Many of the folks I speak with on a daily basis are struggling to find the motivation to do the things they have to,  start something new and to see it through!  I confess I have seasons like this in my own life and have to be deliberate about tending to my heart and mind to stay motivated.   To be deliberate is key because when the challenges arise it is very easy to slip back into lethargy.  Once we have allowed our selves to slip into lethargy, it takes a whole bunch more effort to get motivated again.

This is a deliberate process, a renewing of our minds as we learn to cultivate motivating thoughts and at the same time recognize and de-power negative ones.  This will take some effort.  Like ruts in gravel roads, patterns of thinking form ruts in our mind and as such, it takes effort to stay out of them!   This comes through reflecting as objectively as possible on your thoughts and feelings thereby learning to recognize thought / emotional patterns and steer away from the unhealthy ones.  This will also help you to focus on the things that give life, the tasks at hand without inadvertently sabotaging yourself!

There are three general reasons why we may lose our motivation:

1. Unsure what we really want to achieve. Lack of clear vision.
2. Unclear about how to proceed and a general lack of understanding of strengths and weakness.
3. A general lack of self-confidence.

What’s your Vision?

The bible tells us that the people perish for lack of vision and being unsure what it is specifically we want to do, to
achieve will have significant impact on motivation.   Have a clearly defined goal and objective is really key to inspiring hope which in itself is a tremendous motivator but also empowers us to establish a concrete action plan.  Take your time to understand the desired outcome of the task or goal and understand the purpose and meaning supporting it.  What are the potential benefits, and potential risks. In short, understand what is you are really trying to accomplish in as specific ways as possible.

  Watch for subtle emotions and thought patterns that seem to creep in that will discourage you.  These thoughts are different than wisdom.    Wisdom is rooted in love, in truth and is positive, where the discouraging thoughts are rooted in fear – fear of failing, fear of being judged and fear of being rejected.

Learning to recognize the differences between true wisdom and fear is a key!  Each of these fears do need to be addressed for what they are.  Understand what issue is driving the fear.   By doing so

Rhythms of the Heart –  In this video edition, Michael explores the role of devotion or spiritual practices for your unique life.  Because each person is uniquely created, one size DOESN”T fit all!   Unchain yourself from unhealthy religious obligation and practices which may just not be a good fit for you and your spiritual journey.  Then allow God to create different ways of connecting in your everyday life!

Michael is sharing some thoughts on devotion and a life of faith. Michael helps us untangle devotion in real life and position for natural, growing relationship with God.

Visit www.IamSignificant.ca for more Resources for inspired living. Success with significance.

Meet Michael Rose, the founder and Director of IamSignificant.ca.  In this short video Michael introduces IamSignificant.ca at it’s very foundations- Heart.  Michael gives a brief overview of the life resources available with a membership and also explains Christian Life Coaching and Spiritual Direction for cultivating more, vibrant meaningful lives.  Get a fuller picture of the heart that infuses IamSignificant.ca and is making lasting, positive difference in peoples lives!

IamSignificant.ca – an expanding online toolbox of faith inspired resources dedicated to helping people live life to the fullest. Our specialized resources help connect people with the roots of significance in all areas of life: relationships, faith, family, business and even yourself. In addition to helping connect all aspects of your life with significance, our resources help you find the kind of success that will bring fulfillment on the deepest levels.

Through our online media, Spiritual direction, personal life coaching and more, we can help you discover the deepest success of your life.  If you are looking to find meaning that permeates and unites all aspects life, IamSignificant.ca is a great first step in that direction.

Whether we realize it or not, all of us are leading in a multiplicity of ways all the time and while we may lead well verbally, our actions and posture may be saying something else!  Leading well is as much an art form as it’s models and strategies.   One such example of this is how we handle obstacles, difficult people or daunting trends. How we respond to them can either launch us into innovation or leave us hunkering down in a wine press!

There is no shortage of dooms-day prophets proclaiming woe to Church.  Yes, there are some legitimate challenges facing the Church, but we are talking about the same thing Jesus Himself declared “the gates of Hell would not over come“!  So embedded in each challenge are opportunities for innovation, creativity, connection and renewed life!

Here are 5 challenges facing the leaders of Christian communities and some of the opportunities within them:

People in General

There is a fairly popular saying among pastors that while humorous, reveals a bit (okay – a lot!) of truth.  The saying goes “Leading a Church would be awesome if it weren’t for the people”.  The truth is, as a leader, we deal with all sorts of people in a variety of situations and this often reveals the “bad and the ugly” in people.  The reality is, working with people is difficult – the complexity of interpersonal relations is a breeding ground for disputes and pettiness.

While people are in fact a source of stress and challenge, I am encouraged to consider the incarnation – the idea that God  meets us where we are at – yet while we were still sinners…  This will help us to remember that while the Church is meant to be a loving reflection of the Kingdom, we are also on a journey of becoming – becoming communities of love and becoming people of love.   The process is facilitated in the context of community – a place where we are safe, accepted while we all deal with the issues of our personal and corporate life together.  This can be incredibly messy!  However, this perspective will help us approach our communities with more realistic expectations.

Being a pastor is about being faithful to that which you are called and the quality of response to that call.  You are responsible to the people you serve to that end.  The challenge is to resist the temptation of feeling responsible for the people. Responsible for peoples behavior and choices – healthy or otherwise.  Taking on the responsibility that rightly belongs to those you serve will stunt their growth, frustrate you, burn you out and set you up for a

If you are like me you get lots of ideas!  Ideas about a lot of different things – how things can be improved, made more efficient, add more depth to life – lots of them.  I have to admit though, not all those ideas have been good ideas!  I have my fair share of bad ideas but at the time I conceive them – well quite frankly, they are brilliant, the most obvious solution to the problem at hand! Not!

