Women in Ministry United Podcast

Are you frustrated by the restrictions of COVID-19? You are not alone. It's understandable to feel overwhelmed when things have radically changed. But there is good news.

You have a once in a lifetime opportunity because of COVID-19.

In this episode, Jen talks about how you can show up and seize the opportunity that is before you! 

One of the challenges of COVID-19 is a shortage of personal protective equipment that healthcare workers need in order to stay healthy and safe as they serve on the frontlines of this pandemic.

In today's episode, Jen reminds us that we too also need to stay safe during this battle as we serve on the spiritual frontlines. Fortunately, you have your own personal protective equipment...God's very own weapons. Supplies will never run low. But you do need to suit up in order to stand in these challenging times.

Scripture Read: Psalm 27:14 AMP

The question was never did you have the time, but rather, what will you do with the time you have?

There is a great gift that awaits you in this season...to give up the normal things that were hurting your soul so that you can fully live and lead as the person God created you to be!

In a continuation of our mini-series: Living and Leading in the Era of COVID-19, Jen shares how she's been confronted with the truth that trusting God means He gets to decide the outcome. Scripture read today is from Psalm 18 NLT

Creating space and margin to acknowledge our feelings and fears during the COVID-19 crisis (or any crisis for that matter) is extremely important. Jen talks shares the two words that have she has found to be powerful and pastoral during difficult times.

The Giving Up Normal podcast has been around since March of 2019. In the past few months, changes were being made to bring you even more focused content as we deal with our overstuffed lives and undernourished souls.

Then enters COVID-19.

The conversation around healthy margin and boundaries and caring for your soul is as relevant as ever but the context of our world as changed. Therefore the plans for content and frequency of the podcast has changed for now as well.

As we deal this viral pandemic, mini-podcast episodes will be released every weekday...at least, that is the plan. This episode is an introduction to this new format and ends with a reading from Psalm 91.

Let us know how we can be praying for you. Thank you for all you are doing to share the gospel and build the Kingdom. Our world may have changed...but GOD never changes!

You can find all the previous episodes of the Giving Up Normal podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, and at Jen's other website ...

Do you remember the saying, "you can never have too much of a good thing?" Well, in some instances, that can spell disaster, particularly in ministry.

We are a society that believes the larger the initiative, and the more you do, the better. But in many cases doing more means achieving less. An increased number of events and doing things on a grander scale gives us a false sense of effectiveness. This type of thinking extends beyond secular culture and has infiltrated the church and various ministry organizations as well.

Many people who serve in ministry feel overloaded and fatigued. They go from one big project to the next. They are spread thin, and their leadership suffers. Instead of undertaking a few high-quality ventures that spur transformation, they crank out program after program that has minimal impact, leaving them and their people tired and overused.

More+Bigger DOES NOT EQUAL Better!

You can be a relevant church or ministry organization without overloading your team...

A few years ago, I knew that I was in danger of burning out. I was working full time in pastoral ministry. On top of my responsibilities at the church, I was coaching clients, completing all the requirements necessary to maintain my coaching credentials, serving as associate staff for a national organization, and I was helping my denomination build a disciple-making culture. These were all good things, but the amount of work was crushing me.

At the same time, God was inviting me to create space and margin to nurture some other pieces of me. I sensed a need to have bits of time that were unspoken for woven in my week. It was a way to let my life breathe. I wasn't sure what I was going to do in these cracks and crevices and had a hard time justifying using precious time in this way. Space to breathe is a necessity, but I struggled to carve out this healthy rhythm.

I was afraid.

I knew I couldn’t keep up the pace. Honestly, I didn’t want to anymore. But I was afraid that if...

I didn't know what I was getting into when I began my ministry. I had not spent much time "behind the curtain" and was surprised to find that many people in the congregation I led were still exploring a relationship with Jesus. It seemed strange that after being in the church for so long, they could be in this stage, but it also was exciting. People were hungry to know Jesus intimately. I immediately kicked it into high gear and poured myself completely into helping them.

It all seemed like a worthy cause. What else could be more significant than to walk alongside a group that is actively seeking the Lord? But as time went by, I found myself giving up other pieces of me. I didn't spend much time cultivating relationships with friends outside of the church. I didn't take time to rest. I left books that were not related to ministry on the shelf. I skimped on my time with the Lord. There was always a good reason to keep on serving.

I began to believe that this was the cross of ministry...

“Self-care is never a selfish act-it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer others.” ~Parker Palmer

Taking care of yourself often seems like a guilty pleasure. In our fast-paced world, we fill every moment, and expend all of our energy, while wishing there were more hours in the day. We scrape the bottom of the barrel, trying to muster up more stamina and strength to get through, only to rise and grind all over again. 

As we push ourselves beyond the limits that God created for us, we wound our body, soul, and mind. Even worse, we carry that woundedness into our relationships, activities, and ministry. This is the way of the leader, we say. Always giving, never ceasing, going above and beyond. So off we go, in our self-inflicted woundedness, carrying it as a badge of honor. 

Why do we do this? 

We have convinced ourselves that we are not allowed to care for ourselves. We believe the lie that...