Why do I need a study break?

While sitting in the Westfield service yesterday, I was struck by two other reasons for me to take a study break:

1) Leading a church like NL and preaching to many people every Sunday can be a heady experience. People actually sit and (act like they?) listen. I lead a staff that respects what I say and follows where I lead. If a preacher is not careful, it's easy to start believing he is more important than he is.

During the month of August, I experience reality more than usual. I get to be a regular person. I am not the head of the office, the most influential voice in a staff meeting, or the center of focus on Sunday morning. During August, my voice is small on everything. I'm not the center of our family's focus. In our marital staff meetings, my voice (how can I say this?) is appropriately proportioned.

My study break humbles me.

2) Yesterday, I was reminded how much NL needs me to get away. Healthiest churches are not about one leader. One of our goals is that NL will be stronger after I leave/die/waste away in Margaritaville. When the preacher backs off, the church realizes how the church is led and blessed by God, not by one person. (True story: over the past couple years, I have heard more stories of ministers getting fired after returning from their study breaks. Apparently, they discovered they didn't need their ministers at all!)

So, as my study break comes to a close, thanks for giving me this opportunity. Ministry life is a marathon, not a 100-meter dash. Changing speed for a month has helped me plan, refresh, and re-engage in my 17 years of leading NL.

Brett Andrews
Lead Guy

Justing thinking...

by Gary DeMar, Aug 31, 2009

Before Jeff Foxworthy made a fortune telling redneck Jokes, Jerry Clower had developed his own brand of Southern humor. Born and raised in Liberty, Mississippi, Clower had a talent telling stories that went a long way to help him sell seed and fertilizer. Many of his comedic stories revolved around the non-fictional Ledbetter family. While the stories he told were embellished, they were based on actual events and served as informal chronicles of early 20th century rural Southern life.

Clower often told the story of a church meeting where the members were voting on the purchase of a new chandelier for the church. It seemed like it would be a routine meeting until Uncle Versie Ledbetter got word of the meeting and decided to attend so he could learn more about this new fangled chandelier. Being up there in years, he called on his grandson to take him to the meeting. As the deacons were about to vote, Uncle Versie asked to be heard. He noted “that no one among them could spell it, certainly no one among them could play it and what was [really] needed instead was lighting for the sanctuary.” I suspect that the word “worldview” carries a similar amount of ambiguity as the word chandelier did for Uncle Versie, and yet having a well-defined and comprehensive biblical worldview is necessary to shed light on the world.

Brett Andrews
Lead Minister

Westmoreland Campus $1 Car Wash

Give it a Rest

This blew me away at lifegroup the other night. Hacking through the 1st half of Acts 11. Peter returns to Jerusalem after the Gentile, Cornelius, has the Holy Spirit fall on him and gets baptized. He is immediately set upon by Jewish Christians for daring to mingle with a Gentile. So Peter recalls the whole story, and it says at the end of his telling of it, his critics "quieted down."

What we found interesting is that this same Greek word is used in Luke 14. Jesus is out walking around on the Sabbath, following by a bunch of lawyers and religious leaders looking for Him to make a mistake. Jesus sees a man suffering from dropsy in front of him. He turns to the religious types and asks them whether it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath. The scriptures say that they kept silent. "Kept silent" is the same word as "quieted down" in Acts.

In Luke 23, after Jesus' crucifixion, the women saw Jesus' tomb and how His body was laid. And they returned and prepared spices and perfumes. And on the Sabbath, it says, they rested according to the commandment. The word "rested" is the same word translated "kept silent" and "quieted down."

Putting these all together, what do you get? Maybe resting in the Lord has a lot more to do with shutting up for a change. Before the God of all the Universe, the Creator of all things, the One who sees the end from the very beginning, the Merciful and Just God who knows us better than we do, perhaps we'd be wise to be as savvy as the Pharisees and just give it a rest. Realize we have nothing to say that really matters. There's no defense we can make. No excuse that works. No argument that sounds wise. No plans or strategies that impress.

Maybe we should just give it a rest. Maybe if we shut up, He'll have a chance to talk to us. Maybe He'll tell us what to pray for. Maybe He'll tell us how to pray for it. Maybe He'll rip our hearts open, as He did mine last night, and show us areas of us He doesn't yet posses but wants to.

So, for 13 minutes last night, we just allowed Him the opportunity to have His way, to have the floor, our hearts a quiet pool to stir with his finger. To be truthful, we didn't find it easy. Maybe the joy of transforming lives will give us perseverance. So, we're writing down what we heard. Our boldness move next week is to share that.

Dangerous stuff.


Dwaine Darrah
McLean Campus Pastor

Stick it in your eye!

