How to Avoid Burnout

The weekend doesn't have to end. Keep Talking on your own or with a group.

Start Talking: Find conversation starters for the group or with a friend.

Pastor Todd started the message this week by sharing some of the impact of living in our chaotic world, constantly running full steam ahead. It increases anxiety and exhaustion. He followed that up by reiterating the importance of rest.

We had a visual example of this in the fire. It was the space between the logs that gave it the oxygen to breathe. Too much wood and it would have become overwhelmed. Causing the flames to dwindle to nothing.

• Do you remember the last time you practiced the art of slowing down and being quiet for at least twenty- four hours?
• Can you remember the last time you had an anxious thought? Or felt utterly exhausted?

Keep Reading: Read the scripture and ask a question to get the group thinking.

Read these Scriptures out loud:

Very early the next morning before daylight, Jesus got up and went to a place where he could be alone and pray.
Mark 1:35

• It will be helpful if you back up and observe everything that happened before this verse. Jesus does put value on work. But He also emphasizes the value of resting and recharging. He was setting an example of healthy rhythm. Loud. Quiet. Moving. Stopping. Busy. Still. When we examine His life, we can see time and time again where He practiced the importance of rhythm.
• Do you feel you currently have healthy rhythm in your life?

 Remember the Sabbath (seventh) day to keep it holy (set apart, dedicated to God). Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but on the seventh day is Sabbath (a day of rest dedicated) to the Lord your God… For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything that is in them, and He rested (ceased) on the seventh day and made it holy (that is set apart for His purposes).
Exodus 20:8,11 AMP

• Again, we have verses that show God setting the example for us of taking a day of rest after working. In this case, He calls this day, “Holy.” There are several spiritual disciplines taught in Scripture. Praying, studying God’s Word, and fasting are a few such practices. But there is only one practice that is called holy. And that is the Sabbath. A day that is set apart for rest. It is so important to God that He included it as one of the ten commandments.
• Why do you think Sabbath was so important to God?

Keep Talking: Choose questions to create openness.

There were three specific things taught about Sabbath in the teaching this week. Let’s look at them again right now.

1. Sabbath means to STOP.

• There seems to be a sense of pride taken in the fast pace of our lives. We brag about the amount of calls, texts, and emails we receive. We casually refer to the fact that our whole lives are wrapped up in our phones. They are never far from our fingertips.

What we might not share so easily is how anxious we feel. And stressed.

We need to give ourselves permission to stop.

• Does your philosophy of life allow you to create space in your schedule? Or do you feel as if you’re doing something wrong when you slow down? Do you find it awkward and uncomfortable to be silent and still?

Jesus finished by saying, “People were not made for the good of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for the good of the people.”

2. Sabbath means to REST.

• Pastor Todd shared that before light bulbs were invented people slept an average of eleven hours a night. It is probably safe to say that is no longer a typical night of rest for most of us. He said the most spiritual thing a few of us can do is go take a nap!

Sometimes rest might not come in the form of sleeping but in doing something that feeds your soul and makes you feel renewed.

• Do you make rest a priority? If not, what do you need to shift to do so?

God blessed the seventh day and made it special, because on that day he rested from his work.
Genesis 2:3

3. Sabbath means to WORSHIP.

• It is easy to think of church as an item on a checklist. And once we have attended, we have completed our worship for the week. But true worship isn’t contained within four walls of a building on Sunday morning. It is a spirit we carry within ourselves as we continue throughout the day. It is when we make things personal that they will become truly effective in our lives.
• Do you take time to ponder the teaching we hear at church? Do you make the songs we sing private declarations?

That I may know Him.
Philippians 3:10

Keep Moving/Going: Commit to a step and live it out this week.

We were asked two very direct questions. Taking the time to answer them honestly could be truly life changing for us.

• What am I currently not doing that, if I were, it would create healthy spiritual rhythms in my life?
• What am I currently doing that, if eliminated, would open me up to healthy spiritual rhythms?

Keep Praying

• Prayer requests from everyone at group.
• Pray.

Keep Praising

“See The Light”

“Heaven’s In The Room”

"Come Spirit Come"

“What A Beautiful Name” – Hillsong

Or check out our "Faith Over Fear" playlist on Spotify and Apple Music.

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