In all the 30 plus years I have preached, Sunday highs are met by Monday lows--often times severe. Just wondering if other preachers go through this experience. And if you have found something that makes Monday's easier to bear with.
I have not ran into that, of course you have been preaching longer then I have been here [:D]. You could always try watching Joel Olesteen on mondays [:|] just don't try to count the blinks [:^)]. Just kidding... Mondays are usually rush, rush for me... Come Sunday, and Friday is when I get battles..
I like to get a head start on things so my Monday blues usually start sometime between the morning and evening services on Sunday.
I've only got 24 years under my belt, but I can still say "Yes." Sometimes it doesn't take until Monday. There have been Sunday afternoons and evenings where I really wondered who I thought I was fooling. I've usually realized that this was the voice of the enemy trying to undermine what God was doing through this earthen vessel. But there's some 'flesh' involved in this too: I poured out my heart on Sunday, but the world (or at least this church) didn't change. Kind of arrogant, I know, but my flesh can be like that.
I make Monday my day off. I found early on that I couldn't get much done anyway on Monday.
After pouring out on Sunday, it's good to get refilled on Mondays. This includes recreation (re-creation), quiet, hobbies (for me playing guitar), family, sleeping in, cooking something special, and generally just making the day-off a good, refreshing day. I need to stop, disengage, take a break, and trust that God can do without me for a day. I try to avoid all ministry (if possible) and let everyone know that. I also do my best to keep from criticizing my Sunday until at least Tuesday. Other folks can take notes and get back to me later.
Another key is to focus on what went well before considering what might have gone better. I tend to focus on fixing what's broken, more than capitalizing on what isn't. So I push the pendulum in the other direction, and start with the positive. In fact, building on the positive tends to be more productive than fixing the negative anyway. Of course, I'm making the assumption that what went well was what God did, more than what I, in my flesh, could accomplish.
In 30 plus years like yourself, Steven, I've frequently found Mondays, sometimes even Tuesdays, to be very black. Part of it is just me and the way I'm wired. But we do get pretty emotionally, and sometimes spiritually, empty. A bricklayer can see what he's accomplished. We can't. But we have the Lord's promises to bless His Word, in His timing and in His way.
As for something helpful on Monday, I find non-ministry reading and good music to be refreshing, with a walk or a run later. An older colleague also suggested an excellent idea, that I have frequently used: a wastebasket... for tossing your letter of resignation.
nice reflection, Richard. thank you for your transparency.
After about 10 years into ministry I stopped taking Monday off and switched to Friday. I realized that was always the day I felt the worse all week. Why ruin my day off by taking it on a day when I knew I would feel terrible? (There were some Mondays that I had a killer headache so bad all I could do was sit in a room.) So now on Monday I do low level energy things: answer email, paperwork, buy Logos books, stare at the wall. For the past 15 years I have enjoyed my day off. My advice is to never take Monday off!
Hey everyone! What a fascinating question/topic! I must ask my pastor that if I think of it....
There have been Sunday afternoons and evenings where I really wondered who I thought I was fooling. I've usually realized that this was the voice of the enemy trying to undermine what God was doing through this earthen vessel.
This is the living truth, Richard! Whenever I do a really, really good lesson and hear the most amazing things pass my lips, then when everyone is gone I drop into something resembling depression. In lessons like that I know that everyone can see right through me and that everything I do is a sham. My wife says that when the anointing hits, God takes over for that time, but our human self can't maintain that plateau. It takes awhile to "return to planet earth." You are correct when you say it is the voice of the enemy because during the downtime we are at our weakest. But, did you ever notice that the enemy never really gets through?!
My lessons are usually 90-120 minutes long, 5-6 times per week, so on a good week "when God takes over," by the end I'm physically and mentally exhausted. But when it is time to do it again I am up and running looking forward to "see what God is going to do next." Whenever I do an all-day session Margaret has to drive me home because I'm in such a funk.
The bottom line: my experience shows the deeper the depression the better we allowed God to work through us. And I look forward to that.
God bless
{charley}
Ditto.
