Zack Blair

There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. (Hebrews 4:9-10)

Just as God rested from His work after He created everything we see and don’t see, the one who trusts in Christ can rest in what Christ has accomplished for him. Rest is a cessation from striving, and apparently, if God rested, so should we.

The worst advice I have ever received in regards to serving at a church were, “Kill yourself serving.” I looked up to this person, so I took his advice–I remember one semester in college taking 18 credits, dedicating 40 hours per week to football, running a campus ministry, leading worship at a youth group, leading weekly Bible studies with college freshman, and trying to maintain a healthy engagement with Lauren (months before our wedding). I took his advice and killed myself serving. When school was over that semester, I felt dead. I moved into my apartment and slept nearly every hour I wasn’t working–it was as if my body were shutting down. I took his words literally (though I didn’t know it) and became under-nourished, sleep depraved, distant from God, and poor. As a matter of fact, I became so poor that I could only eat chicken fingers, eggs, and cereal. [I'd occasionally say, "Mom, I have to swing by to dump some lawn clippings... are you guys going to be home?" Then I'd get a good meal. I'd strategically plan my work schedule so I could see Lauren at 4:30 in the afternoon, when her dad started cooking dinner.]

If we push our teams too hard and too quickly, the same will happen to them. They’ll become bitter and tired, falling more in love with the work of the Lord than the Lord of the work. If you’re unwilling to implement a time of rest to your teams, you care more about the outcome of their service than you do them.

A season of rest should be accompanied by the following three:

1. Low Energy: Nothing more to say about this, other than letting your teams rest.
2. Vision for the Next Season: Rest can get addictive. It’s always important to keep vision out front during these times to know when the season of rest is clearly over. (Ours ends on January 16, 2010. At that point, we’ll enter a new season, the season of growth.) If vision is not painted clearly during these times, rest will be interpreted as apathy, and mission will leak out to detrimental levels. Doing something big in the season of rest is a great idea to keep vision and mission out front, and can actually be quite refreshing during that time.
3. Community Building: The season of rest is a great opportunity to let the team become a team. We invited every leader at 19north to a leadership ropes course this summer, we had a picnic, and we did service in a different way to help people connect. I believe if teams connect, then longevity therein will flourish. Further, I don’t believe it possible for a 20-something to grow up spiritually apart from relationship.
4. High Spiritual Growth: It’s a great opportunity to go “deeper” with the leadership team. During these times, I’ll focus less on connection and evangelism and more on teaching. After all, that’s what the core wants. It’s my favorite time to teach and I’m sure, it’s our team’s favorite time to be taught. January 2-16th for 19north will mark exactly what I’m talking about here. You can click here to see what I’m talking about in the topics of the messages. There will be scripture after scripture, Greek after Greek, and times of refreshing from God’s presence.

2Timothy 2:6 says, “The hardworking farmer must be the first to partake of the crops.” The season of rest is a time to get filled up with the Word of God and taste it’s goodness. If I don’t charge up during these times, then I’ll be unfit to make it through the season that directly follows, the season of growth. Also, if our teams have not been filled up and refreshed during these times, they’ll be unable to cut it for the next season. I’m convinced that the Season of Rest is a season of the accumulation of knowledge, and all the others focus on application.

The holidays are a great time to get rested and prepared for the next season, the season of growth!