Three Weeks to Myself

I like Youth Ministry for a lot of different reasons, first and foremost I get paid to do something that I would volunteer for if I had another job, teaching students about God to hopefully move them to a place of genuine worship to Him is something that is exciting for me to see.  Another reason that I enjoy working in full-time ministry is I get to make the schedule, not just for the students but for myself.  Am I expected to be in the office from Sunday through Thursday? Yup, but that doesn't mean I sit at my desk and do mindless things all day, that means that I should come and check in and then go do ministry, whether that be going on to campuses to have lunch, meet with students for coffee, or take leaders out to lunch, I am free to do ministry the way I want to do it (as long as the bossman says it's okay).

I write this because I like being out and about and doing things with students and leaders and this time of year gets kind of boring for me.  After our High School lock-in we shutdown for three weeks.  We don't have any Youth Group, we have no Sunday School, and for the most part I don't see many of my students until things start back up.  So in these three weeks a few things happen:

1. I clean my office- Now some of you may be thinking to yourself, "But Peter, you seem like such a clean and organized person who is slightly OCD and needs everything to be in its place." To you I say, "Hello, we have obviously never met before, I'm Peter, whats your name?"  I work amongst messiness, actually as I type this there is a coffee cup four feet away that has turned into my own personal garden. This is a time for me to clean off my desk and dust my shelves.

2. I read- Sure it may be The Voyage of the Dawn Treader so I can go see the movie and talk about how inconsistent it is with the book, but it is a time for me to slow down a little bit and pour back into myself.  Ministry gets so busy and a lot of times you forget to nourish yourself so during this time I make sure that I am getting the water I need to prevent burnout.

3. I plan- A lot of Youth Pastors try and get their whole year planned in August, I can't do that.  I have before and it seemed like a disaster, I need to constantly change and move things to keep up with the ever changing dynamic of my ministry.  During these three weeks I plan out our Spring, I put our Winter Retreat planning into full gear, I start preliminary planning for our mission trip, and I get ready to Rock and Roll for the next few months.

By the end of these weeks am I going crazy and really looking forward to seeing my students and preaching the word?  Absolutely, but I also recognize the importance of these three weeks to my sanity, my family's sanity, and also my ministry.

What are some things you do over the Holidays to ensure your sanity for the coming year?