LSUSF Lecture 4

• Busyness is one of the chief obstacles that ministry leaders must overcome if we
• want to develop a deep life in God.
• Barna surveys of Christians in general.
• 23.2.1 60% of those surveyed expressed a desire to grow spiritually.
• 23.2.2 75% of those surveyed said they had no plan or process for growing spiritually.
• 23.2.3 66% (2/3) said they were too busy to give the time that was required for the process of
• spiritual growth.
• How does busyness impact a leader’s spiritual life?
• 27.1 When pastors and ministry leaders get caught up in the busyness of life and ministry,
• more times than not, it is their personal time with God that usually is neglected.
• 27.2 "Hurriedness has become a distinguishing characteristic of the age we live in. Life
• has quite literally ‘speeded up.’" Archibald Hart, Adrenaline and Stress.
• 27.3 Leighton Ford, in his book, The Attentive Life, states, "There is a connection between
• our speed and the health of our spirit," and, "Hurry is the great enemy of the life of
• the spirit." (105, 109)

• There is a payoff to our busyness
• 28.1 When we are busy, it makes us feel important. And we like feeling important, so we
• stay busy.
• 28.2 Eugene Peterson writes, "I live in a society in which crowded schedules and harassed
• conditions are evidence of importance, so I develop a crowded schedule and harassed
• conditions. When others notice, they acknowledge my significance, and my vanity is
• fed." (The Contemplative Pastor, 18)
• 28.3 Many are uncomfortable with not actively doing something. It stirs up feelings of
• anxiety and restlessness. The one sure way to avoid that anxiety is to stay busy.
• 28.4 For many of us, the opposite of being busy is often seen as laziness or idleness, and
• we do not want to be lazy.

• Steps in balancing busyness—creating a new pattern
• (Adapted from Charles Bello,
• Prayer as a Place , 132- 133)
• 1. Your new pattern needs to be DOABLE.

2. Your new pattern needs to be SUSTAINABLE

3. Your new pattern needs to be PROFITABLE

4.Your new pattern needs to be FLEXIBLE

5. Your new pattern needs to be PERSONAL

6. Recognize the SEASON IN LIFE your are in

7. Your new pattern should be ROOTED IN COMMUNITY

• Disciplines of Abstinence: Solitude, Silence, Fasting, Frugality, Chastity, Secrecy,and Sacrifice.

Disciplines of Engagement: Study, Journaling, Service, Fellowship, Submission,Worship, Celebration, Prayer, and Confession.

The four misconceptions regarding spiritual disciplines.

• 1. Manipulating God
• 2. Activities & Duty vs. Relationship & Desire
• 3. The means become the end: "My growth and development is evidenced by my
• practices of the disciplines."
• 4. Being legalistic and judgmental in our practice and attitudes toward others
• 5. Becoming the "Expert"—in fact, we are always beginners
• 6. Misplaced focus in the process

• The Charismatic Tradition: The Spirit-Empowered Life
• The Social Justice Tradition: The Compassionate Life
• The Evangelical Tradition: The Word-Centered Life
• The Incarnational Tradition: The Sacramental Life
• The Contemplative Tradition: The Prayer-Filled Life
• In looking at these various traditions/streams, keep a few things in mind:
• 42.2.1 Each of these traditions/streams is rooted in the life and ministry of Jesus.
• 42.2.2 If we are looking for a well-rounded and balanced spirituality, we want to see aspects of
• each of these traditions being evidenced in our lives and ministries.
• 42.2.3 We are all naturally drawn to one or more of these streams due to temperament,
• experience or upbringing.
• 42.2.4 Conversely, our apprehension or fear of other traditions is often rooted in the fact that it
• has been outside of our history and experience, and we have probably been warned about
• "those people" in those traditions.