jmesler
Professional Burnout
Burnout (Of Pastors, Other Leaders, and their Spouses)

Burnout (Of Pastors, Other Leaders, and their Spouses)

During my early years as a pastor, I had a hard time balancing the demands of my job with the needs of my wife and family. Putting in long hours, struggling to get organized, and trying to figure out if I was up to this, I considered leaving the ministry. Eventually, the stress contributed to a divorce from my first wife.

During the difficult time when I was going through my divorce there was only one person from the church who called me daily, took me out for coffee to listen to me, and invited me to dinner. He did not lecture, did not pry, and did not try to get my wife and me back together. He was simply, steadfastly there for me. I will never forget the strength that man gave me.

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| 6 min read

Caregiving Basics
Caring for Ourselves, The Caregivers

Caring for Ourselves, The Caregivers

It is extremely important for the caregiver to take good care of him or herself as well as the care-receivers. CareGiving can be a thankless, exhausting job and it may seem selfish to take care of oneself when the care-receivers require so much attention. To fail to do so, however, can be destructive. Jesus said, "Love God....Love Neighbor...Love Self."

The following guidelines are for care givers who feel overwhelmed, tired, frustrated, lonely, or like a "Caged Bird

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| 3 min read

Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s Disease

When Frank's mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, I think each one of the family members had the same reaction at first - grief. However, over time we dealt with her illness in different ways. Frank's sister and brother quickly moved into the denial stage and remained there until their mother's death. Frank himself stayed in the grief phase for quite a while, but then moved on to acceptance. "Acceptance" didn't mean, of course, that he gave up all hope - he still longed to see moments of lucidity in his mother.

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| 5 min read

Challenging RelationshipsRomantic
Relationships: Troubled and Broken (Romantic)

Relationships: Troubled and Broken (Romantic)

I went through two broken engagements over a five-year period-same girl, both times. After the second and final break, I went to visit my friend. I was numb and tired of hurting. I felt dead inside. We talked for a while, and when I got up to leave he suggested that we pray together. I prayed first, mumbling to God the best theology I could think of under the circumstances. I then waited for him to begin. Nothing came for a long time. I was about to ask what was wrong when I heard something-a sob. I asked him what was wrong. All he could say was, “It hurts so much.”

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| 2 min read

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