EMPTY

Have you ever ran out of gas?  I have just a couple of times in my driving career.  It's no fun at all.  You feel a sense of uh, "stupid".  When I ran out of gas, I mean EVERY time it was NO accident.  As I prepare for the weekend, I am thinking about those of us who let our emotional lives get past empty before we pay any attention to it.  I am in a season right now that I have been pushing it way too hard since August.  I have only taken one Sunday off from preaching since then and it is really starting to show.  

One of the greatest lessons I have learned in life and I learned it back in 2000.  I remember Bill Hybels speaking to leaders and saying, "LIFE IS HARD: the question is, is it hard doable or destruction."  I put my head in my hand and just cried.  Because I realized that I can't do life at an insane pace.  So the question I am revisiting during this season of life is what does it take for a leader to stay FULL spiritually, mentally, physically and emotionally?

1.  TIME with God.

I have tried to cheat on this one and it NEVER works.

2.  Observing the Sabbath.

One of my strong points has not been taking a regular day off.  I am very intense about the mission that God has laid on my heart BUT that is no excuse.  Last week I observed the sabbath on Friday and it was so refreshing.

3.  Finding something you like to do that fills you up emotionally.  I am going to talk about this topic this coming Sunday, as we continue our series Sabotage - depression.

4.  Have a few safe people that are truly your friends.  As adults we have a tendency to not have many close friends.  Yet we need them.