God doesn’t ask you to do everything you could do—He invites you to slow down, listen, and do the right things with Him.
https://courses.bibleleadership.com/blp-link-in-bio
Mark shares a vulnerable story from the COVID season when running at a breakneck pace led to a physical and spiritual crash—and how an emergency sabbatical became a rescue. He unpacks a simple practice he calls “chunking” to create focused blocks for what matters most (quiet time, message prep, leadership, family, rest) and explains why going slower actually leads to wiser, Spirit-led leadership. Erica tees up reflective questions about stress signals in our bodies, compassion fatigue, and treating God like a friend—not just a coworker.
📋 Key Takeaways
• One handful beats two fists: “Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind.” (Eccl. 4:6) Slow, Spirit-led pace beats frantic productivity.
• Limits are holy: If there isn’t time to do everything on your list, it may mean God isn’t asking you to do all of it—and He won’t anoint what He didn’t assign.
• Chunk your day with Jesus: Most people have 5–7 meaningful “chunks” of focus per day (quiet time, message prep, leadership work, workouts, family time). Live inside the chunk you’re in; stop trying to be in two at once.
• Watch your warning lights: Racing thoughts, middle-of-the-night wakeups, heavy fatigue, irritability, and diminished compassion are body-and-soul alerts—your body is a major prophet.
• Friend, not coworker: Don’t only talk to God about projects and problems; ask Him to work on your character and pace. Jesus walks unhurried.
🕐 Rough Timestamps
• 00:06–01:18 – Welcome & why pace is one of leadership’s hardest battles
• 01:19–03:41 – Panic, breakdown, and an emergency sabbatical
• 03:42–06:26 – Ecclesiastes 4:6 and untangling the “be the vine” mindset
• 06:27–08:26 – God won’t anoint what He didn’t assign; ruthless inventory
• 08:27–11:41 – The “chunking” framework (5–7 chunks/day) and single-task focus
• 11:42–12:50 – Margin, prayer, and accepting that you’ll get less done—but the right things
• 13:04–17:41 – Body signals, compassion drain, and treating people like interruptions
• 17:42–21:15 – Push seasons vs. unhurried love; shepherding people, not just solving problems
• 21:16–25:27 – Quiet time drift: coworker vs. friend; pride and needfulness
• 25:28–27:37 – Humility to admit “this could happen to me”; plan your rest on purpose
📖 Scripture Tie-Ins
• Ecclesiastes 4:6 — One handful of quietness is greater than two handfuls of striving and chasing after the wind.
• John 15:4–5 — Abide in Me… apart from Me you can do nothing. (We’re branches, not the vine.)
• Psalm 23:1–3 — He makes me lie down; He restores my soul.
• Matthew 11:28–30 — Jesus’ easy yoke and light burden; learn His unhurried rhythm.
• Mark 6:31 — “Come away… and rest a while.” Ministry includes recovery.
• Luke 5:16 — Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
• 1 Corinthians 10:23 — “All things are permissible… but not all things are beneficial.”
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