{"id":13141,"date":"2023-01-04T05:00:38","date_gmt":"2023-01-04T10:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/?post_type=resource&p=13141"},"modified":"2023-01-03T11:40:51","modified_gmt":"2023-01-03T16:40:51","slug":"4-imperatives-for-personal-growth-in-the-new-year","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/4-imperatives-for-personal-growth-in-the-new-year\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Imperatives for Personal Growth in the New Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

Happy New Year! I hope you are as excited about 2023 as I am! The beginning of a new year is always a great time to pause, take stock of your life, seek after Jesus with a renewed passion and make big plans for your church.<\/p>\n

In an upcoming post, I\u2019ll focus on some things to do in your ministry as we begin a new year. But in this post, I want to discuss four simple things you can do in your personal life to make sure you\u2019re taking care of yourself so you can care well for your family and church family.<\/p>\n

1. Run<\/strong><\/p>\n

Okay, don\u2019t close your browser tab just yet. Let me provide a disclaimer here: I hate<\/em> running. Every couple of years I\u2019ll think to myself, \u201cI should really take up running.\u201d After about a week, I\u2019m reminded why I don\u2019t run. Because it\u2019s awful. (My apologies to all the runners reading this!)<\/p>\n

So, maybe running isn\u2019t your thing. But, for the sake of alliteration, let\u2019s allow \u201cRun\u201d to mean all forms of exercise. The point is that you need to do something <\/em>for exercise, even if it\u2019s as simple as taking a 30-minute walk once a day. So much about our mental, emotional, and spiritual lives are affected by our physical health, and far too many pastors and ministry leaders neglect their physical health.<\/p>\n

Now I know what you may be thinking: \u201cKyle, I don\u2019t have time<\/em> to exercise. I have too much going on.\u201d Every pastor I know is busy. I get it. But it\u2019s not true and I\u2019m also willing to bet the screen time tracker on your smart phone will expose it for the lie it is. More than likely, you do<\/em> have the time; you\u2019re just going to have to sacrifice something else to make it happen.<\/p>\n

In my own life, I\u2019ll turn 40 in May. So, I\u2019m beginning the new to focus on my physical health so I can start off this new decade in a much healthier place.<\/p>\n

2. Rest<\/strong><\/p>\n

Again, this is an area many pastors and ministry leaders neglect. You may think you\u2019re too busy, but you need rest. Your body needs to recharge. Perhaps the most important way to rest is to make sure you\u2019re getting enough sleep at night. On top of this, don\u2019t be afraid to take a short nap during the day. It\u2019s amazing what a quick 15- or 20-minute nap can do for your sanity and ability to focus.<\/p>\n

Along with rest comes taking time off from work. Use your vacation time. Don\u2019t apologize for using all<\/em> your vacation time. Vacations don\u2019t have to be extensive and expensive affairs. Don\u2019t underestimate the value of a good \u201cstay-cation,\u201d where you take some time off from work, turn off your cell phone (gasp!<\/em>), sleep in your own bed and explore some simple and affordable options near your home.<\/p>\n

God modeled rest for us when He designed creation, and the idea of Sabbath rest is woven throughout Scripture. As humans, we need rest. So don\u2019t be afraid to take the time to care for yourself by resting enough. You will be a better husband, father and pastor for it!<\/p>\n

3. Recreate<\/strong><\/p>\n

In addition to exercise and resting, you need to develop a hobby or two (if you don\u2019t already have one) to help unplug from the stresses of life and ministry. This doesn\u2019t mean you need to go play 18 holes of golf a day. It does mean you need to find something that\u2019s not ministry related. This can be exercising or reading (more on that in a bit), but it could also be something as simple as learning a new musical instrument, some simple woodworking, taking up hiking or building model cars. It doesn\u2019t have to consume hours of your day, but you do need a healthy way to unplug and help your mind unwind.<\/p>\n

4. Read<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is one of the ways I recreate. I love reading. You should read your Bible daily, of course, but you also should read other things as well. Throughout the course of the year, I\u2019ll read several books on ministry-related subjects. I\u2019ll also read for personal growth, as well as for pure enjoyment. Not everything you read needs to be related to ministry. It\u2019s OK to pick up something to read just because you like it. If you\u2019re looking for a good novel, I highly recommend something from John Grisham, my favorite fiction author.<\/p>\n

Focusing on these four areas in the new year will help you be a healthier pastor, yes, but it also will help you be a healthier person overall (which, I think, just might help make you an even better<\/em> pastor!).<\/p>\n

God bless you, your family and your congregation in the new year!<\/p>\n

This post was adapted from a recent episode of <\/em>\u201cNot Another Baptist Podcast\u201d with Kyle Bueermann and Matt Henslee. You can listen to it <\/em>here.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Happy New Year! I hope you are as excited about 2023 as I am! The beginning …<\/p>\n

4 Imperatives for Personal Growth in the New Year<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":13142,"template":"","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"tags":[],"channels":[],"topics":[53],"languages":[],"class_list":["post-13141","resource","type-resource","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","resource_type-article","topics-replanting"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n4 Imperatives for Personal Growth in the New Year - Church Replanting<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/4-imperatives-for-personal-growth-in-the-new-year\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"4 Imperatives for Personal Growth in the New Year\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Happy New Year! 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