If you don’t take breaks, your schedule will break you.  So often in my travels I talk to leaders and pastors and I ask them, “How often do you take breaks?” and most bow their head in shame and their spouse looks just really, really downtrodden because they’ve not missed a Sunday or weekend in a long, long time.  I want to challenge you to miss three, that’s right, three weekends, three straight weekends this summer.  Don’t speak somewhere while you’re missing.  Miss three straight weekends.  When you do, have someone else in your church to speak, to lead, whatever.  You’re building leadership while you’re not there.  Because your leadership is measured more by your absence than your participation.

I know, I know the excuses.

“Well, if I’m not there the attendance will go down.  If I don’t receive the offering we won’t have as much in the plate.”  Whoop-de-do-da-day.  You’ve got to understand something.  The kingdom is bigger than you.  The kingdom is bigger than me.  It’s bigger than all of us.  If you don’t take breaks your schedule will break you.

So often pastors end up doing crazy stuff and the reason is we’re hydroplaning because we’re emotionally fried.  We’ve not taken that time off.  I understand, though, the lure of the stage.  I understand how people will say,

“Wow, must be nice to miss all this time.  Three straight Sundays.  Where have you been?  Wish I had your job!  How much are we paying you?”  Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

There is nothing, there is nothing I believe as draining as the ministry.  It’s brutiful!  There’s a beautiful side to it and a brutal side to it.  The brutal side is the emotional drain.  Take breaks and after that break, you’ll come out with more creativity, more innovation than you’ve ever seen before.

And also, senior pastor, make sure you get in the grill of your staff and make sure they take breaks as well.  Everybody take a break!  If not your schedule will break you.  One-two-three.  Three straight weekends.  It’ll change your life.  I can’t wait to hear what God’s gonna do AFTER your break.