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Designed to Equip the Local Church for:
Strategically Relevant, Effective and Efficient
"Evangelistic-Disciplemaking" Sports Outreach

Well? or Whole!

1/29/2018

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Well Vs. Whole
In the world of Sports, Recreation and Fitness (SR&F) Outreach Ministry, we quite obviously tend to focus primarily on the physical fitness component of both ourselves and those we serve. But as a Certified Health and Wellness Coach who specializes in Biblical Health and Wholeness, I see a bigger, more complex picture. It all started when my family had to call an ambulance for me one day while out running errands.

See, I had taken on too much. Like many of us, and many of those we serve, it was hard for me to say no. I did everything anyone asked of me… in addition to my God-given responsibilities. I didn’t want to let anyone down and wanted to look like I had it all together. After all, if I said no, they would think I couldn’t handle it, right? But where it got me was somewhere I never expected to end up. I landed in the ER.

In the process of trying to not fail others, I had failed to care for myself well. I had fallen for the enemy’s lies that whispers, Christians sacrifice. Others come first. You don’t have time to slow down. Maybe you’ve heard those same whispers? But you didn’t know it was from an enemy who wants to steal, kill, and destroy? He has a way of twisting truth and turning it into a lie. Sacrifice? Caring for others? Great things! And obviously a part of the foundation of our faith in action, but God cares about YOU, too. He cares about those we partner with in our ministries who are running on empty.

We all know that the greatest commandment Jesus gave us was to love our Father in heaven with everything we are. But the second has a component we often leave out. We are told to love others as we love ourselves, but often simplify restate it as: “love others”. Yet, in order to love others as we love ourselves, we must first actually love (and thus care for) ourselves! We aren’t much good to the expansion of the Kingdom, if we aren’t well enough to serve.

I like to teach that in those 2 commandments, there are actually 3. And if we put them in their proper order, it looks like this: We are to love God, love (and care for) ourselves (so that we can), love (and care for) others. God not only gave us the command to rest (Exodus 20:8-11), He also modeled it at creation (Genesis 2:2). However, I’m willing to bet most Christians don’t take it seriously. Jesus also modeled stepping away for times of prayer (Matthew 14:22-23, Mark 1:35, Luke 4:42, Luke 5:16, Luke 6:12… you get the idea), encouraging others to rest (Mark 6:31), clarifying His priorities in ministry (Matthew 15:24), even catching a nap (Mark 4:38)!

I’m sure you’ve seen it. I know I’m not alone in having been there. You may have been down that road also, or know others who have. We live in a culture, even a church culture, that neglects to care for ourselves well. We want good health, but we’d prefer the quick fix offered by the world than look at true wholeness.

While I have been blessed to find the path to healing, many are left to navigate those waters alone. Medical doctors often just want to prescribe a pill to reduce symptoms in the body, psychologists often only look at worldly theories on the brain and mental health, and pastors often only offer prayer. While each of these professionals may have the patient’s best at heart, each may be missing that bigger picture.

There are 3 areas of the whole person that we must address in order to guide people toward true wholeness. God made us with 3 parts: body, mind, and spirit. We must address physical health including diet as well as exercise, we must address mental health and what the Bible says about it, and we must address spiritual health and not simply assume it’s healthy. Many of us, or those we serve, have become experts at masking the real issues. We may look fit, seem sane, and appear spiritual, but under the surface we are a mess. For most, it is a definite struggle to be real in front of others and open up about what’s going on underneath the façade.

But by creating a new culture within your church or ministry that is a safe space to talk about these things, people WILL begin to open up about what they’re facing. By hearing you discuss your own internal or unseen battles, people will be encouraged to do the same and begin to walk toward healing those areas. Remember, leaders must lead by example! You cannot expect your people to be transparent with you if you are not being transparent with them.

We must start addressing health more wholistically- the whole person: body, mind, and spirit, if we want to lead people toward true wellness…toward true wholeness. Begin the conversation with your leaders. Challenge your people to examine their own wholistic health and be willing to work through it with them. (I’ve got a fantastic new resource for this in my shop!) Checking in on their physical, mental, and spiritual health is not only a component of discipleship, but will keep your ministry strong and healthy as well. Burnout benefits no one.

