My counselor’s latest discovery


Recently, I’ve had a few of the hardest days of my year.

At first I thought I was losing my mind: small comments seemed to irritate me, my heart felt strangely heavy, and I couldn’t focus on simple details.
My counselor suggested that I might be experiencing the initial stages of burn out.
So, I reflected on my current workload and realized that I have no margin.  My time is split between church ministry and teaching.   I’m working 3/4 time as a worship and arts pastor.  Our church is in transition (we lost our lead pastor in the summer) so it means all of us as staff are feeling a bit stretched already.  At the same time I’m teaching 3 Bible College courses: 2 of which I’ve never taught before.  That means my evenings are consumed with research and class prep. 
I think my counselor is absolutely right.
She’s smart.  And very kissable.  That’s why I married her.
So, for the rest of the year I’m going to ask for help.  And I’m only going to do what I’m good at.  The rest can wait.    

Related Posts

  • Re:calibrate

    I’ve been invited to present a seminar at a missional church conference this weekend in Guelph. It’s being put on by the United Brethren Church in Canada. I spent the first twenty years of my life learning from the leaders and servants in that tribe. Needless to say, I’m feeling a bit sentimental. I’m co-presenting…

  • Formative blogging

    My semester of teaching in the classroom ended a few weeks ago. However, my work continues. I still have stacks of papers to mark. Tonight I finally finished reading and grading the final blog posts from my spiritual formation class. If your wondering how blogging fits into a college course on spiritual formation, here’s a…

  • Workaholic or sloth?

    I think laziness and workaholism are two sides of the same coin. Both are equally dangerous. Slothfulness is a lifestyle of perpetual leisure and rest. Those who engage in it don’t have time for work because they are too busy taking life easy. Workaholics are compulsive in accomplishing tasks. Their days are spent ‘doing’ something,…

  • 10 Years: A Look Back

    Ten years ago today, we said “I do.” At that time neither of us knew where we’d end up after a decade of marital bliss. We speculated and dreamed, even drafting a rough ten year plan. But nothing could have prepared us for such a fun-filled, wild, and crazy ride. Here’s a brief look back:…

  • Telling it Slant

    I’m finished the second book. A while ago I committed myself to reading Eugene Peterson’s colossal five volume spiritual theology series. Tonight I finished Tell it Slant: a conversation on the language of Jesus in his stories and prayers. Two pages from the end my mind flipped back to my weekend experience. Here’s what happened….

  • When nice turns nasty

    Have you ever tried to do something nice and it backfires? That describes my life yesterday. I arrived home from Kitchener to find a foot of snow covering our driveway.  Driving through it would have been impossible so I parked at the bottom and trudged my way up.  After a fleeting family greeting I donned…