Advent Greetings to you,
As I prepare to enter a season of focused reading, research and writing on my Unhurried project, I find myself deeply grateful. There are so many who have prayed, encouraged and given financially to make my ministry through The Leadership Institute possible. I thank each of you who have invested in these many ways. (If you are open and able, donations of any amount, no matter how small, can be made to this ministry through Paypal to The Leadership Institute)
As I do each month, below are the most visited blogposts of the last month or so. It’s been encouraging to see an increase of visits since the last time I updated you. I had my first 300+ visit day a week ago. May one of these posts provide a word of encouragement or insight as you may need in the season:
In order of popularity, here they are:
- “Burn-out Stats: Health of the Pastor’s Family” and “Burn-out Stats: Physical Health of Pastors” – Posts on the theme of ministry or pastoral burn-out continue to be among the most visited on my website. Every single day now, someone lands on my website from a Google search including the word “burnout” in it.
- Advent: A Few Thoughts – On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, I was interviewed in a Sacramento-area church about Advent and spiritual formation. Included in this post are some notes I made for that interview.
- “The Power of Small Beginnings” – Here I shared a powerful little quotation from Elton Trueblood on the practical power contained in a seed. I just read it again and love it!
- “A Good Word: Learning to Abide in Weakness” – I shared here a little quotation from a French monk from the last century on finding grace in the midst of weakness and temptation, rather than waiting until after it subsides to experience God’s generosity.
- “Discipline is the Price of Freedom” – This title comes from a quotation by Elton Trueblood. I shared my own experience (both success and struggle) with self-discipline.
- “Put Your Oxygen Mask On First” – Having recently flown to the Dominican Republic, I heard this standard line from the flight attendant a number of times. The point of this post is that soul care is not a unaffordable luxury but a strategic necessity.