The old adage, fools rush in where angels fear to tread is a good piece of wisdom in this situation – not that we shouldn’t take educated and calculated risks, but these risks need to be thought through What may seem a great idea, course of action may in fact not be so good.  This is why it is a good idea to sit on your ideas for a day or too before sharing them or launching out in them.

I am not talking about decision making – decision making a a bit different skill and is often a good test for the validity of our idea.  When making a decision, in general, we go through a process where we stop, think, evaluate, decide, select and implement.
This process can take some time with new ideas, especially when we have to gather information to help us evaluate it.

Holding an idea in prayer is also helpful.  God is there for us, God cares about us, the decisions we make and God is the source of wisdom.  Scripture tells us that we can ask God for wisdom and we can expect that He’ll provide that wisdom.  Ask for grace to recognize the voice of wisdom as you consider your idea.  I have found praying about my ideas helps me to become aware of personal drives that maybe clouding my judgement.   Also, a posture of prayer also helps us to see our idea from another perspective which may often reveal some aspects we haven’t considered.

Take the time to examine your idea, identify how it affects all involved, ask questions, find answers, organize the information and then evaluate it.  I have found as I let an idea percolate for a day or two, the hype around my great idea settles and I am in a better place to evaluate whether it is indeed a good idea or not!   I have found in the light of this different perspective I can see more clearly the merits or the weakness of an idea.

We all get excited when we get a brilliant idea and it is human nature to share our brilliant idea with others.  Let’s face it, we like to share

Lindisfarne Castle - Holy Island

“Thin places” is a 5th century Celtic christian term used to describe geographical places where it seems that space between Heaven and Earth are uniquely thin.  The Thin places could be in a building, cave, on a mountain top or by the sea shore.  It is the place where we become acutely aware of the presence of God, perhaps in a way that is more profound than at other times.

Another way of thinking about thin places are those times, places, activities where we easily experience the felt presence of God, a sense of the Holy.

Thin places can be physical buildings.  For example, some of us can attest to the special feelings we experience in a church building.  For me, I am often moved by buildings which have been a place of prayer and worship for a very long time.  A place where people for decades, even centuries have been faithfully gathering with other believers to pray and worship – I will often discover thin places there.

Geography can also provide a setting for thin places.  Many of us have often experienced the profundity of God in creation.  No, creation is not God but creation can point to God not unlike a painting will point to its painter.  I have the opportunity to visit a number of majestic places, like Waterton National Park in Southern Alberta and I am immediately aware of the grandeur and presence of God.  I had the opportunity to visit the Grand Canyon a few years back and as I stepped to the rim of the canyon, and looked to the canyon floor 1 mile below, and then to the opposite side of the canyon many miles on the horizon, I was moved by the spectacle and an overwhelming sense of the presence of God.  It moved me to tears of gentle worship of our Lord and King.

Thin places can be so much more though.   If we can slow down and prayerfully reflect as we go about our day – we may discover we are tripping into thin places in many ways each day.  To cultivate an awareness of God in our day to day activities; in prayer, encounters we have with someone who is a blessing to us or that we were able to serve them somehow, or in the hug of our children or spouse.  I think we may all be surprised at the many God moments that spot our days, and often times in the seemingly most mundane, run of the mill kinds of activities.

By simply being aware, by asking for the grace to recognize the thin places He provides for us each day, we will find ourselves stumbling from

Many people are realizing the disconnect between their faith life and their everyday life, and this sense of disconnection is inhibiting the deep life transformations so many of us are looking for in Christ.  In this video, Dallas Willard talks about spiritual growth, the church, and our responsibility as it relates to these.  Willard says things like: “We have a devotional but not a life that’s devoted” and “We have a prayer life… but what we need is a life of prayer” and it is to this he explores in this video.

This video was made by Monvee.com

According to researchers, 72% of a sampling of American pastors report only spending time in the Bible when they had a sermon or lesson to prepare for.   This suggests that only 38% read the Bible regularly for personal study and encouragement.  This isn’t a big surprise to any of us if we are really honest.  Anyone who has spent anytime leading a Church can attest that the demands for your time are huge -  the pressures of other peoples lives, committees, counseling, Church finances, preparation for Sundays, special services, leading bible studies, meetings (meetings and more meetings!), education, a spouse and family, all contribute to a hyper-paced vocation.  Just typing it I feel short of breath!

With such a busy life it can be a challenge to carve out a small amount of personal time.  But wait!?  Shouldn’t we treasure that time? Aren’t we fed and encouraged?  Shouldn’t we make it a priority?

The short answer is – for sure!  Spending time in scripture is a marvelous way for us to cultivate our own healthy relationship with Jesus and tend to our own soul care.  No doubt we encourage the people we minister to to “get in the word, know your Bible”.  Why? So they can be refreshed and grow in their faith. Shouldn’t we do the same thing?  This is all good stuff but I think often as pastors, we think, we are in the “business” of the Bible and sometimes, even the best of us fall into the malaise of rationalizing that we have done enough God stuff; preach, teach, pray, worship as a part of the job, why do we need to do more?  Multitasking if you will! <wink>

For me, I need to spend time in the word because while I spend the majority of time doing Kingdom things and some of them very well, these are generally for other people, and it is easy to get in a giving mode while neglecting to care of my own need for spiritual nurture and care.

A secular example – As a hobby, I like to fly stunt kites.  As life progressed, we found ourselves running a successful family business retailing kites online.  A funny thing started to happen.   As the company grew and prospered, I discovered I had less time to fly kites.   I was so busy in the business of kites, I hardly had time to fly them!  I think this is a danger for many folks, especially those of us in vocational ministry.   We often end up sacrificing the very reason why we responded to our call to ministry – our personal relationship with God.

Sadly, this a slow slide into burnout!  It