Well, we are coming to the end of the baseball season. Andrew and Brett had their last game on Saturday. We took 4th in a tournament of 12 teams and lost to the eventual first place team. It was so much fun to see and be a part of them playing "real" baseball. Now, I am getting ready to leave home for the second to last game (Saturday is the last) for Josh's team and Sunday marks two team parties. We had the opportunity to play on some summer tournament teams but have turned them down so that we can actually go on vacation and have family time.
Today, I had a great conversation with my friend
Ryan and he was kicking my butt (in a nice way) about writing something on my blog beyond baseball. So here it goes...today was a good day. It started with a pretty lousy hour and half drive to a meeting that I didn't end up having (another story), but on the drive there I spent it listening to a
podcast that really challenged my thinking about the priority of where I spend my time. That was followed by an hour long conversation with Ryan and our conversations are always both encouraging and challenging. I made it back to Mill Creek to engage in a conversation with Josh Williams, our Worship Pastor in which I was talking about all of the challenging things that I was processing. It was a great morning.
Bottom line: I am discovering the difference between being "Refreshed" and "Refueled". When I am exhausted, either physically, emotionally or spiritually, my first response is to run toward refreshment. What does that look like for me? Baseball games, away time with my family, or simply quiet time alone. Those all refresh me. However, when I get back to the grind of church planting, the exhaustion overwhelms me almost instantly. Why? Because I have not refueled. It's like taking your car to the car wash, but never gassing up. The car feels good, looks good, and smells good, but it's still not going anywhere. What I often fail to do is gas up the engine of my soul. That happens for me through Bible Study, listening to leaders speak about leading and pastoring, challenging conversations with friends, and getting away from it all to listen to God (not necessarily talking to Him). Those things cost. They require investment, but the dividends are outrageous - it fuels me.
I obviously need both refreshment and refueling. How do you find each of these things in your life? (I'm veclempt. Talk amongst yourselves.)