Ministry is a Marathon

As we start the new year, like me, you likely at least gave a passing thought to your health, habits, and pace of life.  To that sentiment I want to share a blurb I recently read from the book, Resilient Ministry: 
Many in ministry quote Christmas Evans, a famous Welsh preacher from the early nineteenth century, who supposedly said, “I’d rather burn out than rust out in the service of our Lord.” One of Evan’s contemporaries, James Berkeley, is said to have retorted, “I admire the bravado. It sounds dedicated, bold, and stirring.  However, when I view the burnt-outs and the almost burnt-outs who lie by the ecclesiastical road, the glory fails to reach me.  Is there not a third alternative? In Acts 20:24, Paul stated, ‘I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me.’  Herein lies the model I choose to follow. I want neither to burn out nor rust out. I want to finish out the race.”
 
For the next several months, we’ll focus on a different aspect of healthy self-care. Let’s start with physical health.  Did you know that one study shows that 76% of clergy were either overweight or obese?
 
Since we all want to run our race well and finish out the race Jesus has given us, being a good steward of our bodies is essential to doing so.

• What is one habit to start or stop this year that would lend to a healthier you?
• Do you have a plan or partner to keep you on track and motivated?
• How will you track your progress?

May you and I steward our health well so we can run the race Jesus has marked out for us with perseverance!