Avoiding Burnout in Abortion Clinic Ministry

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.600 --> 00:00:05.799 I Am Yours, I am yours, I am yours. Send Me, 2 00:00:06.160 --> 00:00:10.750 Lord, I am yours. Welcome to the Gospel Center pro life podcast and 3 00:00:10.789 --> 00:00:14.910 this episode we're going to talk about how to Avoid Ministry burnout in ministry at 4 00:00:14.910 --> 00:00:18.230 an abortion clinic. We're going to look at this from a biblical and practical 5 00:00:18.309 --> 00:00:29.059 perspective. So stay tuned. Lord, I felt show passis touch your heart. 6 00:00:34.619 --> 00:00:38.250 Welcome to the Gospel Center prayer life podcast. Appreciate you guys listening. 7 00:00:38.969 --> 00:00:44.289 As always, we appreciate you guys commenting in the reviews, especially on Apple 8 00:00:44.369 --> 00:00:48.450 Podcast, and give us a good review and sharing this podcast with other people. 9 00:00:48.530 --> 00:00:51.119 That's a real blessing to us. So the other people are blessed to 10 00:00:51.159 --> 00:00:55.399 listen to the content that we put out on a weekly basis. In case 11 00:00:55.439 --> 00:01:00.640 you don't know, we put out a podcast every Thursday morning and it goes 12 00:01:00.679 --> 00:01:03.960 out about five o'clock in the morning. So for your early risers you can 13 00:01:03.000 --> 00:01:06.950 get to it pretty early, and for those of you who get up a 14 00:01:06.950 --> 00:01:10.950 little later, you can access it anytime after five am. But of course 15 00:01:11.030 --> 00:01:15.549 Vicky gets up at like crackadawn, the crack of dawn for the back of 16 00:01:15.629 --> 00:01:21.140 Don Yeah, and so she's she's able to get to listening very, very 17 00:01:21.140 --> 00:01:26.099 quickly. Anyway, please share the podcast and stick with us as we jump 18 00:01:26.180 --> 00:01:32.420 into the topic of Avoiding Ministry burn out. Yeah, it's an important topic. 19 00:01:32.659 --> 00:01:36.569 It is, because if you burn out, you fizzle out and you're 20 00:01:36.569 --> 00:01:42.609 not effective anymore. We did a podcast some months ago about fighting discouragement. 21 00:01:42.010 --> 00:01:48.079 Maybe doing that I do this will be maybe sort of along the same lines. 22 00:01:48.439 --> 00:01:51.280 It's got some similar aspects, but it truly is a different topic. 23 00:01:51.280 --> 00:01:55.000 Yeah, it is a different topic and it's a different dynamic that goes on. 24 00:01:55.560 --> 00:02:00.040 Yeah, it's this is more particular to people who are involved in everyday 25 00:02:00.120 --> 00:02:05.909 ministry and just feeling some of the pressure of it. And the reality is 26 00:02:06.750 --> 00:02:09.949 ministry burnout. Listen, I've been there. Yeah, I've been on the 27 00:02:09.990 --> 00:02:15.229 edge of that, I guess, and by God's grace, was pulled back 28 00:02:15.229 --> 00:02:17.900 from that edge just burning out. But it can creep up on us. 29 00:02:17.939 --> 00:02:21.699 Yeah, it can creep up on you don't even realize it. So we're 30 00:02:21.699 --> 00:02:24.219 going to talk about some of the signs, yeah, of ministry burn out, 31 00:02:25.500 --> 00:02:30.650 some of the types of ministry burnout. We're going to talk about what 32 00:02:30.289 --> 00:02:35.289 what to do about it right and we're going to talk about a little bit 33 00:02:35.289 --> 00:02:38.169 of what the Bible has to say. They're actually people in the scripture who, 34 00:02:38.330 --> 00:02:43.090 from all appearances, look like they were on the verge of ministry burnout 35 00:02:43.129 --> 00:02:46.199 or they had already gone into the crispy stage where we're going to we're going 36 00:02:46.240 --> 00:02:49.319 to talk about we talk about that. Yeah, yeah, I agree. 37 00:02:49.639 --> 00:02:53.919 So we have you've dug Vicki for a couple of articles about this, right, 38 00:02:53.960 --> 00:02:57.560 or you just dug for one article and I found another article that. 39 00:02:57.599 --> 00:03:00.509 I think both of these articles are pretty helpful and we can link them, 40 00:03:00.550 --> 00:03:04.389 yeah, to this podcast, so y'all can look at these because they're good 41 00:03:04.389 --> 00:03:07.349 articles. Yeah, will link them in the description on the podcast so that 42 00:03:07.430 --> 00:03:10.949 you guys can check them out. You haven't written an article about this particular 43 00:03:10.990 --> 00:03:15.740 subject, because why reinvent the wheel? Right? There's already a lot of 44 00:03:15.780 --> 00:03:19.139 good articles out there now. Of course there's some articles that are out there. 45 00:03:19.580 --> 00:03:23.580 You know about burnout, just in general work burnout. There's a difference. 46 00:03:23.139 --> 00:03:27.370 I mean I know because I used to work in the kind of labor 47 00:03:27.449 --> 00:03:31.969 intensive field of doing hardwood floors and there's a burnout that's in that area of 48 00:03:32.169 --> 00:03:36.210 work. In our work is ministry. So I don't want to talk in 49 00:03:36.409 --> 00:03:38.610 categories that the Bible doesn't give us. Our work is ministry, but there 50 00:03:38.689 --> 00:03:44.840 is a difference in that kind of physical labor and then this emotional Labor that 51 00:03:44.960 --> 00:03:47.400 we do on the sidewalk and what you do in ministry. And these articles 52 00:03:47.439 --> 00:03:53.159 are going to be typically coming from the perspective of a pasture and not really 53 00:03:53.240 --> 00:04:00.069 particularly sidewalk missionary right, or ministry. That has to do with the issue 54 00:04:00.069 --> 00:04:01.349 of abortion, but we can. So we're going to bring some of that 55 00:04:01.789 --> 00:04:05.389 exactly. We're going to bring some of that flavor into talking about these articles. 56 00:04:05.430 --> 00:04:09.750 Yeah, so we'll share those articles with you guys again in the description 57 00:04:09.870 --> 00:04:14.379 of this. But let's jump into some of the types of burnout. What 58 00:04:14.460 --> 00:04:17.060 should we define? Should we define burnout? So you know you're a smart 59 00:04:17.100 --> 00:04:19.339 person. Yeah, let's de find what that is. Some of you guys 60 00:04:19.420 --> 00:04:24.930 probably already know because maybe you're in the midst of burnout. Yeah, I'm 61 00:04:24.970 --> 00:04:27.689 there. Yeah, but yeah, let's let's define in it for him. 62 00:04:27.769 --> 00:04:30.370 Yeah, well, some one of the articles is written by Josh spurlock, 63 00:04:30.529 --> 00:04:32.649 just so that y'all know, and we will link it, and the other 64 00:04:32.769 --> 00:04:36.769 one by Kevin Hollern, I think is how you say his name, and 65 00:04:38.410 --> 00:04:42.839 I like the definition that Josh, Josh spurlock gave. He said burnout is 66 00:04:42.920 --> 00:04:49.560 a state of mental and physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. Okay, 67 00:04:49.639 --> 00:04:55.709 and he says there are three stages, okay, burn out. I 68 00:04:55.790 --> 00:05:00.589 think that's very important because, like our discouragement podcast, yeah, that's maybe 69 00:05:00.589 --> 00:05:05.149 a symptom of a stage of burnout, but it doesn't include the whole entire 70 00:05:05.589 --> 00:05:12.339 picture of okay. So Josh spurlock says the first stage is stressed, feeling 71 00:05:12.379 --> 00:05:17.339 stressed. The next stage is overwhelmed and the third stage is crispy, okay, 72 00:05:17.420 --> 00:05:23.170 where you're totally burnt right and you are ready to quit, and that's 73 00:05:23.290 --> 00:05:26.769 dangerous. If you've gotten to that stage, that's that's when people end up 74 00:05:26.810 --> 00:05:31.170 leaving ministry because they are fried. Yeah, they've had it. So the 75 00:05:31.329 --> 00:05:36.279 process can be stopped at any point, Josh spurlock says, but once you're 76 00:05:36.399 --> 00:05:42.040 in the crispy stage, people know something's wrong and that is when sometimes you 77 00:05:42.199 --> 00:05:45.680 just really need to leave for a period of time or do something a little 78 00:05:45.680 --> 00:05:48.079 bit more dramatic to get yourself back on track. Yeah, yeah, and 79 00:05:48.240 --> 00:05:53.870 I'll say this. I've seen people through observation over the years who are in 80 00:05:53.910 --> 00:05:58.269 the crispy stage and maybe they don't know it themselves, but you can tell. 81 00:05:58.310 --> 00:06:00.990 It's like, man, you need to you need to back away right. 82 00:06:00.189 --> 00:06:04.339 And Not only do some folks that I've seen burnout from ministry and just 83 00:06:04.420 --> 00:06:09.540 they back away from ministry, but they get disillusioned with God, they start 84 00:06:09.579 --> 00:06:12.899 to get angry with the Lord. Yeah, and so that's a dangerous place 85 00:06:12.980 --> 00:06:14.980 to be in. Yeah, yeah, you need to be careful. We 86 00:06:15.180 --> 00:06:17.610 need to you know, self awareness is an important part of the Christian life. 87 00:06:17.610 --> 00:06:21.089 Yeah, are we aware of, you know, the stuff that's going 88 00:06:21.209 --> 00:06:26.329 on in our own minds and our own hearts? This is an intense ministry, 89 00:06:26.529 --> 00:06:30.649 being out on the sidewalk at an abortion clinic. It's intense in some 90 00:06:30.850 --> 00:06:33.920 good ways. Like, where else can you see a mom who was about 91 00:06:34.000 --> 00:06:39.639 to kill her child change completely from want to kill her child to saving her 92 00:06:39.720 --> 00:06:43.600 child and then even, in some of these situations, giving her heart to 93 00:06:43.720 --> 00:06:47.750 Jesus, surrendering her life? And we've seen some dramatic transformations. Yeah, 94 00:06:48.269 --> 00:06:54.470 that is awesome. It's like extremely awesome. Yeah, but even you know, 95 00:06:54.550 --> 00:06:58.389 kind of on the other side of this to be able to be on 96 00:06:58.470 --> 00:07:00.819 the sidewalk there to see that as awesome, but to be on the sidewalk 97 00:07:01.019 --> 00:07:05.939 and to pour into a mom, into a family, and they still you 98 00:07:06.019 --> 00:07:10.500 know, everything you've got, you pour your heart into this ministry, you 99 00:07:10.579 --> 00:07:13.339 pour your heart into this mother, you give her every reason to choose life, 100 00:07:13.339 --> 00:07:15.850 and yet she still walks in that door and kills her innocent child. 