Not that kind you pagans…
That’s for another post.
I’m talking about the spiritual kind.
The kind that often times leaves me in a funk and depression the day after I have “served the Lord”.
It happens to the best of us.
We serve hard on the weekend only to feel absolutely drained of any sort of life on Monday.
I’ve worked INSIDE and WITH some of the most amazing churches on the planet.
And here are a few tips I’ve taken with me on my journey.
1. Don’t Binge and Purge.
Here’s the deal. Many of us spend our Monday through Friday inside the church office and then stick our head out on the weekends for a rush of humanity.
Get out of your offices and into theirs.
While I was working at NorthPoint, one of the things I saw modeled so well was making sure Sunday wasn’t the only day of ministry. That would be overwhelming to anyone.
That’s not what we are called to do anyways.
When you spread your ministry out over 7 days, your will realize that 7>1.
2. Don’t try and be someone you are not.
Many of the great communicators I know are EXTREME INTROVERTS.
Forcing themselves to shake every single hand on a Sunday isn’t the healthy thing to do. Sunday doesn’t not have to be the only day you are available.
Of’course it’s important to get out and love on the people in your church after the message, but if you are an introvert, and trust me on this, it does more damage to talk to someone looking through them than it does not taking to them at all. Pace yourself preacher. You are human.
3. Meetingless Mondays.
Sunday is coming! Sunday is coming! We have to get to work!!!
Well listen. No you don’t. If you manage your days well, you can allow your workflow on a Monday to refresh you as opposed to deplete you.
KNOWING MONDAY HOLDS RENEWAL. If you have to have a meeting on Monday, for God’s sake don’t make it a 12 rounder. I’m all for making Monday meetingless. And I know I just made up the word meetingless. NFL teams don’t hold heavy practice days on Monday. They watch game film. Chill out meeting lovers. Tuesday is coming.
4. There’s a reason we don’t live at Disneyland.
Most church staff who are consistently hung over on Sundays are normally hailing from churches that try to outdo themselves on a weekly basis.
I remember when I was a kid, the magic that going to Disneyland was! It was fascinating. Magical. And then we got season passes. We would take my daughters all the time. The day I asked Sohaila if she wanted to go to Disneyland today and she replied with…”Eh. Whatever” I cancelled our passes. The magic was gone.
Remember… People are coming to find Jesus. Not to see if you out did last weeks cover song and production. Pace yourselves.
5. Don’t get drunk on your own Koolaid.
As human beings we LOVE to receive praise. And that is a great thing. But when we start drinking too much of our own punch, we start making foolish decisions and usually end up waking up at noon on Monday morning with a splitting headache and a blurred memory of the night before.
Enjoy praise in moderation. But too much will likely send you into a praise induced coma where you believe that your punch is the best punch in town.
It’s not. I promise. And Mondays will feel a lot better if you enjoy your Sunday success in moderation.
Of’course this isn’t an exhaustive list.
Just a few things I have used to cure my Monday morning hangovers…
How about you?
Anything on this list resonate? Anything else you do to keep you sober?
