SERVING STRONG

Holiday Conflict Prep

2009-11-13T15:33:51-05:00

"The holidays are coming! The holidays are coming!"

Holidays = Stress.

Stress = Interpersonal Conflict.

Interpersonal Conflict = decreased ministry effectiveness.

So, brush up on your conflict management skills.

Click this link to the Serving Strong Conflict Archives

Go into the holidays prepared to handle conflict and you'll be Serving Strong!

photo credit

Take The Dog Out

2009-11-10T09:32:43-05:00

We trained our English Shepherd puppy, Emma, from a young age to alert us when she had to do her "business." We then would take her out on the lawn to keep "things" in the right place. At first it was exciting to see Emma ring the bell or scratch at the door. We trained her! But over time the newness of the trick wore off. Some days we'd get lazy and after the third or fourth bell ringing, we'd finally let her out.

One day we misjudged the "ring-to-desperation" ratio. Sure enough, after a couple rings Emma produced a prize on the carpet - the "trophy of neglect" as I like to call it.

It doesn't matter how important the task is at hand. It doesn't matter how important we think we are. There are a few things we MUST do before it's too late. Just like staying sensitive to the dog's ring at the door, we must stay sensitive to how tired we get helping people. We cannot ignore our self care. There is a "trophy of neglect". It's called burnout. It's about "hitting the wall."

Remember to "take the dog out" occasionally and you'll be Serving Strong!

Recharge

2009-11-08T18:33:33-05:00

We all need to recharge. Such a simple concept. Such a neglected concept. What are you doing to recharge?

Recharge and you'll be Serving Strong!