The rest of this year, I’ll be periodically offering new blogs to talk about the specific areas we should be covering as we teach others (and learn for ourselves!) about wholistic health and what that might look like as a component of your ministry. In the meantime, feel free to join me over at http://fixyoureyesonhim.com  for other wholistic health tips, resources, and more!
________________________________________________________________
Amber Lauren of Fix Your Eyes on Him Biblical Health and Wholeness is the wife of a Senior Pastor of an energetic, growing local church, mother of 3 school-aged children and has a passion to empower people to become whole in Christ.

Link to free printable version for distribution (unaltered) to those in your ministry: https://fixyoureyesonhim.com/download/2657/

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Passing The Baton - Guest Blog by David Waddell

1/17/2018

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I never ran track. I possess an incredible amount of slowness. A few years ago, I watched a videotape a church member made for my son in which the church’s father and son softball team was playing. There were several men in the church with sons who were juniors or seniors in high school. Since I was the recreation minister, I put this group together for a team in the church sponsored men’s slow pitch softball league.

In the video, I get up to the plate for my at-bat and hit the ball down the right-field line. Then the footage presents me running to first base. I reluctantly use the word running because it appeared to be in slow motion. I asked my son if I ran that slowly. His comment was, “I think the tape makes it appear faster than reality.”

While I am not good at racing on a track, I am quite the fan of watching human beings that possess great speed. One race I enjoy, in particular, is the relays. Speed is one component of the relay race, but equally of importance is the transfer of the baton from one runner to the next. Teams win relay races not only on the speed of the runners but also on the efficiency of passing the baton from one runner to the next.

Successful transfers are beautiful in any setting. On March 4, 1797, George Washington handed the “leadership baton” of United States to the new president, John Adams. For the first time in political history, power had transferred without the death of the former leader or a violent overthrow. The story goes that, after the inauguration, John Adams was waiting for George Washington to exit the room first. The former president reminded Mr. Adams that he was now a regular citizen and that Mr. Adams, as president, should exit the room first. Mr. Washington had control over his ego enough to let the new man shine, as he should in his new position. Our nation celebrates that this transfer has occurred on a regular basis since that day.

In Deuteronomy 34, we read about the death of Moses, and Joshua becoming the leader of the Israelites. God chose Joshua to take Moses’s place and to lead the people into their new home. The transfer was smooth because Moses had “laid his hands on Joshua” signifying to the people that he would be their new leader.

In the first two chapters of 1 Kings, we read the story of King David handing the throne to his son Solomon. This transfer was a much more peaceful transfer than we see with some of the following kings of Israel and Judah, where murder caused the exchange of the “baton.”

Someone else previously held every position of leadership I have held. Each predecessor left the job peacefully to take on positions in other places. The transfer of leadership was smooth because there was no overthrow or death involved. When I departed my leadership position from the last two churches I served, both churches promoted my associate minister of recreation into the lead position for the ministry. The one in Springfield continues to serve in ministry at a church in nearby Ozark, Missouri. The leader in Germantown Baptist assumed the role in 2003 and remains in that position to this day. Most churches have similar records of peaceful transfers in ministry leadership positions as God calls one person away from a particular place and calls another one into that situation.

Four months ago, I witnessed yet another transfer of power. Greg Linville, who had served as the Executive Director of the Church Sports and Recreation Ministers Association since 1992 is stepping aside to work with different aspects of sports, recreation, and fitness leadership. A search team researched possible leaders and found a man, David Mabry, to step in and assume the reigns of this vital parachurch ministry. In September of last year, I observed a group of men and women, all leaders in sport, fitness, and recreation ministries praying over the new leader and asking God to give wisdom and guidance for the new leader. The one supporting the new leader the most was the outgoing leader, Greg Linville.

I am grateful these two men have kept their egos under control, and both have allowed themselves to let the other shine in the gifts God gave them. In that I am friends with both men, I am grateful that the transfer of power did not result in one of them murdering the other. Please pray for this year of transition and these two amazing leaders in sports, recreation, and fitness ministries.

What baton are you handing off or receiving?

_____________________________
David Waddell is a Local Church Sport, Rec & Fitness Ministry Veteran and currently is a Professor at Ole Miss!  His two books are available through CSRM and are highly recommended.  David also serves on CSRM's Board of Trustees and Executive Committee and will be a presenter at this year's REACHgathering.

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