101 00:07:16.610 --> 00:07:23.610 That's extreme ministry right there too. That's it's that's something hard to deal with 102 00:07:23.970 --> 00:07:28.329 in your minds justing. And so you're dealing with the spiritual warfare. Yeah, 103 00:07:28.449 --> 00:07:33.079 you're dealing with a huge time commitment and with many people who are sidewalk 104 00:07:33.120 --> 00:07:38.319 counselors. You're also dealing with trying to follow these women, and no one 105 00:07:38.399 --> 00:07:40.519 can do all that. Yeah, no one can do all that. And 106 00:07:40.600 --> 00:07:44.120 by follow you mean follow up with after they've chosen life and there, after 107 00:07:44.199 --> 00:07:47.069 they've made that decision for life, to get them plugged into the resources that 108 00:07:47.110 --> 00:07:50.870 they need. Yeah, this is and that's why, when we talk about 109 00:07:50.949 --> 00:07:56.550 the body of Christ working together and the different components working together, we've got 110 00:07:56.629 --> 00:08:00.819 to do the best we can to employ the whole body of Christ to help 111 00:08:01.100 --> 00:08:05.699 in these different situations and to help in these different aspects of prolife ministry. 112 00:08:05.779 --> 00:08:09.019 Yeah, and I do it all exactly, and I know we're going to 113 00:08:09.100 --> 00:08:13.290 get into other scriptural support, but I just the image keeps coming back to 114 00:08:13.329 --> 00:08:18.569 me of the story of Moses when they're entering the promised land and they're fighting 115 00:08:18.810 --> 00:08:22.089 there the enemies and when he would hold what it was most it's right. 116 00:08:22.129 --> 00:08:24.610 Yeah, I get mostes and Abra him mixed up all the time. Yeah, 117 00:08:24.610 --> 00:08:28.079 anyway. So, so as long as he held his arms up, 118 00:08:28.879 --> 00:08:33.080 you know, toward heaven, they would win the battle. And if if 119 00:08:33.200 --> 00:08:35.639 his strength started to drop in his arms would drop, they would lose. 120 00:08:35.639 --> 00:08:39.559 They would start to lose and he couldn't do it. He could not hold 121 00:08:39.679 --> 00:08:45.190 his arms up long enough and they were losing. But he had all of 122 00:08:45.350 --> 00:08:50.629 these other people in the of the Lord's people, come and hold his arms, 123 00:08:50.990 --> 00:08:54.710 but in particular actually was Aaron and and a man by the name of 124 00:08:54.909 --> 00:08:58.779 her that came alongside Moses and held his arms up, yeah, so that 125 00:08:58.860 --> 00:09:01.860 they could win the battle. Yeah, and that, of course, is 126 00:09:01.860 --> 00:09:05.659 analogous to of course it's a real story that really happened. But the Lord 127 00:09:05.740 --> 00:09:09.289 uses these Old Testament stories a lot of times, and New Testament stories to 128 00:09:09.409 --> 00:09:15.090 teach US present realities. Yeah, that just as Moses could not do that 129 00:09:15.129 --> 00:09:18.490 alone, couldn't stand in the gap and do what he needed to do on 130 00:09:18.649 --> 00:09:24.480 behalf of Israel alone, we can't stand on that sidewalk alone, right, 131 00:09:24.639 --> 00:09:28.279 and we need, and that's one of the principles, that we need others 132 00:09:28.440 --> 00:09:30.840 with us. We need others in this battle. We need to know, 133 00:09:31.240 --> 00:09:35.799 because one of the ways that you get in that crispy stage is isolation. 134 00:09:35.879 --> 00:09:39.269 Yeah, you feel like you're the only one and you know, the story 135 00:09:39.309 --> 00:09:43.950 of Elijah comes to mind there, and we'll probably touch on that a little 136 00:09:43.950 --> 00:09:48.230 bit more. But Elijah is in one of these scenarios in which it's a 137 00:09:48.350 --> 00:09:52.620 pretty intense battle. Yeah, and he sees a pretty extreme victory actually on 138 00:09:52.779 --> 00:09:58.139 Mount Carmel with the Prophets of bail. Yeah, and God answers by fire 139 00:09:58.740 --> 00:10:01.059 and of course their false God doesn't answer because it's not a god at all. 140 00:10:01.139 --> 00:10:05.899 Right, Elijah has US awesome victory in the children Israel come and they 141 00:10:05.899 --> 00:10:09.769 slay the prophets of bail but not too long after that Elijah's running for his 142 00:10:09.889 --> 00:10:15.850 life from Jezebel and he's loathing his very life. So that's that's one of 143 00:10:15.889 --> 00:10:20.370 the dynamics that take that can take place because this is such an emotional ministry. 144 00:10:20.409 --> 00:10:24.200 It's such a spiritual bad don't I mean, if you want to feel 145 00:10:24.200 --> 00:10:28.559 spiritual warfare, go to your local abortion center. Yeah, the spiritual and 146 00:10:28.639 --> 00:10:33.000 the emotional together tie into the physical. I like I said, I used 147 00:10:33.000 --> 00:10:35.070 to do hardwood floors and worked for my dad who had a hardwood floor company, 148 00:10:35.350 --> 00:10:39.629 and it's hard work. I'm we're pushing, actually being pulled by like 149 00:10:39.830 --> 00:10:45.429 two hundred pound machine all day long. Wow, walking thousands of steps. 150 00:10:45.470 --> 00:10:48.110 I don't know how many steps a day I would work. Yeah, or 151 00:10:48.190 --> 00:10:52.940 would walk the equipment. Every piece of equipment is heavy. It's like they 152 00:10:52.019 --> 00:10:54.620 put lead in these things, I don't know, but they're heavy, and 153 00:10:54.740 --> 00:10:58.700 necessarily because they get into the wood and sand it. And I won't get 154 00:10:58.740 --> 00:11:03.019 into all those details, but just to say it's a physical job and I 155 00:11:03.059 --> 00:11:05.730 would come home from that physical job and I would be worn out. I'd 156 00:11:05.730 --> 00:11:11.409 be worn out physically, but not necessarily emotionally and spiritually. Right, I 157 00:11:11.490 --> 00:11:15.809 could still do certain things and I just wouldn't spent completely. Yeah, I 158 00:11:15.970 --> 00:11:22.480 come home from doing ministry on the sidewalk and I am spent emotionally, mentally, 159 00:11:22.320 --> 00:11:28.559 physically, spiritually, all of that. I'm just done for sometimes where 160 00:11:28.559 --> 00:11:31.200 I have to go and lay down on the couch take a little bit of 161 00:11:31.200 --> 00:11:35.429 a nap just to recoup. And it's the mental, the emotional, in 162 00:11:35.509 --> 00:11:37.710 the in the spiritual tie into the physical. So I say all that to 163 00:11:37.789 --> 00:11:43.190 say that even, and I'll say this this is not just days where it 164 00:11:43.350 --> 00:11:46.110 seemed like there were no baby save, but even days where it's awesome, 165 00:11:46.139 --> 00:11:50.460 up a life was saved and we got to be a part of that life 166 00:11:50.500 --> 00:11:54.580 being saved. Even that, though, was emotionally draining, right. So 167 00:11:54.779 --> 00:12:00.379 yeah, all of this to say that, guys, this is a necessary 168 00:12:00.419 --> 00:12:03.330 ministry. And then we want to encourage you, guys, to be involved 169 00:12:03.370 --> 00:12:05.529 in this ministry. And so none of this is to discourage you in to 170 00:12:05.610 --> 00:12:09.210 say run from this Ministry as fast as you can. Know, run toward 171 00:12:09.289 --> 00:12:13.049 what God has called you to and there's grace available, for sure. Yeah, 172 00:12:13.169 --> 00:12:18.360 but just be aware and be aware that burnout can creep up. There's 173 00:12:18.399 --> 00:12:22.559 going to always be stress and there's going to always be kind of those first 174 00:12:22.559 --> 00:12:26.480 two categories that you that you named out there where it's stressed and overwhelmed. 175 00:12:26.519 --> 00:12:31.230 I mean I feel in some measure stressed and overwhelmed every day, right, 176 00:12:31.549 --> 00:12:35.789 but I don't feel crispy. Yeah, yeah, yeah, if you don't 177 00:12:35.789 --> 00:12:39.629 deal with this stress and overwhelmed. But you know what you said that we're 178 00:12:39.669 --> 00:12:43.269 not saying all this to discourage you and push you away from ministry. In 179 00:12:43.429 --> 00:12:48.299 fact we're saying the very opposite, that pastors or anyone involved in an extremely 180 00:12:48.340 --> 00:12:54.340 draining ministry are are in danger of burnout and they need those other people to 181 00:12:54.379 --> 00:12:58.610 come alongside. Not even just people that are going to be out on the 182 00:12:58.690 --> 00:13:03.250 sidewalk, but recently we had a sidewalk counselor who needs help. She's taken 183 00:13:03.289 --> 00:13:07.049 on so much and so she put out a plea publicly. Here's if you 184 00:13:07.210 --> 00:13:09.850 have a skill, we can use you, because she's hoping to pass off, 185 00:13:09.970 --> 00:13:15.799 delegate some of her responsibilities to others. And I read the responses and 186 00:13:16.519 --> 00:13:18.759 most, if not all, I think I saw one out of all the 187 00:13:18.879 --> 00:13:22.480 responses, said Oh wow, I'll pray for you. Yeah, well, 188 00:13:22.559 --> 00:13:26.960 and my and and I put in a little bit Snarky, I must admit, 189 00:13:26.039 --> 00:13:30.470 but I put in I pray that some of these people that are praying 190 00:13:30.549 --> 00:13:33.870 will actually step up and do, yeah, something, and so it's the 191 00:13:33.950 --> 00:13:39.230 encouragement to we are all needed if we love the Lord. We are needed 192 00:13:39.629 --> 00:13:45.019 to end this holocaust of abortion and there are many roles. Sidewalk counselors are 193 00:13:45.100 --> 00:13:48.299 needed as well. Yeah, but there's lots of places where someone could put 194 00:13:48.340 --> 00:13:52.700 again and help, yes, people to prevent hopefully they're burning out because they 195 00:13:52.700 --> 00:13:56.730 are willing to be out on that sidewalk. Yeah, and that's a dynamic 196 00:13:56.690 --> 00:14:00.450 that I think we should mention. If you're out there on the sidewalk. 197 00:14:01.129 --> 00:14:03.090 One of the things that we have done here in Charlotte, and it's all 198 00:14:03.129 --> 00:14:09.200 been by God's Grays, is raising up mentors in the churches and, as 199 00:14:09.279 --> 00:14:11.720 you guys know, if you're following any of the things that are going on 200 00:14:11.919 --> 00:14:16.039 here in Charlotte, we've merged together with love life, who's a ministry that's 201 00:14:16.039 --> 00:14:18.279 gotten local churches to come out and pray at the abortion center's all right, 202 00:14:18.799 --> 00:14:24.789 and every week there are churches for that forty weeks of the love life prayer 203 00:14:24.830 --> 00:14:28.429 campaign, there's churches that are out praying, but they're asking those churches to 204 00:14:28.549 --> 00:14:33.870 take a step beyond just praying. Okay, we want you to identify in 205 00:14:33.070 --> 00:14:37.230 your churches pastors. Are there people that can be mentors? Are there people 206 00:14:37.309 --> 00:14:41.299 that can be sidewalk counselors? And that mentor piece is really important because for 207 00:14:41.340 --> 00:14:46.539 a long time here in Charlotte, with the cities for life and our counselors 208 00:14:46.620 --> 00:14:48.940 here, they would do the sidewalk counseling and do the follow up up, 209 00:14:50.500 --> 00:14:52.929 do the mentoring and all of that and it just that will burn you out. 210 00:14:54.049 --> 00:14:58.090 So those of you who are listening, it takes work to pitch it 211 00:14:58.250 --> 00:15:01.289 to pastures, to pitch it to individuals. Hey, maybe you can't be 212 00:15:01.330 --> 00:15:05.289 on the sidewalk, but can you be a mentor? It takes a little 213 00:15:05.330 --> 00:15:09.159 work. But sometimes to delegate things we have to do a little bit of 214 00:15:09.240 --> 00:15:13.200 upfront work to save ourselves a lot of the back end work. Yeah, 215 00:15:13.679 --> 00:15:16.360 so you've got to do a little bit of asking, a little bit of 216 00:15:16.440 --> 00:15:20.799 sharing. Hey, here's what the need is, maybe even a little bit 217 00:15:20.799 --> 00:15:24.830 of roll defining, defining that role of what a mentor is for people. 