Today’s episode is the sixth in a series of pods focused on the subject of mental and emotional well-being. Barna reported in April of 2022 that 42 percent of lead pastors were seriously considering quitting the ministry. The main drivers? Stress . . . isolation . . . and politics! In today’s episode, John and Jim explore the impact of running and leading on a full tank.

You can listen to the podcast here. You can watch it here.

Here are the show notes:

Matthew 11:28-30: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

When it comes to running on a full tank … there are 3 baselines we must know:

1. .. We can’t give what we don’t have
   • If we have no fuel in our emotional tank, it is difficult to keep running the race we’re called to—not because we’re bad people—rather because we have nothing left to run on.
2. We are emotional beings
   • We’re not just body and spirit. We’re 3-part beings body, spirit and soul. And the soul component includes our thinking patterns and our emotions.
3. We must pay attention to 3 key emotional indicators. Let’s take one of these indicators today, and in our next pod, we’ll unpack the rest.
   • Indicator 1: Your pace (schedule)
     • Many leaders operate in the realm of extremes when it comes to pace.
     • If you lean toward workaholic tendencies, avoid overreacting to that by swinging to the opposite extreme of laziness.
     • If you’re lazy, knock it off and start producing.
     • If you’re a workaholic, knock it off and stop trying to do what God’s called you to do in your own strength

God has called you as a leader to a marathon, not a sprint. And running/leading on a full tank will help you be a better marathoner.