Another Brown Patch

previous blog, I wrote about a small brown patch that overran my yard. I encouraged you to pay attention to the brown patches in your church and deal with them before they become a crisis. But that’s not the only place where brown patches can cripple your ministry. Is there a brown patch in your soul? And if so, what are you doing about it? What does this brown patch look like? What is the evidence? It might be a relationship with God that is mostly perfunctory rather than vibrant. It might be that you avoid discussing the things that are troubling you. It might be a fuse that is increasingly short over matters that are more and more trivial. In many cases, leaders know that this brown patch is there, but they ignore it. They might argue with my use of the word “ignore” – they would say that they’re just in a busy season and that they will address the issue soon. Ministry certainly has busy seasons, but if you’ve been saying “it will get better soon” for more than a few weeks, it’s time to admit that you’re ignoring the problem. Of course, some people are running at such a frantic pace that they’re not ignoring the issue, they’re ignorant of its very existence. Let me encourage you to reflect on John Wesley’s classic question, “How is it with your soul?” You’ll need to slow down and take some time if you want to find the answer. If you’re not sure, ask a friend for their observations. Even if you don’t like the answer, you’ll be glad you asked the question. As I learned in my yard, brown patches don’t go away on their own.]]>