My soul-feeding practice is, most will think, not very spiritual. It's surf fishing. Seriously, I'm not kidding.

Every few months, I make a trek to the Gulf of Mexico (about 12 hours away). I spend a week on the beach with my feet in the sand, fishing, thinking, and praying. I give very little thought to church or the things of church life. I get up early every morning, watch the sunrise, and fish. I take naps in the late morning and mid-afternoon. I watch the sunset and fish some more.

Of course, my wife and daughters are there, too. They do their beach thing ... mostly shopping. We still do lots of stuff together. But I crave those two or three weeks a year when I can sit in my camping chair, dig in the sand with my feet, listen to those waves, and talk to the Lord.

I would spiritually "crash and burn" without those holy escapes. I don't need any other "spiritual advisor" or coach. I've got Jesus ... and He digs fishermen!

Geoff Baggett
Crossroads Fellowship (SBC)
Cadiz, KY
http://geoffbaggett.wordpress.com

Two years into my professional ministry life, after observing how the clergy "system" was done, and seeing in the Word a stark contrast in practices lived and spoken by the Apostle Paul, I gave up ministry-via-the-offering-plate and took up ministry "free of charge". (Refusing the right to be paid is one step beyond accepting the right. 1 Cor. 9, Acts 20, 2Thes. 3, Plus more.) Shepherding for free unleashes the beauty of full mutuality with God's people. "Being devoted to one another in brotherly love" is now possible. Soul care is now two-way. Oversight is ONLY oversight. It is no longer over-talking, over-visioning, over-deciding, over-thinking, over-organizing, over-anything-else that the "system" is consumed with. Everything I do as a shepherd can be fully "entrusted" to faithful men who will teach others also 2Tim. 2:2. I noticed that in the clergy system perpetual dependency is the norm. It's no surprise how soul depleting this would be. It is good paycheck consistency but not God's design for us saints. Mutual relationships plus reproducing yourself fully into others is SO soul exhilarating, I can't imagine serving in a pedestalizing, perpetual dependency oriented system. Besides that my wage earning work is ALL worship as well. When I was told it was "secular", I was being led astray of the truth. "Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord" was written to Corinthian businessmen who live Christ's resurrection power 1Cor. 15:58. Sometimes the traditions we hold deepest in our hearts, are in fact merely well intentioned substitutes for God's design. I urge you to consider a ministry paradigm shift for soul growth.

Tim Aagard
No church name (We don't need one)
San Jose, CA.

I think it requires a balance:
time alone: to hear from God, to read Scripture, to read others.
time with one: spouse (if applicable), mentor, peers.
time with groups: doing fun, doing ministry, sharing life.

Staying fueled for ministry I believe is knowing what you are capable of and what is God is capable of... but then also realizing when we need to rely on God instead of trying to do everything on our own strength and will. I believe at times most of us get caught up in "ministry" we forget to spend time for ourselves with God... simply letting God minister to us.

I am participating in a SHAPE (Sustaining Health and Pastoral Excellence) program through our national office and the Lilly Endowment Fund. We meet 8 times a year... it is helpful...
I also have a colleague that I meet with once a week who can ask me anything he wants to ask me about!
The traditional practices are also a part of my care...
Narrowing my community involvement is a new thing... I am in a re-focusing process at this point in my ministry
I learned the hard way many years ago to have a hobby - current one is Flight Sim! - and to keep from isolating myself...

Jim Kane
First Church of God
Kendallville, IN

Sustaining the soul is not hard but it does take intentionality. I have to do it on purpose if it will be done. A thriving soul has many identifying markers, but one is that a thriving soul does not get it's affirmation from the work it does. For me to gain my approval and affirmation from my ministry would be to serve for myself. rather I seek to serve for the sake of Christ, because of the love of Christ, from the mercy of Christ.

It is sort of the Matthew 5, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for Righteousness, they are satisfied. Satisfaction is found by not by those who seek it but by those who seek righteousness.

