The quality of our rhythms is an accurate predictor of the quality of long-term fruit we produce.

In today’s post, Jaime Hlavin unpacks four powerful rhythms that serve to keep a leader living and leading from a full tank. A growing ministry requires growing consistency in our rhythms. Enjoy ~ John

Earlier his week on the Leading from Alignment Podcast, we had the privilege to hear from Pastor Lewis Brandon, who leads a Wesleyan church in Vinton, VA.

His story might be just like yours: Lewis was saved at a young age, called into ministry as a teenager, and went to Bible college after high school. And his story may continue to parallel yours in this way . . . he began to identify significant times of “low moods.”

During that period of the Church Big C wasn’t talking about much about depression, and when they did, too often it made matters worse. Lewis was carried through those times by the grace of God, but didn’t get help with his mental health until much later.

As he entered ministry, he followed the path so many of us have travelled—youth ministry to staff pastor to lead pastor, and along that path, he would experience these bouts of depressions. Lewis contends: “pastoring takes an extreme amount of energy and engagement with people” and when depression hijacks your ability to be engaged, the day-to-day rigors of ministry can become difficult if not impossible.

His fearlessness in addressing this topic with such vulnerability and transparency is a result of this statement: “My healing is louder than my hurt.” To hear more of his story and exactly how that healing took place, please be sure to listen to his story.

Lewis lives in a maintenance mode, these days, in terms of his mental health. Maintaining health means monitoring our emotional, mental, and physical gauges by making a concerted effort to run on a full tank spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.

Here at Converge Coaching, we talk about these tanks repeatedly and how several rhythms help to keep them full. For more detail, you can refer back to one of John Opalewski’s articles on this here.

Spiritual Rhythms

Spend quality time with God. Lewis states that this does not entail “going to your time with Him because you’re starving for a word for your church, but because you’re starving for a word of sonship . . .  or daughter-ship.” This is life-giving time with God.

Relational Rhythms

Carve out space in your busy calendar to cultivate meaningful friendships. Treat these moments with the same degree of care you would like an appointment with one of your parishioners.

Work/Rest Rhythms

Take a regular day off each week. Sometimes your day off gets blown up due to the nature of the pastoral role, but if you don’t fight for your Sabbath, people will be okay with filling it up with their priorities. John’s article also includes thoughts on daily, quarterly, and annual rhythms.

Physical Rhythms

Exercise, good nutrition, and sleep are a pastor’s allies. I want to camp out here for a bit because I became acutely aware of the importance of this rhythm during the past year.  I want to preface this by saying I am not a high-energy person. You know, those people who wake up with a song on their lips, pep in their step, and greet the day with joy and ambition? That’s not me. At all. I have been tired since I was 14. People told me I’d outgrow it. I never did. But I knew how to power through my constant exhaustion.

Last November, I had a fairly significant event occur in my life. It wasn’t something I was unfamiliar with, so I “knew how to process it” to avoid getting depressed. My dad passed away unexpectedly right after Thanksgiving. Since I lost my mom in 2009 and spiraled pretty low when that happened, I knew this time how to deal with my grief differently. I vowed to do the things that I didn’t do well 14 years prior: Process my emotions verbally, journal my thoughts, eat well, exercise, and get good sleep.

But the more I slept, the more tired I felt. I woke up every morning feeling worse than I did when I went to bed the night before. I took a 2-hour nap almost every day. I dozed off while reading, while watching TV, and while watching movies on the Big Screen (much to the dismay of my husband because going to the movies these days isn’t cheap!) I became less and less productive. I procrastinated on every project and deadline. I could not seem to find the motivation for daily tasks. And I cried more than ever . . . even when I didn’t feel sad. I just cried because I felt so tired.

My family was convinced my grief had turned to depression, so I finally talked to my doctor. She wanted to go down the checklist of physical causes first. After hearing about my level of tiredness, she ordered a sleep study.

I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea. I stopped breathing 55+ times an hour each night while I was sleeping. My brain was oxygen-deprived, therefore making my waking hours extremely difficult. The doctor prescribed a CPAP breathing machine which I’ve been using since the end of August. I go to bed every night with this crazy Darth Vader contraption strapped to my head, but I wake up refreshed and rejuvenated for literally the first time I can remember. EVER. And it was almost instantaneous.

I am motivated and productive. I don’t procrastinate (as much . . . lol). I am more patient and filled with joy. It literally has been life changing. My emotional and mental health have improved significantly since my quality of sleep has improved. Therefore, I cannot stress enough the importance of this particular aspect of life-giving rhythms. If you are not sleeping well, perhaps consider talking to your doctor about this. I know I sound like a salesperson for a medical supply company, but it can make all the difference!

If need to pay more attention to your well-being, reach out to us here. We would love to come alongside and journey with you on your way to better health.

We want you to lead better, lead longer, and enjoy it more.

We’re rooting and praying for you!

Jaime Hlavin