September 28, 2016 SHARE: Reading time: two minutes. The busy fall season has begun and the full schedule of church activities is upon us. I’m remembering all my year’s in parish life, the feelings of pressure to perform up to everyone’s expectations, and the overwhelmed feeling of wondering how we could possibly accomplish every ministry task on our calendar as well as pursue the new dreams on our hearts. It’s a time when those in ministry vocations look out across the church year calendar and wonder if there will be a break or a pause between now and Easter. So it’s certainly a time to tend to our vocational wellness. Four words that have really helped me are these: “We’re in this together.”First and foremost, “We’re in this together” is a prayer. It’s a way to begin each day. Life in ministry is a vocation, a calling from the Lord of the Church Himself. We run into our biggest danger in ministry when we think it’s all about me; my efforts, my decisions, my responsibility to accomplish the work of the kingdom. Beginning each day with the prayer to the Lord, the cry for mercy and help, “We’re in this together” is a cry of faith, a declaration of confidence in the presence and guidance and power of God the Holy Spirit in all we say and do in our work. We don’t beg for His help. We acknowledge that this ministry is His, and confidently move forward knowing that we work in His strength. The tendency to “over-function” is a dangerous trap for professional church workers. The daily prayer of faith, “We’re in this together,” is the antidote for overfunctioning. “We’re in this together” is also a sermon, a message to the people of God. Pastors and commissioned ministers in the church are members of the body of Christ, but not the only members. Over-functioning is a lack of faith in God and also a lack of faith in God’s people. As we are in the business of equipping, inspiring, encouraging and training people to join us in ministry, we’re proclaiming the good news of God’s anointing and calling that belongs to every member of the body. And finally (my two minutes are up!) “We’re in this together” is a simple catch phrase to remind ourselves every day that we’re not alone. In those moments of loneliness and discouragement, facing the temptation to throw in the towel and walk away from our ministry calling, we can always remember, “We’re in this together,” and draw confidence in the vision of the Lord’s worldwide army of kingdom workers of which we are only a small part. And confidence in the promise of His presence and blessing on everything we do, not by our own power or strength, but by His. I’m praying for you every day, because we’re in this together. Thanks for reading. Are you interested in helping bring a Grace Place Wellness Retreat to your region? We’d love to hear from you. Contact our President/CEO Randy Fauser today to begin exploring the possibilities. Let’s have a conversation about bringing our Church Worker Retreat to your area soon!