I was also given a good piece of advice from an experienced pastor some years ago. "Don't try to do God's work for Him; you won't be any good at it! Do waht God has called you to do."
Faithfulness is my business in preaching; fruitfulness is His business!
Isaiah 55:10-12, NIV)
My battles are usually on Saturday.
Steven,
Thank you for bringing this up. I was a church planter for ten years and yes, I suffered from post-sermon depression. For me, it would start on Sunday right after all of my responsibilities were complete. That meant as early as 1:00 p.m. and as late as 8:00 p.m. depending upon if my church had a Sunday evening service.
After I left the ministry I discovered I was not alone; I found out that there were other pastors who suffered similarly. Many of us beat ourselves up for feeling this way.
I came to see it as a part of my temperament along with the fact that I was bringing God's word to my people. I would remember how Jeremiah and other prophets literally got sick from being a prophet. Now, in my opinion, today's pastors are not organs of revelation, like the prophets were. But still, we do bring the word of God to our flocks.
Now, I think about my pastor on Sunday. I am grateful for all he does to bring us the word. It takes a lot to stand in the pulpit.
We have the message of the gospel in jars of clay.
Grace,
Bill
I make Monday my day off. I found early on that I couldn't get much done anyway on Monday. Ditto. I was also given a good piece of advice from an experienced pastor some years ago. "Don't try to do God's work for Him; you won't be any good at it! Do waht God has called you to do." Faithfulness is my business in preaching; fruitfulness is His business! Isaiah 55:10-12, NIV) My battles are usually on Saturday.
Richard, Alan, you said it really well.
My most vulnerable day is not Monday, it is Saturday. Monday is day-off for me, if possible (my wife loves it, I work in the garden... [:)]). The change of gear really helps. After 20 years of preaching to the same church I stopped judging myself, just trust the Lord. The fruit sometimes comes in a very surprising way and surprising time.
"The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD." (ESV, Pr 21:31)
I think there is a name for this: "post adrenaline depression." It is the somewhat natural reaction when the adrenaline subsides.
I haven't heard about this problem before, but it sounds to me like much of it is simple human biology. First your bodies get 'high' on adrenaline and all sorts of stress hormones (possibly boosted with some other hormones to deal with sleep deprivation, and some chocolate or other food that affects the mood), and then when you're done it all rushes off and you suffer a kind of 'abstinence' reaction, suddenly having to deal with reality without all those extra chemicals. Perfectly natural, but probably not all that healthy in the long run.
I haven't experienced this myself Steven, but I do as Richard does and I take Monday off from pastoral work, unless an emergency comes up. I spend time cleaning house (my wife works full time too), working on hobbies, balancing the checkbook and even on occasion substitute teaching at the high school. Like Rosie, I don't reflect on my sermon or Sunday school lesson and I too do not listen to my own sermons until many months afterward. I still spend time in the Word and prayer each morning even on Mondays. My low day seems to be Saturday, usually because I am trying to wrap up things and the interruptions are numerous.
Biology may be part of it, but pastors pour so much of themselves into their preaching. They think about their people all week long when they are preparing their message and they think of them as they are delivering it. They wrestle with the text, with God about the text and with what he wants to say through them. They work hard to find illustrations and craft the message. They remain open to what God wants to say as they climb in the pulpit and even during the delivery. There are lots of dynamics in play. I have done a lot of public speaking after having been a pastor and it is nothing like preaching. Preaching truly is a labor of love
I've frequently found Mondays, sometimes even Tuesdays, to be very black. Part of it is just me and the way I'm wired. But we do get pretty emotionally, and sometimes spiritually, empty. A bricklayer can see what he's accomplished. We can't. But we have the Lord's promises to bless His Word, in His timing and in His way.
I do think part of it is the way you're wired. I'm an insulin dependent diabetic and think that my sugars play apart in my mood swings. When I was in my mid 30s my pancreas stopped producing insulin (at that time I was in good physical condition and the doctor was at a loss to explain my sudden condition); it's brought some complications with my energy level as well (though I am now in my early 50s). I work a part time job and have to go to work Monday morning. My let down usually occurs Sunday night.