218 00:15:24.549 --> 00:15:28.309 And then once they kind of get that vision and get that get that burden 219 00:15:28.549 --> 00:15:33.190 to be that, then it that delegated authority that now instead of you mentoring, 220 00:15:33.269 --> 00:15:37.340 you sidewalk counseling and mentoring the MOMS that choose life. You can now 221 00:15:37.460 --> 00:15:41.580 hand them off to a mentor right and one of the things that we're doing 222 00:15:41.700 --> 00:15:43.740 here, just a little plug in for what God's doing, is we're doing 223 00:15:45.299 --> 00:15:48.539 boot camps, training boot camps for people that want to become sidewalk missionaries. 224 00:15:48.940 --> 00:15:52.250 We talked some weeks ago about sidewalk counselors. Actually, sad what missionaries, 225 00:15:52.450 --> 00:15:56.289 of people who want to be trained under love life as sidewalk missionaries, and 226 00:15:56.409 --> 00:16:00.529 we're training them to do sidewalk counseling, but we're also training them in mentor 227 00:16:00.690 --> 00:16:03.169 handoffs and helping churches to raise up mentors and all of that, and that's 228 00:16:03.250 --> 00:16:07.080 the sort of stuff that we're involved and that's why we merge together with love 229 00:16:07.159 --> 00:16:11.360 life, is because we want churches to to take this burden the issue of 230 00:16:11.399 --> 00:16:15.039 abortion, mentoring these MOMS, but also the sidewalk ministry and all these components 231 00:16:15.320 --> 00:16:18.429 that are involved in reaching these women and discipling them, and we want to 232 00:16:19.350 --> 00:16:22.350 that those, those ministries go hand in hand and we want to influence the 233 00:16:22.429 --> 00:16:26.429 local churches in the United States of America that this is a necessary ministry that 234 00:16:26.509 --> 00:16:29.710 we all need to be involved in. So we're seeing a lot of traction 235 00:16:29.750 --> 00:16:33.259 in that area. Praise God. Yeah, yeah, okay. So the 236 00:16:33.419 --> 00:16:37.019 signs of Burnout, said our next our next major area that we should go 237 00:16:37.059 --> 00:16:41.019 to. Okay, so we talked about the types of burnout, which are 238 00:16:41.100 --> 00:16:45.700 just just touch on those stressed, overwhelmed and crispy and crispy. Okay, 239 00:16:45.700 --> 00:16:48.210 yeah, and then the signs. What are the signs? How do you 240 00:16:48.289 --> 00:16:55.169 know if you're maybe moving toward crispy? How do you know if you're in 241 00:16:55.289 --> 00:16:59.009 that stressed category or overwhelmed category? So touch you on some of those. 242 00:16:59.049 --> 00:17:02.879 Those spur luck does identify the signs and I really like how he does this 243 00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:07.440 because it reminds us that there are warning signs. Yeah, and if we 244 00:17:07.559 --> 00:17:11.880 pay attention to those warning signs, hopefully you don't end up crispy. Right. 245 00:17:12.039 --> 00:17:17.109 So I like I like that he has them in stages. So Stage 246 00:17:17.269 --> 00:17:22.990 one, irritableness, anxiety and worry, high blood pressure, grinding your teeth 247 00:17:22.029 --> 00:17:26.390 in your sleep, insomnia. So far I've got every one of these. 248 00:17:26.670 --> 00:17:30.819 Wow, but I probably always had every real day some kind of a high 249 00:17:30.859 --> 00:17:37.019 stressed person, increased illness, loss of appetite or stress eating, unusual heart 250 00:17:37.019 --> 00:17:41.900 rhythms, skipped beach rapid pounding, struggle to concentrate and forgetfulness and headaches. 251 00:17:42.220 --> 00:17:45.089 Okay, so a lot of people have experienced those things. A lot of 252 00:17:45.170 --> 00:17:48.410 US feel stressed. Sure if this is a stressful world. Yeah, and 253 00:17:48.730 --> 00:17:52.890 certainly the Bible will guide us, and we're going to talk about that later. 254 00:17:52.930 --> 00:17:56.769 There's certainly biblical principles to help to reduce and relieve that stress from a 255 00:17:56.849 --> 00:18:04.000 biblical perspective. But that stage one, and and so that stage was feeling 256 00:18:04.200 --> 00:18:11.000 stress. Yeah, so stage two overwhelmed, and it's characterized by decreasing performance, 257 00:18:11.079 --> 00:18:17.349 increase negativity, withdrawal and attempts to medicate the symptoms. Okay, so 258 00:18:17.589 --> 00:18:26.269 there's been late procrastinating, dreading returning to work, marital conflict, decrease sex 259 00:18:26.390 --> 00:18:33.900 desire, persistent tiredness, missing project deadlines, social withdrawal from friends and her 260 00:18:33.980 --> 00:18:37.819 family, cynicism. That's when they creeps in and you can start to hear 261 00:18:37.900 --> 00:18:41.609 it. Yeah, you know, we can maybe start to check each other 262 00:18:41.809 --> 00:18:45.769 knowing that, knowing cynicism is a sign that you've reached stage two of being 263 00:18:45.849 --> 00:18:49.450 overwhelmed, because so often when someone starts, they're just on fire, ready 264 00:18:49.529 --> 00:18:53.009 to change the world. They're excited about how God is going to use them 265 00:18:53.529 --> 00:18:56.799 and they start to come to a point where they're like kind of name calling, 266 00:18:56.839 --> 00:19:02.079 yeah, and and looking at the people that they're dealing with. And 267 00:19:02.400 --> 00:19:07.240 and it not with good eyes, right, with, yeah, critical and 268 00:19:07.279 --> 00:19:12.950 judgmental and even condemning eyes, and that says cynicism creeps in, resentfulness, 269 00:19:14.910 --> 00:19:22.789 increased caffeine consumption, increased alcohol consumption and apathy, just not caring anymore. 270 00:19:22.789 --> 00:19:27.819 Yeah. So those are all signs of Stage two, overwhelmed. Yeah, 271 00:19:30.059 --> 00:19:34.740 and of course those are indications that I won't just say overwhelmed in the sense 272 00:19:34.859 --> 00:19:41.730 that mentally or with ministry, but those are signs that your relationship with the 273 00:19:41.849 --> 00:19:45.809 Lord, yeah, is not what it needs to be in and all of 274 00:19:45.930 --> 00:19:49.569 these you can't give what you don't have, right. And if you've listened 275 00:19:49.609 --> 00:19:52.960 to this podcast for any amount of time, I mean the name of the 276 00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:56.240 Podcast is a Gospel Center, Prayer Life Podcast, you know that for us 277 00:19:56.279 --> 00:19:59.200 the Gospel is at the center of what we do. Right, the Lord 278 00:19:59.200 --> 00:20:02.880 is at the center of what we do, and if we're not connected with 279 00:20:02.960 --> 00:20:06.519 him, then we can't, as we talk about often bring him into the 280 00:20:06.519 --> 00:20:08.910 equation. If he's not in the equation in our lives. Yeah, if 281 00:20:08.950 --> 00:20:12.549 he's not at the center of our lives, then we can't bring him into 282 00:20:12.549 --> 00:20:18.109 the center or encourage these women and these men that we encounter the abortion centers 283 00:20:18.150 --> 00:20:19.950 to bring him into the center of their lives. Very true. So you 284 00:20:21.029 --> 00:20:25.180 can't give what you don't have. So your relationship with the Lord is vital. 285 00:20:25.220 --> 00:20:30.500 It is vital. There is a sense in which we can't do this 286 00:20:30.779 --> 00:20:34.140 ministry. There's a sense in which we are overwhelmed and I think I may 287 00:20:34.180 --> 00:20:37.730 have told you a couple of weeks ago that, you know, I feel 288 00:20:37.730 --> 00:20:41.769 like with this endeavor, with raising up missionaries all across the country, yeah, 289 00:20:41.970 --> 00:20:45.529 that we've bitten off more than we can choose. Right. Yeah, 290 00:20:45.930 --> 00:20:48.250 and you know what? Always feel like that though, ministry. I always 291 00:20:48.410 --> 00:20:53.599 ministries, almost always biting off more than we can chew. But God gives 292 00:20:53.640 --> 00:20:57.319 us strengthen our jaw muscles to chew it. Okay, I like that. 293 00:20:57.440 --> 00:21:00.480 But he also read we are weak, he is strong. That was my 294 00:21:00.599 --> 00:21:04.109 verse today, that was the story that I read today, where we rejoice 295 00:21:04.190 --> 00:21:07.549 in our weakness because then his strength is revealed. Yeah, and I think 296 00:21:07.589 --> 00:21:11.109 we are always sweek. If we're honest, it's not US doing this ministry. 297 00:21:11.230 --> 00:21:15.710 Is Standing there in obedience for God's ministry. Yeah, where the vessels 298 00:21:15.789 --> 00:21:19.660 that he's using? Yeah, absolutely. I think I've shared before on this 299 00:21:19.819 --> 00:21:22.019 podcast. If I haven't, I'll share it again. If I have, 300 00:21:22.099 --> 00:21:27.660 I'll still share it again. When before, just a few months actually, 301 00:21:27.740 --> 00:21:32.259 a few weeks before, I came in full time with cities for life, 302 00:21:32.660 --> 00:21:36.329 back in two thousand and fifteen again, as I mentioned earlier, I worked 303 00:21:36.369 --> 00:21:40.210 for my dad doing hardwood floors and again it's pretty intense, yeah, labor. 