Individually, i will have a cup of steamed milk or hot green tea. ill turn on some monk music in the background and prayerfully meditate on some psalms/lamentations of scripture.

Communally, i will meet with a group of pastors each week. each tuesday morning we study the bible together, drink coffee, and pray. (we all preach through the NT together at our church plants/sites, chapter by chapter, week by week.)We call it teaching pool. Being around other pastors weekly is a great way for me to get recharged.

I would recommend reading Oswald Chamber's biography for more direction. It is called "Abandoned to God."

Monthly meetings with my spiritual director have been invaluable in helping me stay connected to God and discern His activity in my life. He helps me step back and notice the activity of God in the intimate details of my life. I often leave our sessions with a fresh sense of hope, with greater attunement to God's will, and with a clearer perspective on what God is doing in me and through me.

Sometimes we are far too close to the details of our lives to notice the fingerprints of God. Meeting with a spiritual director helps me pay more attention to the Spirit's work in my soul and notice things I might overlook.

Though finding a spiritual director is difficult, it is worth the effort to locate one. The hunt may become easier in the near future as an increasing number of evangelicals are receiving training and supervision in this lost art of soul care.

Brian Owen
Campus Crusade for Christ
Irvine, CA

Let us not forget the most important refresher of them all: being in the will of God. When we are offering our bodies to God and allowing Him to do exactly what He wants with them, the sense of fear, adventure, and faith will refresh us for sure.

I understand that this precedes being in a position of ministry, but i think that we forget to be sure to earnestly seek what God would have for us. Often times, we are too focused on reading the right books (or blogs), planning the next great program, or preaching a life-changing sermon.

does anyone other than me find it highly ironic that every time i pull this article up on outofur, it has a pop-up ad next to it for the HAGGARD School of Theology?

God sometimes works in ways that are not so mysterious, i suppose...

mike rucker
http://escroll.blogspot.com

Thank you for this post. I think we definitely have a need for leaders today who focus on their inner being.

Missionaries need soulcare too. In many cultures nationals have never seen this modeled, and don't understand a sabbath rest. To be honest, I don't really either. But spending time feeding my whole person (intellect thru reviewing books for publishing; spirit thru scripture, myth, silent / quiet retreats and excursions into nature; desires thru occasional nice meals out; emotions thru good movies, novels and sharing with friends) seems essential to balance. Sometimes the quietude enforced by handwork (cross-stitch, knitting) helps me listen to God. What I long for is a good prayer partner with whom to be accountable, as I am somewhat isolated.

Hsinchu International Church, Taiwan

For me personally, the soul care I have used for 35 years of preaching about 100 sermons per year is this.

1. I get up before dawn.
2. Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea.
3. I journal and thank God for all the special people in my life.
4. I read a chapter of the gospels and take it personal.
5. I read a chapter of the Psalms and connect with the writers emotional and worship spirit.
6. I write our my prayer needs and wants.
Larry Wishard

For me, soul care is critical to my life before God as well as my ministry. What has been particularly helpful is being intentional about this. I journal, read my Bible, and read something else to help shape my heart and mind.

What is also helpful is having a life outside of ministry. I've been blessed through the years to have friends who were not part of our church. That has a way of reminding me that I am still a normal human being and not just a minister.

I also work out four days a week at a nearby gym. That has been incredibly helpful to my emotional/physical and spiritual welll being.

I find that exercise outside, alone is the best way for me to recharge. Some of my best prayers are said on my bike. It also allows great alone, quiet time to develop illustrations and points. Preaching to trees is quite handy, they don't criticize or nothin!

I also find that avoiding pastoral sermons, articles and books that tell me how horrible my life should be as a pastor or about how horrible other pastors who are "really" serving God have it, drains me and does nothing beneficial for me.

Jeff Weddle
Rhinelander Bible Church
Rhinelander, WI