EDIT: Others have mentioned having trouble with headaches. I usually have severe headaches as well--usually wake up with them on Monday. They last all day long. I think I's addicted to Excedrin [:(]
Yes. Every Monday at least and as others have stated, Sunday afternoon as well; then I have to gear up for a Sunday Evening service too.
Garrett nailed it earlier: Medically speaking it's called PAD Post Adrenaline Depression. There's nothing wrong with you. :-) At least nothing wrong with you that isn't wrong with me. :-)
Monday's are made easier for me by a significant bit of exercise. I'm a runner and my "strides" workout (30-45 minute run with the middle punctuated by 10 "all out" sprints with 1 minute recoveries) reserved for Mondays. I hate strides but the workout does wonders for my attitude.
The thing I struggle with is after the service where I get told "Thank you for that message, Brother", I kind of want the ground to open up and swallow me as I never know how to respond.. I am happy being a conduit/mouthpiece, yes I prepare the message the best I can as God enables, but I never view the message as mine, but I am just the messenger God chose to use to deliver it... If anyone else struggles with this aspect, and has coping mechanisms please let me know.
The thing I struggle with is after the service where I get told "Thank you for that message, Brother", I kind of want the ground to open up and swallow me as I never know how to respond..
I am happy being a conduit/mouthpiece, yes I prepare the message the best I can as God enables, but I never view the message as mine, but I am just the messenger God chose to use to deliver it...
If anyone else struggles with this aspect, and has coping mechanisms please let me know.
After 18 years of a preaching ministry, I certainly can relate to you and the others on here. Personally, after preaching on Sunday I do not take Monday as a day off for two basic reaons: 1) I don't want to feel that bad on my day off! 2) I have found that Mondays are a difficult day to protect for a pastor as you always find out things on Sunday that you need to respond to on Monday. For me personally on Monday, I try to get out of the office to make visits, get out and see people, schedule lunch with someone who had needed to see me or I need to see, etc. etc. It's also a great time to have lunch with a friend or a neighboring pastor. It's also not a sin to go home a little early on a Monday [:)]
As to making Monday's easier to bear, I have found that Monday is a great day to go to a park or the woods with my Bible and be quiet and alone before the Lord for a while. Also, if you do not have Spurgeon's Lectures to My Students, the chapter on "The Minister's Fainting Fits" is worth the price of the book. Some of the greatest men of God (like Spurgeon) struggled mightily with discouragement and even depression.
Preaching is a "heart" event in that you pour your heart into it. The best preachers are passionate. However, when you pour yourself into preaching, then you empty yourself as well. Have to make sure you are refilling week to week! That is one of the greatest struggles in ministry for me personally.
I do think part of it is the way you're wired
Totally agree, the Monday Blues is a not a frequent phenomenon for me I tend to find that the blues occur randomly and are often associated with physical tiredness when I have less energy to bounce back. I know that the "blues", and other "attacks", are a form of discouragement initiated by the principalities and powers that we wrestle with. My understanding is that our spiritual enemies attacks us in areas or at times of weakness so we therefore need to learn how to effectively defend ourselves from these attacks.
I love you guys! I am trying to find a church to attend now, after YEARS of not having one, and I hope wherever I end up the pastor gives as much of himself as all of you do.
K
just don't try to count the blinks ...
THANK YOU! I thought I was seeing things...LOL
Hi Stephen,
I Have been pastoring congregations for 41 years. I am currently serving a 3 church parish mad eup of two dominant culture churches and a Native American congregation. I lead worship and preach at 9:30 AM, 11:00 AM and 1:15 PM on Sundays in order to make rounds to all three churches. To counter the Monday blues I take Monday as my day off and plan something my wife and I enjoy together. Other times I will pursue one of my hobbies such as fly fishing or woodcarving. I ofund that this helps energize me for the week, all of which are very very busy. I am the only staff person in the three congregations other than musicians and two choir directors. I started taking Mondays as the day off and found this works better for me than later in the week. Each individula has to find what works best for him or her.
Take care
Dan