304 00:21:40.849 --> 00:21:44.970 But then the Lord called me into this Ministry and into, you know, 305 00:21:45.089 --> 00:21:48.599 are quotes full time ministry, because I do believe that every area of 306 00:21:49.079 --> 00:21:52.839 a Christians life, no matter what work you do, it is full time 307 00:21:52.880 --> 00:21:56.519 ministry. Should be anyway. It should be so. But there is a 308 00:21:56.119 --> 00:22:00.160 vocational ministry, whatever you want to call it. When the word called me 309 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:03.430 to this, I remember texting right before, yeah, right before I was 310 00:22:03.509 --> 00:22:07.950 about to make that transition, I was actually on my hands and heees doing 311 00:22:07.990 --> 00:22:11.390 a set of steps, which is really hard work because you're using kind of 312 00:22:11.829 --> 00:22:15.859 rudimentary tools. You're using US scraper and you're getting this paint off and the 313 00:22:17.180 --> 00:22:19.299 old varnish and stuff off to make these steps look good. I was doing 314 00:22:19.380 --> 00:22:22.460 that. I was by myself actually, because the other guys are gone to 315 00:22:22.460 --> 00:22:26.140 another job anyway, and I was just thinking about this whole thing. I'm 316 00:22:26.140 --> 00:22:30.769 going to take over this ministry. I've never run a nonprofit before, I've 317 00:22:30.809 --> 00:22:34.569 never been the director of a ministry like this. I've never overseen thirty, 318 00:22:34.690 --> 00:22:38.009 forty volunteers. I don't know if I can do this. I'M gonna have 319 00:22:38.049 --> 00:22:41.490 to do fundraising, I'm going to have to reach out to pastures, I'm 320 00:22:41.569 --> 00:22:45.480 going to have to raise up more volunteers, all of this stuff that I've 321 00:22:45.559 --> 00:22:48.759 never really done before, and I'm, you know, crying out to the 322 00:22:48.880 --> 00:22:52.720 Lord, like God him, can I do this and I equipped to do 323 00:22:52.880 --> 00:22:55.799 this, and I remember a voice, you know, in my heart, 324 00:22:55.880 --> 00:22:56.759 in my mind, however you want to say. It was in like a 325 00:22:56.799 --> 00:23:00.910 physical voice, and I knew it was the enemy's voice, though, saying 326 00:23:02.430 --> 00:23:04.750 you can't do this, you're not equipped to do this, you're going to 327 00:23:04.869 --> 00:23:08.190 fail, there's no way you can do this, and I was just like 328 00:23:08.509 --> 00:23:12.059 feeling really in that moment, overwhelmed by that. Oh you know what, 329 00:23:14.019 --> 00:23:18.380 this voice is right, I can't. But some of them rose up in 330 00:23:18.500 --> 00:23:22.460 me in that moment, and I believe it was the Holy Spirit. Yeah, 331 00:23:22.740 --> 00:23:23.859 where I said, you know what, devil, this is like. 332 00:23:25.299 --> 00:23:26.609 Even said this out loud. I was by myself, so it wasn't too 333 00:23:26.650 --> 00:23:30.170 weird and I talked to myself anyway. But at this point I was talking 334 00:23:30.210 --> 00:23:33.049 to the enemy. I was saying, you know what, devil, you're 335 00:23:33.089 --> 00:23:36.609 right. This is a point in which I will agree with you. I 336 00:23:36.650 --> 00:23:40.089 can't do this ministry. I can't do all the things that are necessary, 337 00:23:40.130 --> 00:23:42.160 all the stuff completely outside of my realm of ability. You're right, I 338 00:23:42.279 --> 00:23:45.640 can't, and this is one point where, devil, I will agree with 339 00:23:45.759 --> 00:23:49.200 you. However, I agree also with the word of God that the grace 340 00:23:49.319 --> 00:23:52.880 of God is sufficient. In my weakness, he is strong. So I 341 00:23:52.960 --> 00:23:56.990 can't do this, but I'm not relying on me to do it, I'm 342 00:23:57.069 --> 00:24:00.670 relying on the Lord. So, Haha, devil, take that. Yeah, 343 00:24:00.869 --> 00:24:03.589 and you know, by God's grace, I feel like stepping into this 344 00:24:03.710 --> 00:24:07.829 role. There were things that I was doing that I'd never done before but 345 00:24:08.430 --> 00:24:11.339 began to do well, and of course, I applied myself and some areas 346 00:24:11.380 --> 00:24:15.460 and read some books and got some encouragement from the people. The point of 347 00:24:15.579 --> 00:24:18.259 that is that the grace of God is sufficient, that yes, we might 348 00:24:18.339 --> 00:24:23.809 be stressed and overwhelmed in some areas, but the Lord in His grace is 349 00:24:23.930 --> 00:24:29.329 sufficient through us as we yield to him. The problem is when we let 350 00:24:29.450 --> 00:24:33.730 the stress and we let the overwhelmed feelings take over and we yield to those 351 00:24:33.769 --> 00:24:37.930 things and we say, you know, I am stressed, I am overwhelmed. 352 00:24:37.210 --> 00:24:41.319 The issue is really trying to do this stuff in the flesh, trying 353 00:24:41.359 --> 00:24:44.440 to do it by the strength in the arm of the flesh. We will 354 00:24:44.559 --> 00:24:47.440 fail if we do that. So we have to be in relationship with God. 355 00:24:48.160 --> 00:24:52.279 Always tell people here's the three keys to staying in ministry for me, 356 00:24:52.950 --> 00:24:57.390 and that is stay in prayer, stay in the word and stay in church. 357 00:24:57.950 --> 00:25:03.910 Right because that other dynamic that you spoke about earlier with Moses and Aaron 358 00:25:03.950 --> 00:25:07.299 and her coming by his side, is that we need other people and that 359 00:25:07.420 --> 00:25:11.819 doesn't necessarily always mean that we need other people on the sidewalk with us. 360 00:25:11.819 --> 00:25:15.339 I mean, certainly we want that and certainly that we should have that. 361 00:25:15.420 --> 00:25:18.579 There should be other people instead of US just being out there by ourselves. 362 00:25:18.579 --> 00:25:22.009 Yeah, there should be other people out there with us. Yeah, but 363 00:25:22.130 --> 00:25:25.890 not just in that context. We need other people that are encouraging US along. 364 00:25:26.009 --> 00:25:29.329 You know, we are blessed here locally, me and my wife and 365 00:25:29.410 --> 00:25:33.289 our family at our church, to be encouraged on a regular basis of our 366 00:25:33.410 --> 00:25:37.079 pastors and by the ministry leaders there and even given opportunities to share what God 367 00:25:37.200 --> 00:25:42.119 is doing and just it's awesome. I don't think that I could have made 368 00:25:42.119 --> 00:25:45.759 it without the encouragement that comes from our local church. Yeah, and so 369 00:25:45.880 --> 00:25:49.549 that's an encouragement to you guys and it's one of the reasons why we major. 370 00:25:51.230 --> 00:25:53.390 It's a matter of fact. You can't volunteer with cities for life or 371 00:25:53.509 --> 00:25:56.670 even now love life, unless you're a part of local church. You can't 372 00:25:56.670 --> 00:26:02.309 become one of our missionaries and reaching out of the abortion centers in your city 373 00:26:02.390 --> 00:26:06.500 unless you're part of a local church, because that's a very important component of 374 00:26:06.619 --> 00:26:10.220 getting the accountability and encouragement that you need so that you don't burn out. 375 00:26:10.539 --> 00:26:14.660 Exactly exactly so then, because we don't want you to reach stage three, 376 00:26:14.700 --> 00:26:17.299 Chris Right, we don't want you to be Christy. So you want to 377 00:26:17.339 --> 00:26:21.250 hear what that characterized by? Yeah, it's bad. So it's characterized by 378 00:26:21.289 --> 00:26:26.210 depression, and that's why our discouragement podcast was really it was a symptom, 379 00:26:26.890 --> 00:26:32.250 and maybe a symptom, if you're feeling really discouraged, you may be heading 380 00:26:32.289 --> 00:26:36.799 towards the crispy stage. Yeah, sad knit chronic symptoms. So there are 381 00:26:36.880 --> 00:26:40.319 chronic things going on. All of us feel depressed and discouraged at times. 382 00:26:40.559 --> 00:26:44.119 So I don't mean to say that if you're discouraged that you're necessarily, you 383 00:26:44.240 --> 00:26:48.190 know, about to crispy. Fred right, you're not necessarily, because be 384 00:26:48.309 --> 00:26:52.869 fried yet. But if it's becoming chronic, you are chronically depressed, sadness 385 00:26:52.869 --> 00:26:56.589 or depression, you're feeling at all the time, stomach or bowel problems all 386 00:26:56.710 --> 00:27:03.099 the time, mental fatigue, chronically, physical fatigue, headaches, and these 387 00:27:03.140 --> 00:27:07.539 are all chronic. And a sense of hopelessness. Yeah, hopeless discouragement. 388 00:27:07.579 --> 00:27:11.059 You just feel like this is never going to end. That's a sign you're 389 00:27:11.099 --> 00:27:15.210 on the road to crispy. Yeah, the desire to check out or run 390 00:27:15.289 --> 00:27:21.809 away from friends, work and perhaps even family. Yeah, and then occasional 391 00:27:22.009 --> 00:27:25.089 thoughts about ending your life. You and there are are a lot of pastors 392 00:27:25.130 --> 00:27:30.720 I know do actually either's think of suicide or even attempts suicide or actually do 393 00:27:32.160 --> 00:27:36.240 commit suicide, which is so tragic. These are people who loved God, 394 00:27:36.519 --> 00:27:40.880 poured out their life for God, and then and and with wanting to kill 395 00:27:40.960 --> 00:27:45.029 themselves. Yeah, so terrible state to be in and of course that's an 396 00:27:45.109 --> 00:27:51.109 extreme that's an extreme manifestation. Right. The other things, depression especially, 397 00:27:51.150 --> 00:27:55.470 yeah, and kind of a sense of hopelessness, a sense of disillusionment. 398 00:27:56.109 --> 00:28:00.740 Those are things that really show, Hey, I'm in the burned out stage, 399 00:28:00.940 --> 00:28:04.420 I'm in the crispy stage. Yeah, and you know, I'll just 400 00:28:04.700 --> 00:28:10.099 from a pastor's perspective, because I was a pastor for some years. Would 401 00:28:10.099 --> 00:28:12.650 encourage you to reach out if you're in that stage. Reach out to your 402 00:28:12.690 --> 00:28:18.369 pasture, reach out to close friends, reach out to people who you're accountable 403 00:28:18.490 --> 00:28:22.410 to, godly people, God godly people, people that can give you godly 404 00:28:22.490 --> 00:28:26.250 counsel. Right, and of course acknowledging that you're at that stage is an 405 00:28:26.250 --> 00:28:33.440 important part. And this gravitation towards isolation is a really, really important warning 406 00:28:33.480 --> 00:28:37.079 sign, like if you don't want to be around others, yeah, whereas 407 00:28:37.160 --> 00:28:40.359 before you like to fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ and now you 408 00:28:40.440 --> 00:28:45.269 don't. Yeah, that is a no one one. Emergency isolation is like 409 00:28:45.430 --> 00:28:49.670 a key warning sign. That's why this whole covid thing, I won't go 410 00:28:49.829 --> 00:28:55.819 on that track, this whole covid thing in the isolation and quarantining and all 411 00:28:55.900 --> 00:29:00.099 that stuff is such a difficult thing for many people to deal with, because 412 00:29:00.140 --> 00:29:04.779 isolation is a sign of this and it's a sign. If you've got friends 413 00:29:04.819 --> 00:29:08.019 that are isolating themselves, it's a sign you can pick up on and go 414 00:29:08.059 --> 00:29:11.009 out and reach out to them, you know, but if they're already isolating 415 00:29:11.009 --> 00:29:15.930 themselves anyway, I won't Rabbit trill on that. Yeah, but isolation is 416 00:29:15.970 --> 00:29:21.210 a sign of some very, very deep thing. So if that's you, 417 00:29:21.450 --> 00:29:25.559 if you're dealing with that, reach out to your pastor reach out to people 418 00:29:25.599 --> 00:29:29.920 around you, people that are involved in the ministry that you're involved in. 419 00:29:30.359 --> 00:29:33.640 Hey, reach out to me, reach out to Vicky. Let us know. 420 00:29:33.759 --> 00:29:36.799 We want to encourage you best we can. Obviously, if we're a 421 00:29:36.880 --> 00:29:40.150 