Back in the saddle

So after two weeks holiday today sees the first day back in the saddle as it were, though also curiously not in the saddle.  After spending quite a chunk of the first week of holiday in bed (post viral fatigue syndrome is the doctors best guess) after starting on some health supplements the second week saw an improvement and I was able to be up and about all day, going to the beach, rock pooling etc with the boys and Lucy though at a reduced (frustratingly restful) pace.  Thus I have come back to Donny feeling much more rested than I went, though still needing to carefully structure my days so as not to exhaust myself, which seems to happen quite easily still.

I am very gratefully to God for the two weeks rest which have a made a massive difference and enabled me to take time to talk through some longer term decisions which need to be made after some serious overwork last year.  Looking back on it it is hard to know exactly when it all started and why, but basically I said yes to too many things in too many areas too much of the time which led into a cycle of unhealthy work and rest patterns.  There were lots of people around me warning me about it, and who very graciously haven't said 'I told you so', in the two months since the problems started.  But God having warned me through others has now enforced a rethink of my time in his love.  It is something I can say I am thankful to God for.

This next month I am on sabbatical.  I'm going to spend lots of time reading the Bible, possibly writing the Proverbs 1-9 material we've been studying up in to a series of bible studies to do as dad with my boys when they become teens (less that two years away - gulp!), and catching up on all the reading and study that has been neglected this year.  Again I am thankful to God for his love shown to me in a church that has given me this time to recharge.

Too much to do too little time

Do you ever feel stressed? Here is a light hearted way of finding out. Click here

Coping with Pressure

We met last night as part of our learn to lead course to look at the issue of coping with pressure and we began by doing a self analysis using a well being survey. It is a helpful self examination tool:
a. How is your relationship with God right now?


b. What have you read in the Bible in the past week? What has God said to you through it?


c. Where do you find yourself resisting God?


d. What specific things are you praying for in regard to yourself?


e. What general reading are you doing?


f. How are you doing with your spouse? Children?


g. Are there any unresolved conflicts in your relationships at the moment?


h. What are your fears/worries?


i. What have you done to play/relax?