Is the way you’re living and leading making you more than just tired? As you think about your weariness, does it feel like you are carrying the weight of so many expectations? Are you faced with following the rules for life and leadership that someone else has set for you?

If you are, you are not alone. Jesus has an invitation just for you and I have a question I want you to ask you to consider. I’ve got to warn you…it may be a bit uncomfortable. But in your wrestling, I believe God will reveal the truth…and as Jesus says, the truth will set you free.

You Are Invited

Jesus offers us a wonderful invitation in Matthew 11:28-30. He says:

"Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."

Many of us wonder...

...Could...

Have you lost your energy? Is it harder to get things done? Do you struggle focusing on others and showing empathy? We all go through seasons of pouring ourselves out, but how do you know when you’ve more than just tired? In this episode, I am going to unpack my working definition of burnout and share a few signs that might indicate there’s more going on than just you being tired.

Working Definition of Burnout

"Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands. As the stress continues, you begin to lose the interest and motivation that led you to take on a certain role in the first place.”

Here are some signs that you are more than tired:

• Anger
• Bitterness, resentment
• Blaming everyone else for why you’re struggling
• Don’t really care about the outcomes…(different than caring but...

There are three rhythms that everyone in ministry should have: A rhythm of rest, rhythm of retreat, and a rhythm of review. Today we are going to talk more about the rhythm of review.

Effective ministry leaders have a regular rhythm of review...weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly. That may seem like a lot of reviewing! But you’d be surprised how transformative this practice is and it doesn’t take a particularly long time to do. Although you could spend hours if you’d like, setting aside just 30-45 minutes of intentional time to look back and remember what you committed to, what God did, what God said, reviewing how it went, and looking forward, seeking God on how He wants you to spend your time...it’s a game changer. It really helps you draw closer to God as you constantly seek Him and ask Him to speak to  you.

Last week we had a chance to look back, remember, thank God for all He has done and remember the things He’s asked of us that we...

How good are you at remembering? I'm sure you have a plan or strategy to make sure you remember all your "to-do's" for various things in life and ministry but this isn't the kind of remembering I'm talking about.

How good are you remembering the Lord...what He has done, what He has spoken, how He has provided and protected?

Throughout the scriptures we are constantly told to remember because we are people who are quick to forget.

It is important to reflect and remember.

This episode is being released the last Thursday of June which means the first half of the year is over, so it is the perfect time to do a mid-year review! Why? We don’t want to live by chance. We want to be strategic and intentional about following the path God has set out for us. Many of us take time to reflect and align ourselves to the movement of God at the beginning of the year which is great, but then we end up waiting until the entire year has passed before we check in with God about the things...

Do you feel like things are out of your control? Have you told yourself change will never come?

We are in the middle of our BEST OF SERIES where we are replaying the most popular episodes of the podcast. Although this episode [45] originally aired last year, many things have remained the same.

When the world seems out of control, it is tempting to believe that you've lost all control. However, that is simply not true. You have control over so many things! In this episode you are challenged to broaden your perspective and given strategies to exercise the control that God has given you.

Do you remember the saying, "you can never have too much of a good thing?" Well, in some instances, that can spell disaster, particularly in ministry.

We are a society that believes the larger the initiative, and the more you do, the better. But in many cases doing more means achieving less. An increased number of events and doing things on a grander scale gives us a false sense of effectiveness. This type of thinking extends beyond secular culture and has infiltrated the church and various ministry organizations as well.

Many people who serve in ministry feel overloaded and fatigued. They go from one big project to the next. They are spread thin, and their leadership suffers. Instead of undertaking a few high-quality ventures that spur transformation, they crank out program after program that has minimal impact, leaving them and their people tired and overused.

More+Bigger DOES NOT EQUAL Better!

You can be a relevant church or ministry organization without overloading your team...

Does all that you do for God help you be your whole self? The answer should be YES, but many of us find that we end up losing ourselves along the way. Too many great, godly women are leaving their ministry positions. Some may step out of the position of authority, while others stay but are dying on the inside. We start off by saying yes to God and our God given assignment, but end up drifting to this place where we are not able to be the true, complete, whole person God called us to be.

The Trend

Far too many times, while we begin ministry with enthusiasm and hope, it ends up consuming all of who we are and tends to put to death the other vital pieces of our lives. None of us wake up and think, "let's say yes to ministry but ignore every other piece of ourselves or neglect important relationships," but it can happen if we are not careful.

Also Mentioned in the Podcast

Margin Maker. If you need to make margin in your life and ministry you won't want to miss the Margin...

What do you want to be true of you by the end of the year? It's never too early to ask yourself this question. And while most people have made resolutions to do something new, it is equally important for you to decide what NOT to do so that you can be the person and ministry leader God has called you to be. 

In this episode, Jen shares 7 things NOT to do this coming year...because if you're not careful and do them, you will get sucked into the perpetual cycles of busyness that lead to overwhelm and you'll be less effective in the roles you've been given.

Decide not to...

• make yourself busy
• plan too far ahead
• make everyone happy
• manipulate the outcome
• chase every idea
• fill in every moment on your calendar
• wait with great expectation for things to go back to normal

Need help getting clear on your next steps? Join me for a one-hour coaching call via Zoom in the month of January for 30% off. You'll get the recording of our call plus 7 days of Voxer with me so you can...

Whether you are comfortable with your ministry role or not, one thing remains true. Your assignment...your territory has already been given to you! 

You don't have to fight for it. It's yours! Be bold and courageous! Walk into it with faith and trust.

[Monday Motivation episodes are mini-episodes of encouragement from God's word.]

Do you have space and margin built into your every day? Most of us don't. We believe that if we create space and margin, we will miss out on the opportunity to do or produce something valuable. We feel guilty if we have unscheduled time and we violate the God-given rhythm of space and margin in the name of doing something great for God.

Here's the thing:

Space and margin are essential for your life and leadership. 

In this episode, Jen dives deeper into the reasons we refuse to create space and what happens when we finally do. She also gives a pro tip on how to create this buffer within your day-to-day.

More from the Episode:

God works in open spaces. He speaks, gives us ideas, sets up divine appointments and opportunities, and expands our vision.

Space and margin doesn't just happen. It starts with you. It's a decision that you make and a discipline you integrate. 

Creating space and margin is dependent on the mindset that says:

• I am valued by God regardless of what I do...