good bit of distance away, I'd be hard for us to do any kind 422 00:29:40.190 --> 00:29:41.910 of in depth, but we'd certainly love to talk with you and encourage you. 423 00:29:42.430 --> 00:29:47.630 But that connection to your local church is the most important connection that I 424 00:29:47.710 --> 00:29:51.910 think a person can have, beyond obviously direct family members and that sort of 425 00:29:51.990 --> 00:29:56.779 thing. Yeah, yeah, the the statistics are pretty staggering. Okay, 426 00:29:56.900 --> 00:30:02.259 fifteen hundred pastors. These are about pastors specifically, so don't des Ring. 427 00:30:02.299 --> 00:30:06.819 They tell us as sidewalk counselors. Necessarily, but I think you can probably 428 00:30:06.859 --> 00:30:11.769 see a similar, I don't know, similar trend your example. We do 429 00:30:11.970 --> 00:30:17.849 lose a lot of sidewalk counselors. Yeah, regular basis and and oftentimes the 430 00:30:18.210 --> 00:30:19.970 the reason is burn out. There burnt out, they've had it. So 431 00:30:21.170 --> 00:30:26.279 fifteen hundred pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burn 432 00:30:26.359 --> 00:30:32.160 out or contention in their churches. Fifty percent are so discouraged that they would 433 00:30:32.160 --> 00:30:33.880 leave the ministry if they could. Not all of them can. Sometimes they 434 00:30:34.000 --> 00:30:37.710 just have no other financial, yeah, way to survive, so they don't. 435 00:30:38.309 --> 00:30:42.309 Seventy percent said the only time they spend studying the word is when they're 436 00:30:42.309 --> 00:30:47.390 preparing their sermons. Yeah, so, now that depends on how long they 437 00:30:47.430 --> 00:30:51.099 take to prepare their sermons. But but they're not in the word outside of 438 00:30:51.180 --> 00:30:55.140 right. It's almost like this. Yeah, they're viewing God's word as their 439 00:30:55.180 --> 00:30:57.099 job, right, which is a, you know, horrible place to be 440 00:30:57.220 --> 00:31:02.220 in as a yeah, that's truly awesome saying it. They're thirty five percent 441 00:31:02.339 --> 00:31:06.970 more likely to be terminated pastors if they work less than fifty hours weekly. 442 00:31:07.250 --> 00:31:11.529 So isn't that interesting? It's the very system is is asking for them to 443 00:31:11.690 --> 00:31:17.650 put in outrageous amounts of yeah, him, and I think that not that 444 00:31:17.690 --> 00:31:22.119 any kind of leadership is asking sidewalk counselors to do that, but I think 445 00:31:22.160 --> 00:31:26.079 that stress is put on US ourselves. Yeah, because there's never enough time. 446 00:31:26.160 --> 00:31:30.440 You can never put in enough time. Yeah, I'll share with you 447 00:31:30.519 --> 00:31:33.069 a dynamic that actually helped me, and this is this is maybe a word 448 00:31:33.109 --> 00:31:37.390 of wisdom for you guys and a principle that will help those who are you 449 00:31:37.470 --> 00:31:41.029 may be on the verge of burnout or just feeling maybe like you're seeing some 450 00:31:41.109 --> 00:31:44.470 of these signs or symptoms in your life or you want to guard yourself against 451 00:31:44.470 --> 00:31:49.259 it. Is Get yourself an accountability, encourage your person. Yeah, somebody 452 00:31:49.299 --> 00:31:52.980 I think you know as a young man. Actually, I'm not terribly young, 453 00:31:53.140 --> 00:32:00.140 forty years old, but younger guys find yourself an older man of God. 454 00:32:00.380 --> 00:32:02.609 Somebody's been walking with God for a long time, whether they've been a 455 00:32:02.690 --> 00:32:07.890 pastor or a pastor or just you know, somebody's a serious believer, right. 456 00:32:07.970 --> 00:32:10.170 You don't want some you know, just nominal Christian, because that's not 457 00:32:10.210 --> 00:32:13.289 going to be very helpful. But it's my is walking with God, an 458 00:32:13.329 --> 00:32:16.200 older man and ask him. Will you have lunch with me? We have 459 00:32:16.319 --> 00:32:21.079 breaks. Will you have call for you with me once a month and ask 460 00:32:21.240 --> 00:32:23.799 me some questions. How am I doing with my walk with God? How 461 00:32:23.839 --> 00:32:27.799 am I doing with my relationship to my wife? Ask Me, you know, 462 00:32:27.839 --> 00:32:30.309 I asked I actually have my accountability guy who is a pastor, yeah, 463 00:32:30.509 --> 00:32:34.630 and he's a little older than me, and he asked me these questions. 464 00:32:34.670 --> 00:32:36.750 We got through, we talking. I just kind of spill the stuff 465 00:32:36.789 --> 00:32:39.190 out to him. Somebody that you con vent to, somebody you can talk 466 00:32:39.309 --> 00:32:43.309 to, somebody you can bounce things off of, and I do that once 467 00:32:43.430 --> 00:32:46.539 a month and that is been very helpful for me. So that's something I 468 00:32:46.779 --> 00:32:51.180 want to encourage you guys with. Have somebody that can they can hold you 469 00:32:51.220 --> 00:32:53.819 accountable and encourage you in those areas. Yeah, that can be very helpful 470 00:32:54.180 --> 00:32:59.730 to keep you from getting to that level of problems. It's actually one of 471 00:32:59.809 --> 00:33:02.569 the when we get to the solutions, that it's actually one of the suggestions 472 00:33:02.809 --> 00:33:06.289 is an accountability partner. I don't know if they call it that. I 473 00:33:06.410 --> 00:33:09.049 like that word, though. There's an encourage your really hurage, you're really 474 00:33:09.130 --> 00:33:15.319 yeah, well, so with that. Yeah, this my encourager guy shared 475 00:33:15.400 --> 00:33:22.920 with me this dynamic that happens in again, are quotes fulltime ministry. Is 476 00:33:22.039 --> 00:33:27.789 What happens, especially with men, is we're made to work, to do 477 00:33:27.910 --> 00:33:31.710 physical labor. We're made to and this is how I was again with hardwood 478 00:33:31.710 --> 00:33:36.470 floors, and I make the comparison there because these are two very different series 479 00:33:36.509 --> 00:33:38.109 of work. Yeah, is it. When I did a hardwood floor, 480 00:33:38.430 --> 00:33:43.380 I could step back and with all my physical labor and stuff and sweat and 481 00:33:43.460 --> 00:33:45.059 tears and sometimes blood that I put into that, I could step back and 482 00:33:45.099 --> 00:33:49.259 say look, I produced that. There's that beautiful floor right. Here's that 483 00:33:49.339 --> 00:33:52.660 beautiful floor, the result of your weaver. There's that happy customer, yeah, 484 00:33:52.700 --> 00:33:55.329 and all of that, and I can step back and say, with 485 00:33:55.529 --> 00:34:00.089 my physical work, I produced that right, and I could have a physical 486 00:34:00.250 --> 00:34:04.210 product to look at. Yeah, with ministry it's oftentimes not like that. 487 00:34:04.410 --> 00:34:07.449 Yeah, and so what we do is is, because we can't point to 488 00:34:07.530 --> 00:34:12.719 a physical thing that we produced, we sort of feel guilty that we've not 489 00:34:12.840 --> 00:34:15.880 really produced much right. And sometimes it can be discouraging because, you know, 490 00:34:15.960 --> 00:34:20.480 this area of ministry, maybe we saw, you know, a hundred 491 00:34:20.480 --> 00:34:24.550 and fifty moms go into the abortion center and only praise God with it's like 492 00:34:24.710 --> 00:34:29.429 last week we had eight babies that were saved, but that was amongst so 493 00:34:29.550 --> 00:34:31.190 many others that weren't saved, and that can be like, okay, we 494 00:34:31.309 --> 00:34:36.150 didn't really produce much anything right, and it can be discouraging and and all 495 00:34:36.190 --> 00:34:38.659 of that, and we can look at the negative and we get discouraged by 496 00:34:38.780 --> 00:34:45.260 that. And so what we'll do is to compensate is will put more hours 497 00:34:45.340 --> 00:34:49.019 in then we even normally would with the job that involves physical that's what I 498 00:34:49.099 --> 00:34:51.900 do personally. I'm just stayed longer, just thinking, well, maybe the 499 00:34:51.980 --> 00:34:53.530 next one that leaves is going to tell me she changed her mind, yeah, 500 00:34:53.570 --> 00:34:57.570 and chose life. And and so, yeah, you're putting in more 501 00:34:57.610 --> 00:35:00.449 and more hours, you're becoming more and more kind of stress. Yes, 502 00:35:00.570 --> 00:35:04.010 often times you don't see the results, Ye, or you don't take it. 503 00:35:04.210 --> 00:35:07.360 You don't take a day to disconnect from ministry because you feel guilty. 504 00:35:07.400 --> 00:35:12.559 So we're driven by guilt. Guilt is a terrible driver for any kind of 505 00:35:12.800 --> 00:35:15.079 ministry or work or anything. We should not be driven by guilt, right, 506 00:35:15.679 --> 00:35:19.480 but guilt will set in if we don't feel like we've produced something. 507 00:35:19.840 --> 00:35:22.949 will try to overcompensate with putting more hours in, maybe even given ourselves busy 508 00:35:22.989 --> 00:35:27.550 work or something like that, and we really have to guard against that and 509 00:35:27.710 --> 00:35:30.110 that's one of the things that my accountability guy asked me about. Are you 510 00:35:30.190 --> 00:35:35.150 spending time with your family or you spend in time disconnected from ministry? Because 511 00:35:35.190 --> 00:35:37.820 the if, if you don't, you're going to crash and burn. I 512 00:35:37.940 --> 00:35:43.980 think one of the things that you're talking about is unrealistic expectations and that is 513 00:35:44.380 --> 00:35:46.500 one of the things that spurlock list as a major cause and for me, 514 00:35:47.380 --> 00:35:52.650 that to me, is one of the major causes of burnout in our sort 515 00:35:52.690 --> 00:35:58.409 of ministry. Unrealistic expectations. Yeah, so on the sidewalk, the unrealistic 516 00:35:58.449 --> 00:36:01.530 expectation of brand new person that I was training today said. So, how 517 00:36:01.570 --> 00:36:06.760 many saves, saved babies, do you see every day? As though we 518 00:36:07.079 --> 00:36:10.480 necessarily see us saved baby every day. Yeah, now, we often do, 519 00:36:12.599 --> 00:36:15.320 but to put the expectation that, Oh, if we don't see one 520 00:36:15.440 --> 00:36:21.710 point five saved babies every day, then somehow we failed. So the expectations 521 00:36:21.829 --> 00:36:27.510 can sometimes not be realistic and can be one of the causes of burnout. 