STAYING HEALTHY

I’m still walking through the notes I took at the Evolve Church Planters Conference on Monday and Tuesday.

As I mentioned earlier this week, on Monday, Shawn Lovejoy opened up the conference with a talk on “The Healthy Leader.”

The gist of his talk: Healthy leaders / pastors create healthy churches… That’s why one of the BIG ISSUES every pastor must focus on is the DISCIPLINE required to sustain personal health in every area of life.

DISCIPLINE is almost a “bad word” in our culture… We avoid it… But it’s essential if we’re gong to be all that God has called us to be… But when it comes to leading, discipline is essential if we’re going to have “moral authority” with the people we lead…

There are at least four areas that require discipline…

1. My Spiritual Health

I’ve got to make certain that I make my time with God a major priority every day. For me, spiritual health requires at least three components:

(1) Getting into God’s Word… By that, I mean reading the Bible for all it’s worth… Right now I’m using a “through the Bible in a year” format produced by Christianity Today. I’m almost two months in and lovin’ it…

(2) Prayer… I need time to talk with God on a daily basis… It’s crucial that I spend time communicating with the Father…

(3) Journaling… I don’t have to write a lot, but I find the process of working through the S.O.A.P. acrostic to be very helpful each morning…

2. My Physical Health

Okay, I don’t like eating right… I much prefer Chicken and Dumplin’s and Pecan Pie… But it’s important that I eat right, exercise and get the proper amount of rest if I’m going to lead for the long haul… Furthermore, I just like the way it makes me feel when I’m eating right and exercising… I feel more alive… I think with greater clarity…

3. My Emotional Health

Carrying around baggage and junk like anger, unforgiveness, worry and anxiety will eat my lunch… I’ve got to release this junk and move on in my life with God.

4. My Relational Health

This is crucial… I can be a killer pastor and a great communicator, but be a lousy husband and father… Here’s my question: “What will it profit a man if I lead a church of thousands, but my own kids and wife don’t really like to be around me?”

I’ve got to make spending time with my wife and children a huge priority… That means it’s up to me to take responsibility for dating my wife… It’s up to me to take responsibility for finding out what’s going on in the lives of my three girls…

A lot of people can deliver really great messages, but only I can be a husband to my wife and a father to me three daughters…

Furthermore, I’ve got to make friendships a priority… I really thank God for the good friends He has placed in my life… In the last few months, I’ve discovered that I want to be a man who makes friendship a major priority… I need friends… I’ve also discovered: MY FRIENDS NEED ME.


So, how are YOU doing when it comes to PERSONAL HEALTH and SELF DISCIPLINE? Shawn closed his talk by giving us a set of questions to help us evaluate where we are… Here’s that set of questions… Take the time to read through them… Think through them…

If you’re really brave, ask your SPOUSE to evaluate your life based on these questions… It could hurt, so BE PREPARED…

Do I get up at the same time every morning?
Am I overweight?
Do I have any addictions (caffeine, sugar, porn, etc.) right now?
Do I take a day off every week?
Have I taken a vacation in the last year? That wasn’t mixed with work?
Is my email inbox near empty right now?
Is my office and car clean or a mess?
Am I usually on time or late for things?
If I tell someone I’ll call them, do I do it?
Do I spend time with God every day?
Do I have a consistent date night with my spouse?
Do I have a hobby I enjoy consistently?
How often do I exercise?
How much TV do I watch?
What does my appearance say about my level of discipline (hair, clothes, etc.)?
Do I eat right?
Do I have a lot of debt?
Do I ever say: “When things slow down, I’m going to_______”

If you’re like me, you’ve heard this kind of stuff before, but ever once in a while I can use a good kick in the seat of the pants to help get my life back on track…

Your assignment tomorrow:

Open THE BOOK. Hit your knees. Write in your journal. Go to the gym. Eat right. Pick up the phone. Call a friend. Spend time with your wife and kids. STAY HEALTHY.

Thanks Shawn for an important reminder..