It’s sadly no longer a novelty: These days it seems some sort of headline or viral tweet flies around just about every day with a Christian pastor or leader “falling from grace” and making very bad (and very public) decisions that hurt their reputation—and their ministry. You’ve probably followed the stories about Bill Hybels, Mark Driscoll, and even RELEVANT magazine.
We’re not here to bash on those people or to dig into gossip. We live in a complicated and messy world, and often “big” sins start with small compromises. There are many variables at play in situations like this, but one area we would be wise to monitor is our own self-care. If we run ourselves ragged and don’t care for our own physical or mental health, we’ll drain ourselves dry and have nothing left to give to the people we’re supposed to minister to.
Personally I’m grateful we live in an era where more and more people are talking about depression, suicide, and anxiety. I’m so glad the stigma around counseling and therapy seems to be improving, and hopefully the public falls of prominent leaders will force us to adjust our thinking on self-care and leadership guardrails.
But we still have a ways to go.
We’re covering a wide range of topics this month, from messy leadership issues to soul care and what to do when your creative well runs dry:
- Webinar with psychotherapist and counselor Matthew Gallagher for tips on dealing with complicating issues publicly and how to take better care of yourself.
- How to care for your heart, mind, body, and soul.
- 64 ways to rejuvenate your creativity.
- 5 habits for maintaining mental health.
- What to do if your boss is a jerk.
- Becoming healthy selfish.
- Ways to say “No” without being a jerk.
- Free book download! You’ve Got This by Kelley Hartnett. (Need a pep talk?)
- And, of course, our awesome social graphics. Along with Thanksgiving and Veterans Day, don’t forget Daylight Saving this weekend!
See the Resources
Check out this month’s self-care resources, and if you’re not a member of Courageous Storytellers, consider joining.
