s Peter Scazzero talking about? Why is one person’s emotional and spiritual health so important? After all, something amazing happened in 1517. Luther read Romans and realised he could go straight to God, no priest required. A person’s direct relationship with God was what counted. And that’s as it should be. So how can it be that the leader makes such a huge difference while at the same time it’s also true that the Christian faith is about a personal connection with God? How can both of these truths stand together? Here’s how. Nowadays, we grow in our relationship with God through many habits, practices and influences. We don’t just listen to our pastor, priest or vicar. Aside from the daily reading of Scripture, we listen to podcasts, we read articles and, of course, we meet with many other Christians who help us grow. That’s our Christian community and it’s beautiful. But among our human influences, it’s the church leader who matters the most. Bold statement. Here’s why. Human beings in organisations look to leaders. We create top-down models with a person at the top, because we’re wired to do this. It may well be that this reflects a kind of brokenness, but it’s now part of who we are. God works with us as sinful people, not as saints he might wish us to be. (Wow. That last sentence certainly packs a theological punch. Discuss.) To continue . . . Even when churches produce a ‘team model’ approach, supposedly following the early church, a leader will often emerge. As in Orwell’s Animal Farm, all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others. One of the team will usually give a lead in a given situation, even if that person doesn’t want the title ‘leader.’ Teams don’t lead. Leaders do. We shouldn’t be surprised. The bible seems to spend an inordinate amount of time following the lives of Israel’s leaders. Then in the NT, after Jesus, we follow Peter and then Paul. The example set by leaders is right at the heart of the bible. Paul’s letters set out a number of requirements for elders and leaders. This is why the leader matters so much. It’s why leadership qualities and gifts make such a huge impact on a church. As go the leaders, so goes the church. This is why your emotional and spiritual health matters so much. When you’re not healthy, the church will feel the effects. Overworked, stressed, power-hungry, petty, insecure, reckless, unwise leaders lead to churches with problems. But you’re not any of those, are you? We need leaders who will make a real effort to understand who they are. Why they make the decisions they do. Socrates summed up the entirety of our human need in this area with just two words: Know thyself. It takes time and effort. It’s no good simply avoiding the issue with a hearty ‘Oh, just get on with it.’ If you’re British, the stiff upper lip won’t do. It’s not navel-gazing or any of those pejorative terms indicating that we’re spending too much time on ourselves. It’s vital to the health of your church. Because . . . As go the leaders, so goes the church. This week, we’re releasing the first part of a talk by Marcus Honeysett, delivered to evangelists at All Souls Langham Place in 2011. Click here. *Peter Scazzero is the author of The Emotionally Healthy Church by Zondervan.

Living Leadership Podcast - Series 1, Episode 5 Marcus Honeysett shares honestly about the habits of life that either sustain us or wear us out in Christian leadership. Listen now