522 00:36:27.590 --> 00:36:32.139 Yeah, bad theology is another one that spurlock mentions and he specifically talks about 523 00:36:32.940 --> 00:36:37.260 when we have a workspace. Yeah, theology. Yeah, absolutely agree with 524 00:36:37.340 --> 00:36:42.820 that. If we're trying to earn our way to salvation, yes, something 525 00:36:42.900 --> 00:36:45.500 like that, and you can even be a subtlety in or back of our 526 00:36:45.579 --> 00:36:49.210 minds. Yeah, that we're trying to maybe cover up past sins, and 527 00:36:49.289 --> 00:36:52.650 that's especially true people that have abortion in their past. Yeah, whether it 528 00:36:52.730 --> 00:36:55.690 be a man that took his girlfriend, you know, in college or something 529 00:36:55.730 --> 00:36:59.210 for an abortion, right for an abortion, or a woman who actually had 530 00:36:59.250 --> 00:37:01.199 an abortion. Right, is it in the back of our minds, though 531 00:37:01.199 --> 00:37:06.280 we know salvation is by grace through faith. Yeah, we could be out 532 00:37:06.280 --> 00:37:09.559 there on the sidewalk work into chatter, I don't know, chat to redeem 533 00:37:09.599 --> 00:37:14.840 our appoint exactly, and actually he lists that is that's so prevalent that he 534 00:37:14.920 --> 00:37:17.030 listed as a whole second category. Yeah, for burnout. He calls it 535 00:37:17.110 --> 00:37:23.110 misplaced priorities, identity, identity, value and worth. So are worth is 536 00:37:23.150 --> 00:37:27.949 in question, something that happened in the past, and an abortion can do 537 00:37:28.070 --> 00:37:30.500 that. Yeah, and and you are no longer worthy. And so maybe 538 00:37:30.579 --> 00:37:36.739 you can learn God's favor by helping others not to have an abortion. Yeah, 539 00:37:36.820 --> 00:37:40.340 and while it there are reasons why a post aboard of woman should be 540 00:37:40.380 --> 00:37:45.210 out on the sidewalk helping others not to choose abortion, it's not because her 541 00:37:45.289 --> 00:37:49.010 worth is tied up in whether she's out there helping them or not. Yeah. 542 00:37:49.329 --> 00:37:52.449 So another one is poor. I think this is a huge one. 543 00:37:52.530 --> 00:37:59.280 Also, poor work and personal boundaries. And and by that, for example, 544 00:38:00.119 --> 00:38:05.599 someone tells you I've got this mom who just called, then her sister 545 00:38:05.840 --> 00:38:08.400 and her cousin, and all three of them are in unplanned pregnancies and all 546 00:38:08.440 --> 00:38:14.030 three of them need someone to talk to them today. And if someone came 547 00:38:14.150 --> 00:38:17.030 to me, the old me would have said okay, yeah, the new 548 00:38:17.150 --> 00:38:21.869 me says no, I can't, you can't. I will see if I 549 00:38:21.909 --> 00:38:25.630 can find three people that would maybe be willing to. But setting boundaries and 550 00:38:25.829 --> 00:38:34.579 learning to say no is really, really important. Right. And what is 551 00:38:34.659 --> 00:38:37.579 one of the reasons why that we wouldn't say no? Well, you don't 552 00:38:37.579 --> 00:38:40.300 want to let people down. Yeah, you don't want disappointment, you don't 553 00:38:40.340 --> 00:38:45.730 want conflict and you don't want Miss Perceptions. I know people invite me to 554 00:38:46.730 --> 00:38:51.489 so many things. I train a lot of volunteers. Yeah, I know 555 00:38:51.809 --> 00:38:57.400 a lot of people and if I said Yes to every invitation I would never 556 00:38:57.519 --> 00:39:00.960 have a second to myself, and I'm an introvert. I need a lone 557 00:39:00.039 --> 00:39:05.280 time. Yeah, so I have had to learn to just say no. 558 00:39:05.800 --> 00:39:08.079 Yesterday someone said, Gosh, you should really come and visit our church and 559 00:39:08.360 --> 00:39:12.789 and I'm sitting there thinking I could smile and say sure, one day I 560 00:39:12.869 --> 00:39:15.429 will, but in the back of my mind I was saying another invitation, 561 00:39:15.510 --> 00:39:20.670 I can't do it. And finally I just said thank you so much, 562 00:39:20.829 --> 00:39:23.739 but I just want to be honest with you. No, yeah, I'm 563 00:39:23.780 --> 00:39:27.300 sorry, I'm not going to go visit your church. I've a church I 564 00:39:27.380 --> 00:39:32.059 really love and I'm going to go to my church on Sundays. So poor 565 00:39:32.139 --> 00:39:36.380 work and person boundaries really key, really key. I mean one of the 566 00:39:36.500 --> 00:39:39.090 personal boundaries can be, you know, if we're dealing with a mom that 567 00:39:39.170 --> 00:39:45.570 chose life. We've certainly dealt with situations where this mom needs housing. Yeah, 568 00:39:45.769 --> 00:39:49.409 and we've had counselors, and I'm not saying that they shouldn't have done 569 00:39:49.409 --> 00:39:51.969 this, but I know as for me and my family, there's no way 570 00:39:52.409 --> 00:39:55.519 it would have been a bad decision for me to say yes, I'll allow 571 00:39:55.599 --> 00:39:59.280 this mom to stay at my house. Now we again we've had counselors that 572 00:39:59.440 --> 00:40:01.960 have opened up their houses to a mom that has chosen live. Of Praise 573 00:40:02.000 --> 00:40:06.559 God, some people can do that. They know their boundaries and it what 574 00:40:06.719 --> 00:40:08.110 I know from the stories, it went well. Praise God for that. 575 00:40:08.309 --> 00:40:12.590 Yeah, but as for me and my family, that's not something I'm going 576 00:40:12.590 --> 00:40:15.789 to be able to do. I've got, you know, a lot going 577 00:40:15.829 --> 00:40:20.550 on just in my daily life and I don't you know, I've got up 578 00:40:20.630 --> 00:40:23.420 family of ten, so I don't really have the room practically. Also got 579 00:40:23.500 --> 00:40:27.340 young children in the safety is Shue. We don't know these people. They're 580 00:40:27.380 --> 00:40:30.460 strangers that he would be asking into our home. You're taking a chance. 581 00:40:30.659 --> 00:40:34.500 So I've made the decision. Me and my wife and even talking about it, 582 00:40:34.539 --> 00:40:37.809 and we have dabbled, I think, mainly driven by guilt, with 583 00:40:37.969 --> 00:40:42.530 the idea, but we've said no, this is not something that we're able 584 00:40:42.570 --> 00:40:45.730 to do. That's just not wisdom for us. Is there some time in 585 00:40:45.730 --> 00:40:49.170 the future, or maybe some of the kids are out of the house and 586 00:40:49.610 --> 00:40:52.679 they grow up and have their own families and all of that, we will 587 00:40:52.679 --> 00:40:54.760 be able to open our door? Yeah, maybe, maybe, sometime in 588 00:40:54.800 --> 00:40:58.280 the future, yeah, that will be wisdom for us, but for now 589 00:40:58.320 --> 00:41:00.280 it's not. That's just a boundary that we've said not going to be taken 590 00:41:00.280 --> 00:41:05.110 a mom into our home. Now, thankfully there are people that can, 591 00:41:05.469 --> 00:41:09.110 their ministries that can, so you know that resources available. Yes, setting 592 00:41:09.190 --> 00:41:14.989 personal boundaries sometimes does mean saying no to people who are asking wonderful things and 593 00:41:15.150 --> 00:41:19.699 asking really loving and good things of you. I get request all the time. 594 00:41:19.900 --> 00:41:21.739 Hey, I'd love to go hiking with you, a I'd love to 595 00:41:21.780 --> 00:41:25.380 go kayaking with you. That, for me is something in most cases I 596 00:41:25.460 --> 00:41:30.139 would rather not do again. My hiking, my kayaking are things I do 597 00:41:30.380 --> 00:41:35.329 you alone. To get with God. Part of my how I recharge. 598 00:41:35.369 --> 00:41:38.289 I've talked about that before, and if I filled it with other people being 599 00:41:38.409 --> 00:41:44.690 with me in those activities, I would lose that recharging benefit. If then 600 00:41:44.809 --> 00:41:49.599 becomes social which for me is kind of an energy drainer. Yeah, I 601 00:41:49.719 --> 00:41:52.239 can do it and I know I should do it and I love it in 602 00:41:52.400 --> 00:41:54.519 limited doses, but I don't love it full time and I have had to 603 00:41:54.639 --> 00:41:59.360 learn to say no to that. So say no without feeling guilty. It's 604 00:41:59.360 --> 00:42:02.750 an important part of setting personal boundaries. And then the final leading cause of 605 00:42:02.829 --> 00:42:07.829 burned out is inadequate selfcare. We're not eating right, we're not sleeping right, 606 00:42:07.070 --> 00:42:12.309 we're not exercising. Yeah, we're not giving ourselves rest, not just 607 00:42:12.510 --> 00:42:16.059 sleep, but when you're not sleeping, rest, yeah, like a sabbath 608 00:42:16.179 --> 00:42:20.619 rest. Sure. Yeah. Well, one of the things is just rest 609 00:42:20.699 --> 00:42:23.820 of your heart and your mind, because this ministry and Ministry in general is 610 00:42:24.300 --> 00:42:31.969 very emotional and very mental. To disconnect from ministry, and a point that 611 00:42:32.050 --> 00:42:37.090 I was kind of tracking with earlier is that ministry never stops. It doesn't 612 00:42:37.090 --> 00:42:42.050 matter how much you try to disconnect. The reality is you're not just working 613 00:42:42.289 --> 00:42:46.159 forty, fifty, sixty hours a week, you're working the entire week, 614 00:42:46.679 --> 00:42:50.920 you're working every hour. Ministry is always going on in your heart, in 615 00:42:50.960 --> 00:42:53.880 your mind. But as best you can, and this is what my accountability 616 00:42:54.000 --> 00:42:58.159 Guy told me, a matter of fact, the first couple of months when 617 00:42:58.199 --> 00:43:00.869 I came in with cities for life, I was starting to get in these 618 00:43:01.070 --> 00:43:05.829 areas right and even maybe getting close to the crispy area, yeah, where 619 00:43:05.829 --> 00:43:07.110 I'm starting to think, okay, should I really even be doing this, 620 00:43:07.670 --> 00:43:12.590 because I was trying to be out there on the sidewalk every day and I 621 00:43:12.710 --> 00:43:16.579 didn't have a day to just disconnect. And then my accountability guide told me, 622 00:43:16.659 --> 00:43:20.179 Hey, man, you need to take a day where you're not out 623 00:43:20.179 --> 00:43:22.820 there, where you're not involved in ministry, where you're disconnecting. Yeah, 624 00:43:23.260 --> 00:43:27.690 you can't save the world. God don't need you, he's using you, 625 00:43:27.969 --> 00:43:30.889 but we get in this mentality like we think we're more important than we are. 626 00:43:30.369 --> 00:43:35.050 If he wouldn't encourage me in that and told me to disconnect and take 627 00:43:35.090 --> 00:43:38.769 a day off, then because you know, in certainly Sunday would be a 628 00:43:38.849 --> 00:43:42.840 day off, but if you're in ministry like this and you're trying to share 629 00:43:42.880 --> 00:43:45.639 with pastors and you're you're always asked to speak at churches and you're asked to 630 00:43:45.719 --> 00:43:50.760 reach out in these different contexts. So even on my Sundays I wasn't disconnected 631 00:43:50.920 --> 00:43:53.760 right, and so I started taking a day of the week off and that 632 00:43:54.079 --> 00:43:59.389 just change my life and I disconnected completely. And now to the point where 633 00:43:59.750 --> 00:44:05.110 you my cell phone is not even yeah, my access and then be important. 