Endurance, Pt.1

One of my good friends and mentors in the ministry, Josh Gagnon, Lead Pastor, at Next Level Church (Dover, NH) once shared some very insightful thoughts about endurance.  It was the kind of leadership insight that every pastor in New England needs to download, so I took notes diligently!

In this blog series I am going to unpack for you some of what I have been learning about endurance (of course pirating the notes I took from Pastor Josh and my life-long mentor Pastor Anthony Milas

But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you. As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. (2Ti 4:5-7 NLT)

Keep a clear mind. If we are going to keep the course, we must keep a clear mind. We can’t become distracted by “good things” and miss out on the “best things”. Leaders stay focused in the midst of distractions.

LEADERS FOR GOD STAY FOCUSED ON THE GOSPEL!

The fastest way to lose sight of Jesus is to focus on everybody else.  If you want to lose endurance, just start comparing yourself to every other leader, every other church, and every other pastor.  Nothing will kick your butt faster than playing the comparison game.

Most men never leave the locker room because they are too busy comparing themselves.

My story is not your story and it shouldn’t be!  If my story was your story, then God wouldn’t need me.

This doesn’t mean we should learn from others.  If we want to go to the next level then we must learn from those at the next level.  We must put ourselves at the feet of those further ahead.