Ep 58: The Unseen Struggles - Balance in the Lives of Ministry Leaders (Part 2)
Mar 01, 2024Season 2Episode 58
Pastor/ Artist Fred Kenney Jr.
"Have you ever felt overwhelmed by continual service to others, wondering if it's time to graciously decline a request? Today we continue our conversation, including the necessity of 'Vitamin N' in ministry life."
Back with our guests Scott and Lynn Jackson, the leaders of Thrive Leadership Foundation, our candid discussion reveals the necessity of 'Vitamin N' in ministry life and how saying 'no' is not just permissible but vital for a leader's health and effectiveness. We also delve into the intimate dance of support between spouses, wearing the mantle of ministry, the perils of seclusion, and the rejuvenating embrace of Thrive's 'REFRESH' Ministry Retreat, designed to replenish the weary servants of faith.
In a tapestry of conversation, we witness the unmistakable hand of God weaving through our relationships, as our experiences echo the biblical narrative—real people, real struggles, divine encounters. We uncover the shared responsibility in nurturing God's work, recognizing that financial & spiritual contributions and support are the lifeblood of ministry. Join us as we celebrate the collective journey, affirming our role in God's ecosystem that supports and sustains those called to lead. Does any of today's podcast resonate with you? Let us know here: https://playsonword.dm.networkforgood.com/forms/podcast-reviews To Support Plays On Word Radio and Plays On Word Theater, please visit: https://playsonword.networkforgood.com/
"Have you ever felt overwhelmed by continual service to others, wondering if it's time to graciously decline a request? Today we continue our conversation, including the necessity of 'Vitamin N' in ministry life."
Back with our guests Scott and Lynn Jackson, the leaders of Thrive Leadership Foundation, our candid discussion reveals the necessity of 'Vitamin N' in ministry life and how saying 'no' is not just permissible but vital for a leader's health and effectiveness. We also delve into the intimate dance of support between spouses, wearing the mantle of ministry, the perils of seclusion, and the rejuvenating embrace of Thrive's 'REFRESH' Ministry Retreat, designed to replenish the weary servants of faith.
In a tapestry of conversation, we witness the unmistakable hand of God weaving through our relationships, as our experiences echo the biblical narrative—real people, real struggles, divine encounters. We uncover the shared responsibility in nurturing God's work, recognizing that financial & spiritual contributions and support are the lifeblood of ministry. Join us as we celebrate the collective journey, affirming our role in God's ecosystem that supports and sustains those called to lead. Does any of today's podcast resonate with you? Let us know here: https://playsonword.dm.networkforgood.com/forms/podcast-reviews To Support Plays On Word Radio and Plays On Word Theater, please visit: https://playsonword.networkforgood.com/
Lord, you know you listen on the place of word. The radio is the best.
Speaker 2:
Bringing the reality of the Bible. It's accounts of real people encountering a real God in the everydayness of their life. And in the brokenness and in those broken, lost, lonely places. There, Joseph was not alone.
Speaker 3:
But God, but God.
Speaker 2:
But God. And I think people could sit there watch you and in their brain saying in their life but God Jesus.
Speaker 5:
Hello and welcome to Plays On Word Radio, where we discuss, analyze, work and play on the word of God. Thank you for joining us on this excursion. Today. Let's join Pastor Teddy, also known as Fred David Kenney Jr, the founder of Plays On Word Theater, as he does a deep dive into the word of God. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, yeah, as you were speaking, I was just thinking. So you mentioned that you guys have had some struggles over the past couple of months. Has it been easier for you to recognize when things are happening, or when you're maybe getting to the point where, huh, we need to slow down or whatever?
Speaker 3:
I think we more easily recognize it in each other and we're able to speak to each other about it. Yeah, I start to recognize it when I start, maybe not acting outwardly, but I get on edge inwardly and I'm not comfortable or I'm easily irritated or whatever, and I feel it coming up inside me. It's like, oh, ok, it's, I've gone over some limits somewhere. And then sometimes it's hard because you can't find that space, because the problem is we say yes to them and we have not learned to say no.
Speaker 1:
Vitamin N Vitamin.
Speaker 4:
N yeah, Vitamin N huh Many people are deficient in vitamin N, which is no Word no, and it's empowering to at least not be deficient in that. And it's not bad, because when you say, when you're saying no to something, you are able to say yes, but when you say yes to everything, you are invariably saying no already to many other things, and ministry. Unfortunately, there's so many things to say yes to, and I've seen many pastors that become yes men.
Speaker 4:
And they don't realize every yes that they're saying yes to they're saying no. If they could see that that yes creates a no somewhere, they would be more cautious with that and hold on to a little bit. Let me not use this yes yet.
Speaker 3:
That's so important.
Speaker 1:
I want to mention something that you had mentioned, scott, when you said, when you said, when you said, you recognized it in each other. And that was one of the things that the conference that weekend did for me Understanding who I am understanding, who my husband is understanding, how those roles, how they play out in our marriage, in our ministry it did, it helped me understand how to support him better, you know, because we were two different people and clearly.
Speaker 1:
God brought us together for a reason you know there's skill sets and all that help balance each other out, and that was huge for me being able to see that in each other and knowing how to support each other in that.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, that's, that's, and nobody gives you those tools. You know what?
Speaker 1:
a lot of this stuff. You talked about this, too before. How only a couple of people knew that you were struggling years, years ago, right, because you're doing what you're supposed to do and what happens is we can't talk about these things. We're supposed to be out there encouraging others.
Speaker 4:
We can't, you know and Christians are proficient at putting on the Christian face.