634 00:44:05.389 --> 00:44:07.510 The beauty of that is not only what it does for you, but 635 00:44:07.670 --> 00:44:09.659 what it does for others, because I have find I I agree with you. 636 00:44:09.820 --> 00:44:13.500 I think there's a lot of pride wrapped up in well, I can't 637 00:44:13.539 --> 00:44:15.420 take a day off. I'm too important, too important. God needs me. 638 00:44:15.659 --> 00:44:19.300 No one can do it. I do. But when you decide, 639 00:44:19.340 --> 00:44:22.980 okay, I have to take a day off for myself preservation, well, 640 00:44:22.980 --> 00:44:24.730 you usually have to delegate. Yeah, and what that does is it gives 641 00:44:24.809 --> 00:44:30.289 other people an opportunity to shine, to step up and to recognize their skills 642 00:44:30.730 --> 00:44:36.690 and the the joy of the benefits of ministry. Yes, sometimes we don't 643 00:44:36.690 --> 00:44:39.360 give them because we we think we can do it better. Right, yeah, 644 00:44:39.480 --> 00:44:45.159 exactly. So, so, yeah. So, what are some recovery 645 00:44:45.239 --> 00:44:49.480 tips if you're in this, I mean the the the biggest really recommendation that 646 00:44:49.519 --> 00:44:53.949 they make is don't get to the crispy stage if you can kind of see 647 00:44:53.989 --> 00:44:58.710 it coming. But what if you get there? What if you end up 648 00:44:58.750 --> 00:45:02.710 at the crispy stage? So so here's some recovery tips good. I believe 649 00:45:02.829 --> 00:45:07.699 this. Second author, Halleran, suggested spend time in prayer, in the 650 00:45:07.739 --> 00:45:12.619 word, more time and praying the word regain a lost vision for the ministry. 651 00:45:12.659 --> 00:45:15.539 I think that's a really good one. Okay, I get that every 652 00:45:15.780 --> 00:45:17.699 almost at least several times a week, or at least once a week, 653 00:45:17.739 --> 00:45:22.090 because I train new volunteers and I have to tell them what the vision for 654 00:45:22.170 --> 00:45:25.170 the ministry is. So I'm kind of getting that renewal of the Vision for 655 00:45:25.210 --> 00:45:30.090 the ministry on a regular basis. But I think it's very important to do 656 00:45:30.329 --> 00:45:34.849 that on your own. Stop comparing yourself to others. Facebook can be very 657 00:45:34.889 --> 00:45:37.559 damn oh yeah, absolutely. Every time I look at facebook I think, 658 00:45:38.079 --> 00:45:43.119 what do they have that I don't have? Why are there stories so wonderful? 659 00:45:43.280 --> 00:45:45.599 Why do they look so good? What is wrong with yeah, and 660 00:45:45.719 --> 00:45:50.150 I think that that is the danger of facebook for all of the there are 661 00:45:50.230 --> 00:45:53.829 good things with social media, but that's the danger develop Oh and in our 662 00:45:53.909 --> 00:46:00.909 ministry. Stop comparing yourself to others. Someone's value on the sidewalk is not 663 00:46:00.070 --> 00:46:05.739 determined by how many people they have seen saved. Yeah, by how many 664 00:46:05.820 --> 00:46:10.019 babies they have seen saved, by how many hours they're out there. That's 665 00:46:10.139 --> 00:46:15.380 that is not how God views their worth or their value, and so you 666 00:46:15.539 --> 00:46:21.289 shouldn't view your worth or value in that way either. Are you being obedient 667 00:46:21.409 --> 00:46:23.210 to God? Right, that's, I think, probably the most really big 668 00:46:23.289 --> 00:46:28.849 creous and obedience to the Lord. Yeah, and that's where you're worth, 669 00:46:29.010 --> 00:46:31.130 is in glorifying God. Are You doing that? Yeah, one of the 670 00:46:31.170 --> 00:46:37.000 things I'll say here as a sad note along those lines, because you might 671 00:46:37.119 --> 00:46:39.159 be, and I've had people reach out to me, you might be looking 672 00:46:39.199 --> 00:46:43.920 at what we're doing here in Charlotte, what God is doing, and you 673 00:46:44.360 --> 00:46:46.429 we're seeing. We just like I said, eight babies were saved last week, 674 00:46:46.429 --> 00:46:51.710 and some people that are out there it maybe even more hours than our 675 00:46:51.789 --> 00:46:54.949 teams are here, are not seen as many baby saved. There's different reasons 676 00:46:54.989 --> 00:46:58.829 for that. Is it because we're more effective, because we've got this all 677 00:46:58.869 --> 00:47:00.860 figured out of notice? Oh well, of course, yeah, we got 678 00:47:00.980 --> 00:47:05.139 it. Oh well, listen, we've learned some stuff and we certainly want 679 00:47:05.179 --> 00:47:08.340 to. This reason why we started the sidewalks for life website, because we 680 00:47:08.500 --> 00:47:12.940 want to help people to be most effective. Yeah, but there's other just 681 00:47:13.139 --> 00:47:16.090 practical things to you know, we've got down the road from the latrobe abortion 682 00:47:16.170 --> 00:47:19.530 clinic. One of the things is they do a lot of abortions. But 683 00:47:19.610 --> 00:47:22.369 that's true. It's the busiest abortion center in the southeast. So you're going 684 00:47:22.449 --> 00:47:24.730 to see there's so much traffic. Yeah, there is a lot of traffic. 685 00:47:24.929 --> 00:47:29.050 So if you're at an abortion and clinic that doesn't do as many abortions, 686 00:47:29.130 --> 00:47:34.199 and obviously there's going to be some differences, but also the scenario itself, 687 00:47:34.360 --> 00:47:37.119 we actually have access to be able to talk to the patients. There's 688 00:47:37.119 --> 00:47:42.239 an abortion center not far from here on windover that our friend Elijah reaches out 689 00:47:42.239 --> 00:47:45.630 at. Yeah, and it's far from the main road there where he has 690 00:47:45.670 --> 00:47:50.309 actually a public access. Yeah, and also it's a part of a business 691 00:47:50.349 --> 00:47:53.349 complex, or this abortion center is also associated with other businesses there. So 692 00:47:53.510 --> 00:47:57.630 you don't know who's going in for an abortion who's going in to get their 693 00:47:57.670 --> 00:48:00.900 teeth cleaned or something like that. So that makes it more difficult. And 694 00:48:01.260 --> 00:48:07.860 so and it's a lower volume abortion center to so the interactions are going to 695 00:48:07.940 --> 00:48:12.340 be less. So there's reasons why. So don't let that, which God 696 00:48:12.460 --> 00:48:16.170 intends to be an encouragement to you that God is saving babies on the trope 697 00:48:16.170 --> 00:48:20.969 drive or whatever other abortion center you're looking at and people are doing things for 698 00:48:21.050 --> 00:48:22.489 the Lord out there and you're seeing, they're seeing a lot of baby saved. 699 00:48:22.730 --> 00:48:25.889 Doesn't meant to be an encouragement to you rather than discouragement to you? 700 00:48:27.440 --> 00:48:29.880 So don't let that, which is intended to be an encouragement, become a 701 00:48:30.000 --> 00:48:32.480 discouragement to you. Be encouraged that if God is doing it here, he's 702 00:48:32.519 --> 00:48:37.480 going to do it there. And even if you aren't seeing with your own 703 00:48:37.519 --> 00:48:42.590 physical eyes and confirming that babies are saved, I promise you your faithful out 704 00:48:43.110 --> 00:48:45.949 faithfulness out there, God is honoring it and babies are being saved in the 705 00:48:45.989 --> 00:48:50.789 Gospel is being proclaimed and you might not find out about some of these babies 706 00:48:50.829 --> 00:48:53.070 being saved until you stand before the Lord, but that's when it really matters 707 00:48:53.110 --> 00:48:57.900 anyway. So be faithful what God has called Youtube. If there are some 708 00:48:58.099 --> 00:49:01.420 things that you can change and maybe do a little more effectively than you do 709 00:49:01.619 --> 00:49:06.179 those things, but it's likely not that. It's likely there's some other things 710 00:49:06.260 --> 00:49:09.650 going on. So it's be encouraged. Yeah, good advice. So he 711 00:49:09.769 --> 00:49:14.449 also has focus on the positive and have fun. Yeah, and it's not 712 00:49:14.610 --> 00:49:19.210 like we should be dancing and laughing and and being inappropriate, but to joke 713 00:49:19.289 --> 00:49:22.849 with each other and to to find joy in the Lord with each other, 714 00:49:22.969 --> 00:49:27.800 I think is a critical part of not burning out. You're doing a very 715 00:49:28.039 --> 00:49:32.679 depressing in some ways and heavy ministry when you're a sidewalk counselor. But there 716 00:49:32.679 --> 00:49:37.719 are there, always are positives. Yeah, sometimes you have to look for 717 00:49:37.840 --> 00:49:43.269 them, but they're always there and having a sense of enjoyment of the people 718 00:49:43.389 --> 00:49:46.269 that you're out there with or enjoyment in the simple pleasures. There was a 719 00:49:46.389 --> 00:49:50.829 breeze today and it's a little bit cooler at those sorts of things, rather 720 00:49:50.869 --> 00:49:55.340 than focusing always on the sorrow and negative, absolutely keeping an optimistic outlook. 721 00:49:55.380 --> 00:50:00.619 Yeah, I know some of the deepest relationships that I have been able to 722 00:50:00.699 --> 00:50:04.059 cultivate have been out there on the side of Ye. We can enjoy each 723 00:50:04.059 --> 00:50:06.780 other. Yeah, we can have the joy of the Lord, we can 724 00:50:06.860 --> 00:50:09.449 encourage each other, we can share funny stories and things that are going on 725 00:50:09.570 --> 00:50:14.730 in our lives. We of course, don't need to be laughing like crazy 726 00:50:14.769 --> 00:50:17.050 people out there and chuckling and all of that, and we need there's a 727 00:50:17.130 --> 00:50:21.679 somber attitude that we need to have out there. Yes, certainly, but 728 00:50:21.840 --> 00:50:24.760 we can enjoy each other, we can talk, we can have fun, 729 00:50:24.920 --> 00:50:30.039 we can even sometimes we might crack a joke here and there, because we're 730 00:50:30.039 --> 00:50:34.119 human beings and we love each other and we love the Lord. We need 731 00:50:34.199 --> 00:50:37.429 to be intentional. We encourage our volunteers here locally to be intentional about encouraging 732 00:50:37.750 --> 00:50:42.710 each other. Right and so just. I mean we have biblical discussions out 733 00:50:42.710 --> 00:50:45.670 there. They're not heated, we're not trying to get in debate with one 734 00:50:45.710 --> 00:50:49.789 another, but we talk and we grow. Yeah, there on the sidewalk 735 00:50:49.869 --> 00:50:52.420 never group as much as as being a sidewalk. Yes, absolutely, in 736 00:50:52.500 --> 00:50:59.579 the so many wonderful spiritual discussions, this is a good one. Expressing gratitude 737 00:51:00.099 --> 00:51:02.980 not only to the Lord, as mostly to the Lord, but to each 738 00:51:02.980 --> 00:51:06.769 other. Hey, I'm just so thankful that you're out there. Yeah, 739 00:51:06.769 --> 00:51:10.210 I appreciate you so much, but at when you have an attitude of gratitude 740 00:51:10.210 --> 00:51:14.929 it becomes hard to be depressed. Yeah, you know, if you're expressing 741 00:51:15.010 --> 00:51:21.000 thankfulness then it just instantly do ease your your mood out there. I know 742 00:51:21.159 --> 00:51:23.159 one of the things I like to say around my house I like to pretend 743 00:51:23.159 --> 00:51:28.360 that I coined this phrase, but I don't think that I did. But 744 00:51:28.599 --> 00:51:32.469 your attitude determines your altitude. Your attitude determines your altitude. If you have 745 00:51:32.550 --> 00:51:37.429 a bad attitude, you're going to be low and man and everything's terrible. 