This week's book of the week happens to be by Dale Burke, Chuck Swindoll’s successor at Fullerton EV Free, who also used to pastor in Oxford, where I now pastor. But I’m reading it because of the title, and the promise of “Less is More Leadership.” I need that.
See, I’m on staff in a church that wisely grants our staff a “weekend” off every week (Monday AND Tuesday). That’s NOT the rule among pastors, I know, and for all my previous ministry history, I felt like I was doing great when I got ONE day off a week! So how come, even with two days off a week (most weeks), one of which I reserve as a sabbath, how come I still feel like Wednesday morning hits and the next five days are a frantic ride on the back of a tiger who’s just been shot out of a cannon that was packed with rocket fuel? I’ve been asking this question of everyone I can lately, fellow pastors, friends, my shrink, you name it!
On the one hand, I and my fellow staff members accomplish a prodigious amount of work every single week, so I am grateful for that. But, on the other hand, I don’t feel like we’ve hit a rhythm yet, a routine to our week that contributes to peace, creativity, etc. Maybe our problem is partly the timing of a Mon/Tues “weekend.” After all, Sunday is game day, so to speak, for us, and it’s only natural for the whole rest of the week to point to that day.
Also, I know that we’re blessed as a church to have staff members whose tendency is to work too hard. That’s the kinda people we always wanna hire, of course. It’s a blessing, and sure makes for great staff relationships and cooperation. But maybe we’re not doing such a great job of helping each other achieve sanity in our routines and rhythms. Maybe we ALL need to figure out how to lead and still have a life (and Burke's book has been helpful, so much so that we've incorporated the video series into our staff meetings).
I know there are some pastors who don’t feel constantly under the gun...right? I see ‘em at pastors’ conferences all the time. They’ve got it figured out. They’re refreshed, they’re in the zone ministry-wise....so if you’re out there, tell me what I’m doing wrong!
Wow, what a great day. Thank you, God. Our first community festival since occupying The Loft was a roaring success, beginning with a fabulous motorcycle ride that introduced us to many, many new friends. 
Then followed a packed celebration at 11 a.m. (instead of our usual dual celebrations), after which we all adjourned to eat, play, spend time together, meet neighbors and new friends, and just generally have a blast. 
There was free food and drinks, a cornhole tournament, pony rides, a euchre tournament, ring toss, bouncy house, kids' fishing pond, marshmallow driving range, live music, kids' crafts, and more! 
At 3:00 we headed into the auditorium for a wonderful worship wrap-up to the day, and that was wonderful, too. God gave us very comfortable temperatures, no rain, and even sunshine late in the festival! I can't even express how blessed I am to be a part of such a wonderful church family! Thank you, God.
