I’m currently walking 4 of our future leaders through the book, In the Name of Jesus, by Henri Nouwen. This is the second group of leaders that I’ve walked through this book…I would highly recommend it for future leaders.
This morning I was preparing for our conversation tonight and this paragraph jumped out to me.
“After twenty-five years of priesthood, I found myself praying poorly, living somewhat isolated from other people, and very much preoccupied with burning issues. Everyone was saying that I was doing really well, but something inside was telling me that my success was putting my own soul in danger. I began to ask myself whether my lack of contemplative prayer, my loneliness, and my constantly changing involvement in what seemed most urgent were signs that the Spirit was gradually being suppressed. It was very hard for me to see clearly, and though I never spoke about hell or only jokingly so, I woke up one day with the realization that I was living in a very dark place and that the term “burnout” was a convenient psychological translation for a spiritual death.”
Is ministry suppressing the work of the Spirit in you?
Are you preoccupied with execution and effectiveness?
Is your soul endangered?