746 00:51:37.469 --> 00:51:40.230 If you have a good attitude, yeah, your altitude is going to be 747 00:51:40.269 --> 00:51:44.550 high. You can be happy, you can to soar above the garbage that's 748 00:51:44.590 --> 00:51:46.900 going on right and you're going to see the good from a different perspective. 749 00:51:46.940 --> 00:51:52.699 So your attitude can determine your altitude, and an attitude of gratitude will help 750 00:51:52.739 --> 00:51:55.619 you sore high about that. That's sounding night. I wrote a book about 751 00:51:55.619 --> 00:52:00.300 a tower builder, okay, whose name is Tony, one of the most 752 00:52:00.380 --> 00:52:04.210 optimistic people I have ever met, and he used to tell me one of 753 00:52:04.329 --> 00:52:08.050 his things, his little mantras, was I get high being high, because 754 00:52:08.090 --> 00:52:13.769 he would climb heat. He's the Empire State Building Tower, okay, Maintenance 755 00:52:13.849 --> 00:52:16.400 Guy, tower whatever, not metance guy, that design er whatever. So 756 00:52:17.280 --> 00:52:20.760 he gets high being high, high, high, up in the air and 757 00:52:20.880 --> 00:52:23.960 what to most of us would be one of those terrifying things places we could 758 00:52:23.960 --> 00:52:29.639 possibly be. He finds joy in just being high up above and seeing the 759 00:52:29.719 --> 00:52:34.630 things that no one else has seen. Yeah, so gratitude, gratitude for 760 00:52:34.869 --> 00:52:37.389 what you do have, because they have plenty of plenty of absolute things. 761 00:52:37.469 --> 00:52:44.380 Always okay, and and so we'll get to like though, the last one 762 00:52:44.699 --> 00:52:46.699 that I that I really can relate to, and I think it's very important. 763 00:52:46.780 --> 00:52:50.820 Do activities that energize you. Yeah, for me it's Kayaking, for 764 00:52:50.860 --> 00:52:53.139 you it might be something else, but you really need that's one of the 765 00:52:53.219 --> 00:53:00.090 biggest remedies outside of scripture. So I know we're kind of running along here, 766 00:53:00.250 --> 00:53:02.730 but maybe we could hit on either a scriptural story or some scriptures that 767 00:53:02.809 --> 00:53:07.570 that can encourage us that you do not need to wallow in this place of 768 00:53:07.650 --> 00:53:14.400 burnout. You really can find God's help. Yeah, and yeah, well, 769 00:53:14.559 --> 00:53:19.440 Jesus is our ultimate example. Yeah, and I believe Jesus took some 770 00:53:19.559 --> 00:53:22.559 of these principles and of course he didn't get burned out because he was fueled 771 00:53:23.119 --> 00:53:27.670 by his desire to do the will of the father. Right, but you'll 772 00:53:27.710 --> 00:53:30.309 look in the life of Jesus in the Scripture here Matthew, Chapter Fourteen and 773 00:53:30.349 --> 00:53:34.789 verse thirteen. He says, now, when Jesus heard this, he withdrew 774 00:53:34.829 --> 00:53:37.510 from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself, but when the 775 00:53:37.590 --> 00:53:40.070 crowds heard it, they followed him on foot. So, Jesus, he 776 00:53:40.150 --> 00:53:43.619 slips away. Yeah, he's trying to get away from the crowd. He 777 00:53:43.780 --> 00:53:46.619 knew that he needed to get along with his father. And for a person 778 00:53:46.739 --> 00:53:50.420 like you and a person like me, there are times I'd just need to 779 00:53:50.460 --> 00:53:52.219 slip away, right, there are times where I just need to go and 780 00:53:52.340 --> 00:54:00.050 just do something other than ministry, disconnect. And so for you it's kayaking. 781 00:54:00.409 --> 00:54:02.690 For me it's taken naps. Yeah, not really. I do like 782 00:54:02.809 --> 00:54:07.250 to take naps, but just doing stuff, like around my house, play 783 00:54:07.289 --> 00:54:10.400 video games with my kids. Me and my boys actually do air soft where 784 00:54:10.400 --> 00:54:14.719 we shoot each other with plastic babies, lean cherous. I've seen the baby 785 00:54:14.800 --> 00:54:17.599 dangerous, but it's really fun and it's a way for me to unwind. 786 00:54:17.679 --> 00:54:22.400 So whatever it might be, fishing, hunting, who knows? And preserve 787 00:54:22.599 --> 00:54:27.150 time for that. Be Intentional, be intentional, N own it, time 788 00:54:27.710 --> 00:54:30.949 for yourself, doing what energizes you and in some way connects you to the 789 00:54:31.110 --> 00:54:37.150 Lord. That kayaking for me is very spiritual, right. I it's quiet, 790 00:54:37.190 --> 00:54:39.179 it's peaceful, it's with God. But be intentional about that need. 791 00:54:39.460 --> 00:54:45.420 Yeah, absolutely, and Jesus was intentional about slipping away go into a desolate 792 00:54:45.460 --> 00:54:51.300 place, being alone with him and his father, and maybe that's something for 793 00:54:51.460 --> 00:54:53.130 you guys that are listen that you need to do. You know, there 794 00:54:53.170 --> 00:54:57.650 are times, I would say, when it gets when it's getting pretty bad 795 00:54:57.690 --> 00:55:00.530 or you're feeling like you're getting toward that crispy states and you're going to burn 796 00:55:00.570 --> 00:55:05.369 out and be a crispy fried burnout. Yeah, that maybe you need to 797 00:55:05.449 --> 00:55:07.480 take a couple of days, maybe you need to slip away to the mountains 798 00:55:07.559 --> 00:55:15.000 for three or four days and just disconnect right and maybe leave your phone somewhere 799 00:55:15.000 --> 00:55:19.639 else. Maybe just, I don't know, give your give. I have 800 00:55:19.760 --> 00:55:23.829 a little cheapy flip phone that I use that only if very few people have 801 00:55:24.030 --> 00:55:28.869 that number. So I I disconnect day, I put my regular phone to 802 00:55:28.949 --> 00:55:31.469 the side and I don't have to worry about it. I don't have to 803 00:55:31.510 --> 00:55:35.269 worry about there might be some emergency I'm missing out on because I got my 804 00:55:35.389 --> 00:55:37.139 super top secret phone that if people need to get in touch with me, 805 00:55:37.260 --> 00:55:42.300 who really need to get in touch with me, can maybe you need to 806 00:55:42.340 --> 00:55:45.219 do that. Maybe there's some some things that you need to do to disconnect 807 00:55:45.500 --> 00:55:52.130 from ministry, disconnect from the heaviness of ministry, do those things. Ultimately, 808 00:55:52.210 --> 00:55:57.849 it comes, though, in getting alone with the Lord, with our 809 00:55:57.889 --> 00:56:04.559 consistency with him, bringing these things before God, not complaining, not murmuring 810 00:56:04.639 --> 00:56:08.960 before God. But you'll see throughout the psalms, you'll see even throughout Moses 811 00:56:09.039 --> 00:56:13.639 Ministry where he cries out to the Lord. There's this sense in which, 812 00:56:13.880 --> 00:56:15.519 as we started out, God, I can't do this, I'm overwhelmed. 813 00:56:15.559 --> 00:56:19.710 Yes, getting honest and bringing that before God and saying, Lord, I'm 814 00:56:19.710 --> 00:56:22.269 overwhelmed. Yes, you've called me to this ministry, but I'm overwhelmed, 815 00:56:22.309 --> 00:56:27.469 I can't do this in all own strength, confessing that, asking God for 816 00:56:27.630 --> 00:56:30.989 grace. That's often times for me where I get the break through. I'm 817 00:56:30.070 --> 00:56:34.820 just crying out to God and I'm confessing my need. The Bible tells us, 818 00:56:34.860 --> 00:56:38.019 and this is another important scripture for you guys to meditate on, John 819 00:56:38.139 --> 00:56:44.139 Chapter Fifteen. The Bible tells us that Jesus said to his disciples, I 820 00:56:44.260 --> 00:56:46.570 am the true vine and my father is the vine dresser. He goes on 821 00:56:46.650 --> 00:56:51.969 to say that I am the vine, you are the branches apart from me. 822 00:56:52.690 --> 00:56:59.130 You can do nothing. That is the confession of every Christian, especially 823 00:56:59.210 --> 00:57:05.760 those who are involved in vocational ministry, that, Jesus, Christ is the 824 00:57:05.800 --> 00:57:10.719 vine where the branches. All we are is just fruit bearing and fruit holding 825 00:57:10.880 --> 00:57:15.750 branches, but we're really nothing at brands can't do anything if it's not attached 826 00:57:15.829 --> 00:57:21.150 to the vine right. And so making that confession before the Lord. Lord, 827 00:57:21.190 --> 00:57:24.030 Jesus, I can't do this without you. This is your ministry, 828 00:57:24.829 --> 00:57:28.909 this is your calling, it's not mine. I didn't invent this calling for 829 00:57:29.030 --> 00:57:32.380 myself, and the fruit that's born ultimately is intended to give you glory anyway, 830 00:57:32.460 --> 00:57:37.300 not to give glory to the branch. And so making that confession before 831 00:57:37.420 --> 00:57:40.219 Lord, bringing your your troubles and these things before the Lord is important. 832 00:57:40.260 --> 00:57:44.849 Again, having an accountability person that you can kind of build these things out, 833 00:57:44.849 --> 00:57:46.849 to embounce things off of us, off of is really important. So 834 00:57:47.010 --> 00:57:51.730 would encourage you guys with that. Don't give burned out. Yeah, keep 835 00:57:51.929 --> 00:57:57.730 keeping touch with the Lord on a regular basis and God's going to continue to 836 00:57:57.809 --> 00:58:01.079 use you, guys. So we do appreciate you guys listening and please do 837 00:58:01.280 --> 00:58:07.719 share this podcast and go out on our on our website. Check out sidewalks 838 00:58:07.760 --> 00:58:12.440 the number four lifecom's. We put out articles on a regular basis. Share 839 00:58:13.269 --> 00:58:16.309 this podcast, share there's articles. Reach out to us if there's things that 840 00:58:16.429 --> 00:58:21.429 you want us to cover in this podcast. We'd love to cover those subjects 841 00:58:21.469 --> 00:58:24.110 that maybe guys are struggling with have questions about. Reach out to me. 842 00:58:24.190 --> 00:58:30.059 D Parks at cities for lifecom, v COSSE ORG at cities for lifecom, 843 00:58:30.139 --> 00:58:37.940 for Vicki, and until next time, God bless me, ove for love, 844 00:58:42.650 --> 00:58:51.090 give me our loft for gratitude. I know it will cost me my 845 00:58:51.449 --> 00:58:58.840 life. Nothing's too precious. And some met you