You Never Know: One day can make a huge difference. The hard part is that you don’t know if that day will be tomorrow, next week, six months from now, or five years away. Half the battle is hanging on. Not giving up.
Reading for Children: If you have a child anywhere between 6–10, consider having them read/listen to The Boxcar Children. The series today includes nearly 160 titles, and our son of eight years is listening to them in order on Scribd. He loves them!
Are you a perfectionist? It might actually be keeping you from getting things done or pursuing something of interest. If you Google some articles on this, you will quickly see a link between these three phenomena: Perfectionism > Procrastination > Paralysis.
Scripture Memory: This is a Bible verse that I am memorizing right now because it provides so much insight as to what pride really does to the human heart: “In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God” (Ps. 10:4). Am I seeking God? Truly seeking? Is God in my thoughts every morning, afternoon, and evening?
Every Pastor Needs a Counselor: If I ever pastor again—which I have no plans of doing at the moment—then I would have a counselor that I meet with once per month. I would want the counselor to remain the same so that I could “build a history” with them. During good times and bad, I would meet with the counselor. During easier, more fulfilling stretches and during difficult, “I-want-to-quit” stretches, I would meet with the counselor. In other words, there would be no cancelling the month’s meeting because I feel like everything is going well. Every month, without fail, I would meet for an hour. I think this is a “must,” and I would not pastor without this practice in place. If I was being offered a position on a church staff, I would require this as part of my salary package. I would want the church to cover it. If they didn’t feel that this was important or a wise use of money, then that would be a red flag concerning the church and their leadership.
B.J. Condrey, Ph.D. 