Pastors – PLAN your next Date Night NOW with DATEBOX
One of the biggest challenges Pastors and their families face is a lack of FREE TIME.
Of course, some people do not understand what Pastors do all day, and wonder why they are even at the church all week. After all, the Pastor pretty much just gives a 30 minute talk on Sundays right? Who couldn’t talk for 30 minutes?
We all know that is stupid thinking.
After working at a church for 16 years I know the LAST thing a Pastor has on their hands is free time. What most have to deal with every week is people pulling them in every direction.
- “Why weren’t you at the hospital when I stubbed my toe?”
- “Why did you ignore my call at Midnight on Saturday when I got in a mild argument with my spouse?”
- “Why weren’t you at ALL of my child’s football games this year?”
- …the list goes on and on.
It is a huge issue for Pastors and Church Leaders.
People think they are the only ones you have to work with. Evidently your family must be perfect and need NO time from you to succeed. So obviously you have all of your time to give to them.
That is wrong on their part, but the problem is compounded because the reason you became a Pastor is to HELP PEOPLE. So naturally you do whatever you can to help them.
The people demands are only the beginning as you know.
Sermons can kind of write themselves if you order them from the internet. But, even if you use free or paid tools to make your sermon prep easier you still have to put in a LOT of time to make that sermon your own.
There is nothing wrong with using external information for Sermon Prep. You do not have to come up with EVERYTHING yourself. Try asking your Worship Pastor to write ALL NEW songs EVERY WEEK. Not going to happen.
Then there are the endless meetings. Plus the fact that you cannot easily shut your brain off when you actually do get to go home.
So what is my point?
Is your FAMILY more important than your CHURCH?
A lot have Pastors have already gotten this down. There is a huge movement in Church Leadership that many leaders have already connected with to make sure they are investing in their marriages and families.
But there are still many finding themselves giving little or no time at home, and EVERYTHING at the Church.
That is wrong no matter what profession you are in. It is even more important for Pastors and Ministry Leaders. How can people look to you for advice on how to have a great family when you do not have one?
Most people would agree with this, but sometimes it still helps to hear it again.
I am not saying your family needs to be perfect in order to help other families. Sometimes kids and spouses make decisions that are challenging and out of our control. Plus there is forgiveness and fresh starts nearly no matter what has happened in the past.
I just want to encourage you to take a break and make your family important again.
- Plan that Vacation.
- Take that Sabbatical.
- Take your family out to Dinner.
- Take your Spouse on a date.
- Just take a walk with your family if that is all you can start with.
Whatever you do, do it NOW.
You have an extremely limited time with your family, and the decisions you make now will either be remembered or regretted for the rest of your life.
A few resources to help your Marriage and Family
If you actually do have time, but just have not been using it for your family, then you probably need to save the money and begin planning date nights and family time yourself.
But, maybe you really are extremely time-strapped and need some help with the planning.
There is a resource called DATEBOX that I heard of from the Dave Willis Marriage and Family Blog. He also blogs with Craig Goss from XXXChurch at www.StrongerMarriages.com.
If you have NO time but do have a few extra buck, try DATEBOX. If you use the code Willis when you order you MIGHT even get a FREE Month.
Even if you do not use DATEBOX, check it out just for their interesting website. Otherwise, just get started putting the focus back on your family while there is still time.
If your Marriage is in trouble or you want to IMPROVE your relationship with your spouse, check out these website resources. You can also find free podcasts for them in the app stores too.
- Focus on the Family Broadcast, Blog and Podcast
- Jimmy and Karen Evans Marriage Today Website and Podcast
- Dave Willis Marriage and Family Blog
- Stronger Marriages Website
- DATEBOX – Date In A Box to help you PLAN – try using the code Willis to get a FREE Month.
Family is important. Make yours the BEST that it can be.