Recently, I was criticized for following people on Twitter that are unbelievers. I admit that some of the language they use is awful! One example of a tweet that showed up was, "She's dying, the buff chick is gonna die. Damn the writers of this stupid program!!!." Quite frankly I am flattered that I would receive criticism for another person’s behavior. I am reminded of those criticizing Jesus for associating with prostitutes and tax collectors. I can't say that I think this language is appropriate for a bunch of Christians but it is appropriate for the author. It is something they learned and could even be cultural. I would also think that if we are to be like Jesus and associate with unbelievers we should expect this kind of behavior. Jesus died for them too. After all, why would someone who is not a Christ follower ever be expected to act like one? We should love them. We should not look down on them or even expect our attempts to address their behavior to be successful. Until they are transformed in their thinking we should not expect change. Regarding Twitter, Christ followers should post things that our followers might see and therefore be drawn to Christ. Sorry for the rant. By the way, the author of this tweet was commenting on a scene from an episode of “House” where someone was inserting a needle into a woman’s eye.

Creed Branson, Executive Guy

What do you do on your study break?

Great question. I get asked that every year during my annual study break in August.

One lesson I learned from a mentor was to see the ministry as a marathon, not a 100 yard dash. For that reason, he has encouraged all of his mentees to take an annual study break. Why?

1) Worship

Almost every Sunday for over 2 decades, I have been responsible for leading worship services. Even when I’m not preaching, I attend our services as an overseer – and I love it! I am passionate about helping people discover God on Sundays. It is an honor to feel entrusted by God to lead people to connect with Him every week! That’s one reason I love being in ministry!

However, its not healthy for me to be in that role all the time. During my study break, I get to participate. Undistracted by responsibilities. Undistracted with the constant thoughts like: “What are newcomers thinking? How can we do this better next time? What’s that on Tim’s T-shirt?”

So, one purpose of my break is to worship God unfettered by distractions.

2) Benevolent Rest

Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. In other words, God built one day of rest into every week and commanded one year of rest every 49 in ancient Israel, not to be legalistic, but because we need rest. As old Native American proverb says, “You will break the bow if you keep it constantly bent.”

I am called to ministry & blessed to get paid to do what I do. Still, the each year as the study break approaches, I can feel it. Less creative. Less patient under stress. More frustrated by mountains that won’t move.

The study break is a time for me to refill the tanks. So, I read books, listen to lectures and sermons, and talk with other ministers. Sometimes, I go to seminars.

Sometimes, I just make time to think. That’s one reason I like going to the lake as much as I can on my break. Nothing clears my head more than rigging the sunfish and sailing around the lake. And, there’s no better place in the world for me to get perspective and dream than on the front porch swing… or, the front yard hammock… or, in front of the fire as the sun sets across the lake.

This summer, I’m reading books on Elijah and church growth, as well as my favorite Leadership to Leader magazines.

3) Sermon Work

It’s hard to be spiritual and busy. So, study break is the best time for me to look out and the year ahead, pray, and plan all the sermon series through Fall 2010. Do you know how fun it is to think through the needs of the church, seek God, and prepare series? So far, I’ve worked on sermon series about Joseph, Elijah, Jonah, Practical Proverbs, 1 John, Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, and Habakkuk, just for starters. All of them won’t make the cut for this year, but within the next five years, we’ll use the material.

Oh, wait. It’s not really fun. It’s awful. Horrible. You don’t know how difficult it is! (I don’t want you to think this is too easy!)

To get ahead for the fall, my goal is always to have 4 new sermons written by September. That allows more flexibility in my schedule (and less tension and anger, making me a nicer person to live with).

4) Visit Churches

Last week, we visited J10, the church NL started in Ashburn 8 years ago. Every year we try to visit as many churches that NL has started as we can. We’re planning to visit Common Ground and Momentum. It’s always rewarding to go and encourage former staff members!

This year, I want to visit a large church in Akron, OH to see how they use their building & do multi-site. We’ve also talked about a trip to visit a church in Idaho with Creed.

Think I’m going to run out of Sundays before I run out of churches?

5) Family Time

Sometimes, I think my family needs my study break more than I do. Many of you work on-call 24 hours a day. That’s the nature of our work. And, its great to work knowing what you are doing is needed all the time.

At the same time, the schedule and stresses of ministry can take a toll on the family. (My college roommate, a Christian college professor’s son, always said, “You’re not really in ministry until you’ve neglected your family.”)

I try to honor God, my family, and the ministry every week. But, study break is a break for my family, because I’m not being pulled in so many directions, I’m more relaxed, and we’re able to spend a little more time together away from the stress, as well.

My mentor took at least 4-6 weeks for a study break every summer for the last 30 years of his life. He retired at 65, still climbing. He’s probably more effective in his retirement years than most people are in their work years. One reason he’d tell you: he ran like a marathon, not a sprint. Thanks for allowing me to do the same.

Brett Andrews, Lead Minister