Speaker 1:
Yes, right and this was a safe place to be able to do that, and it wasn't anything you know so profound. It was just like even being able to say oh wow, I'm administering, I'm tired, yeah, you know how do I deal with this yeah, right Because. I want to stay in ministry right.
Speaker 2:
I think that's the other thing that you'll find at refresh is you will see other people in ministry saying that they're weary and they're tired, and it breaks that isolation that you're not the only one.
Speaker 3:
Too many people in ministry today feel isolated. They feel like they're the only one that struggles with this. I don't care what that this is. You fill in the blank, and helping to break that isolation is something that we really desire to do, and you guys know from being there we don't do a lot of teaching. You know, we teach in sound bites, we teach in short times for the most part.
Speaker 4:
It's not a seminar.
Speaker 3:
This is not a seminar, you're going to come with a notebook full of notes, you know. Hopefully you've got a few simple tools that you can take and begin to practice, and that's really our desire it's not to overwhelm you. We truly want you to come and get refreshed when you come to a refresh getaway that we have.
Speaker 2:
And we purposely keep it small six to eight couples. Well, and it's not just for pastors and wives, we do focus on people who are in full time ministry full time ministry couples missionaries.
Speaker 4:
Oh, but they're, but they're, they're Christians, they're preaching the gospel and they're in ministry. They really shouldn't have any problems. Why do they need to be refreshed?
Speaker 3:
Yeah, people actually think that like you know, but we had one of our supporters one time he was a school teacher and they said to the couple, said to us, they said, man, we could use what you offer at refresh. Yeah, I know, but we can only do this for so many people. So we do it for the leaders and hopefully, as the leaders begin to build this into their own lives, they do it for their people that they're leading. That's really the intent of what we're doing. We know we can't do it for everybody, but it is something that everybody needs because, just because of the culture that we live in, the society we live in, the hurried life that we're living in each and every day.
Speaker 2:
Sometimes I don't even realize what Scott and I are doing.
Speaker 3:
Yeah.
Speaker 2:
Because when I take a step back, I'm like honey, we are ministering to the spiritual leaders in our country. Yeah, like this is crazy. This is crazy, but it's just. You know what? It's just people that God has put his hand on. He has put them in that place of leadership and it's a privilege to minister to them, but it trickles you know what we do at Refresh trickles down, then into their families and then into congregations and then into the community.
Speaker 4:
It's really mind boggling what God is up to and that he's invited us to be part of.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, it's humbling, isn't?
Speaker 1:
it.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, it really is I think the apostle Paul who says who's equal to such a task in 2 Corinthians and it's like, yeah, who's equal to such a task. It's overwhelming to me to some extent to think I get to speak into the lives of leaders and I'm not trying to downplay it, but we're not anything special. But this is the lane that God has called us to and I never sought to be here, but he has directly led us into this lane that he has for us.
Speaker 1:
That's what makes it extra special, because it's him.
Speaker 3:
Oh, absolutely. And if it wasn't him?
Speaker 1:
I'd just be burning myself out again and.
Speaker 3:
I can still burn myself out.
Speaker 2:
Or it would just be a bunch of hard working flesh.
Speaker 1:
They brought up a good point too about how teaching other leaders and then having them teach others, because I think a lot of times pastors, they take on so much. You know, and this is why we're a body there are many workers. There should be many workers to do the work and help leadership so you can get refreshed and you can teach that to other people. You know, that's a perfect model. That's huge, huge, and I loved even just hearing the stories of the couple that was with you.
Speaker 3:
Stephen Wanda Kimball.
Speaker 1:
Yes, yeah, and how you know how they started with you and just to see how their ministry progressed and you know in their later life now and what they're doing. I mean, that was an inspiration to me too.
Speaker 3:
Sure, yeah, they're definitely someone to that has spoken into our world and encourage us in that way. Yeah, Amazing.
Speaker 4:
So let me get this right. So God sent somebody into your life when when you really needed somebody to speak into your life, and God sent somebody to minister to you guys.
Speaker 2:
That's exactly what God did. That's kind of cool because that's what he did with you guys for us.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, and so many others, so exactly.
Speaker 2:
But I, you know this might be jumping around a little bit, but watching you, teddy, last night, it's the same thing. Like it is so obvious that God's hand is on the two of you and what you're doing is God's stuff. Like this is God's stuff and it's authentic and it's real and it's rippling into so many lives.
Speaker 2:
You could hear a pin drop in that room when you were performing last night, and it was just some kind of a, I don't know just bringing the reality of the Bible, its accounts of real people encountering a real God in the everydayness of their life. And in the brokenness and in those broken, lost, lonely places, Joseph was not alone. But, God, and I think people could sit there watch you and in their brain saying in their lives, but God, that's letting the word minister to people.
Speaker 4:
It might be spoken, but it's the word of God still going forth.
Speaker 2:
And, for whatever reason, that's where God has put Katie's feet yeah, and your feet. And for whatever reason, god has put mine and Scott's feet in this arena ministering to leaders.
Speaker 1:
But that's what's so cool about this because, as you were describing, that, it very much impressed upon me is that you guys are part of that now, because by helping us have the tools that we need to walk the walk that God gave us, you know that's huge. So you are, you two are very much part of that so he can walk in his and I'm pointing up to the Lord, so my husband can walk in the Lord's excellence, and we need that.
Speaker 2:
So if you weren't listening, financially support this couple. God's hand is on them, and if they are not financially free. They will not be fully free to minister, as God has equipped them to.
Speaker 1:
Yes, yeah, those are the things that people don't like to talk about. You know, and God has equipped us and he's in, and even just what you guys have taught us and some of the steps that there will be able to.