And yet, and yet…

Recently, I found myself in a quandary. I hate going to the store, but was in need for multiple hygiene things. When my hair gets long, I tend to get the mad scientist look. In order to tame my insane hair, conditioner and hair product is necessary. But with my distaste for going to the grocery store, I was in the mode of getting the very last bits out of my conditioner and styling paste. On top of that, I tried to avoid showering for a couple of days hoping that my styling paste would hold out. Unfortunately, as always happens it didn’t and I adopted the hobo profile.

In ministry, we often find ourselves straining the hold of preparation we made earlier in our careers. We lean back on the content we produced from seminary, the previous faithfulness of evangelism, and the preparation we used to put in to our ministry to hold out. But unfortunately, when we fail to go back and reapply, we find ourselves in a place where we fail to be effective. And in some cases, despite our best efforts to hold it together, we just stink.

For ministers to maintain their freshness, it is important to continue to go back to the places of preparation, to rest when it’s important, and to seek to grow and learn. It takes effort and will make a hit of time and pride. But ultimately, whether we recognize it or not we begin to strain the deodorant. For the longevity and freshness of your ministry, don’t let your prep products run out.