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How to be Stress Free

I get asked often, “Jonathan, what is the main cause of anxiety with an upcoming project?”

OK, I’ve never been asked this, I’ve just thought about it recently.

I think the number one reason I get nervous about an upcoming ministry opportunity or event is because I haven’t prepared adequately.

This may be a personality trait that is unique to a select number of people, but…

I think this concept can transfer to many parts of our life….

-We are apprehensive about our finances because we haven’t prepared to control them.
-We are on the rocks in our marriage because we haven’t spent time preparing it for growth and wellness.
-We are nervous about serving the church in our capacity because we’ve failed to prepare enough.
-We are nervous about our test at school because we’ve failed to spend adequate time studying. (Remember those days?) :)
-We are even nervous when we go on vacation because we haven’t prepared enough.

Don’t get me wrong,
I think that apprehension sometimes comes because of other factors, but for me, this is the biggest cause.

When I’m organized, prepared, and ready, I seem to be a lot less stressed about what’s coming up.

Maybe the solution to your problem of anxiety and nervousness about your job, family, and life isn’t from a lack of sleep or a lack of time, maybe it’s from a lack of preparation.

Just a thought…

Your thoughts?

29
Jul 2010
POSTED BY Jonathan Pearson
DISCUSSION 11 Comments
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The Reward of Moving

This past Saturday, Melissa and I packed up all we owned and moved across town.

After a lot of sweat, a little blood, and maybe a few tears (I was worn out!) :) , we finally managed to get everything settled in.

As I was spending some time reflecting on my day yesterday, I had this thought…..

Moving is sometimes a hassle, but the joy that comes from completing it exceeds the hassle.

Here’s what I mean…

Life happens.
Sometimes good, sometimes tough.

Through it all though, God is moving us to places in order to bless us.

Sure, sometimes the moving process is painful.
Sure, sometimes we’re forced to do some things that aren’t comfortable.
Sure, sometimes we even find ourselves face down asking God to explain why He’s doing what He’s doing.

However, the joy that comes from the movement far exceeds the pain.

There’s no greater feeling than knowing we’re doing what God’s calling us to do.
There’s no greater joy than coming to the next place in our lives and seeing a piece of what God is planning.
There’s no greater fulfillment than moving with God!

There will be no greater joy than when the journey is completed!

So,

no matter what you’re going through,
no matter what you’re facing,
no matter how things may appear,
keep moving with God.

27
Jul 2010
POSTED BY Jonathan Pearson
DISCUSSION 10 Comments
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Sleeping without Living

Do we know the win?

Do we know the goal?

Do we know what success looks like?

It’s really easy for us to go through the motions…

of life,
of ministry.

It’s really easy for us to get up every morning, put our clothes on, walk out the door, and get another pay check.

BUT,

If that’s all it is to us,
we’ve missed the point.

A lot of people are sleep walking their way through life,
sleep walking their way through ministry,
sleep walking their way through leadership.

While they may be somewhat comfortable,
they never wake up to the reality of their real purpose.

They’ve forgotten the goal,
they’ve forgotten what the end result of their hard work really is.

The result of these people’s actions really isn’t a lot.

Sure, they make money, accomplish tasks, and even feel like their doing what they’re supposed to do from time to time.

But in the end,
they’ve forgotten the true calling that God has on their life.

They’ve lost the enthusiasm and the zeal that they once had to make a difference and to lead people to Christ.

I think a lot of us fit into the boat too often.

Truth is,
The end result is bigger than ourselves.

The goal to life,
one lived with a call from God,
is to help people find Him.
To help people grow in Him.

That’s the call of a Christian.

If we simply go through the motions of life and ministry all the while forgetting what the win really looks like, we will never have it.

I’m gonna try to live with the purpose in mind.
I’m gonna do all I can to minister to people with a real goal at the forefront of my mind.

How about you?

In your life.
In your job.
In your family.
In your ministry.

26
Jul 2010
POSTED BY Jonathan Pearson
DISCUSSION 9 Comments
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I Don’t Want to Think

A very up-front post today……

It seems as if we’ve quit hearing from God.

Christians, churches, and clergy have lost sight of the fact that God still speaks.

Instead of hearing God, we’ve decided that it’s better to reason things out, see what makes sense, weigh our options, and then make a decision.

This thought has occurred to me over and over throughout the last few weeks.

The reason?

I don’t ever want to miss the blessing from taking a step of faith due to my determination to do what “makes sense.”

I guess the question really is a matter of trust and faith.
Do we trust HIM enough with OUR lives?

If our answer is yes, we have no choice.

God will bring us through what He calls us to.

22
Jul 2010
POSTED BY Jonathan Pearson
POSTED IN

Blog, Featured, Leadership, Life

DISCUSSION 13 Comments
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Impossible to Extraordinary

I know that this has been said many times and is a pretty obvious biblical truth but,
it also seems to be something we often forget.

Whatever you’re facing, it isn’t hopeless for the King of Kings!

It doesn’t matter how catastrophic your situation may appear,
or how over-bearing the obstacles may seem,
it isn’t hopeless.

You may think your life is too far gone,
that you’ve messed it up so bad,
you can’t return,
God will never take you back…
You’re wrong!

I’m pretty certain that those close to Jesus (even though they were told differently) had their doubts when He was placed in the borrowed grave.
I’m sure that for 3 days, they were kind of on edge about what they had spent the last several of their years doing.
I’m sure it seemed pretty hopeless to all of them.

But, what they doubted, God did.
What others saw impossible, God saw as a cinch.
What doubters discounted, God displayed.

All hope isn’t lost for you.
There could be a miracle on the horizon.
Just keep looking.
Keep searching.
Keep praying.
Keep faithful.
Keep the faith!

The impossible may just turn into the extraordinary!

21
Jul 2010
POSTED BY Jonathan Pearson
DISCUSSION 6 Comments