FIRST IN LAST OUT
RELEARNING THE RHYTHM OF REST | Todd Elliott
For many church technical artists, Easter doesn’ t end when the final service wraps. It lingers in the cables still coiled on the floor, in the quiet hum of a room that, just days ago, carried so much weight and energy and in your own body, which suddenly realizes how much it gave.
And if you’ re honest … you loved it. And that’ s the paradox.
We love what we do. We could stay at it around the clock if we let ourselves. The challenge, the pressure, the purpose of helping people encounter Jesus … it pulls us in deep. Most technical artists aren’ t clock-watchers, we’ re finish-the-job people, solve-the-problem people, and the stay-until-it’ s-done people. But sometimes, that same passion quietly runs us into the ground.
WHEN PASSION PUSHES TOO FAR Talk to almost any church tech and you’ ll hear a familiar story: long hours, constant problemsolving, and a hard time turning it off. Not because we have to … but because we want to. That’ s where it gets complicated.
The work matters and our calling is real. But when there’ s no rhythm of stepping away, even meaningful work can become draining, and you may not even notice it until you finally stop.
Then something surprising happens, after a few days of not thinking about work, you start to feel like yourself again. It’ s like something inside you exhales for the first time in a while and you can finally exhale.
WHY EVEN WORK YOU LOVE REQUIRES REST There are two old observations from Winston Churchill that feels especially relevant here:
“ Those whose work is their pleasure are those who most need the means of banishing it at intervals from their mind.”
“ A man can wear out a particular part of his mind by continually using and tiring it, just in the same way he can wear out the elbows of his coat.”
Even meaningful work can wear grooves into your mind if it’ s all you ever do.
TWO WAYS TO COME BACK TO LIFE If Easter reminded you how much you poured out, this is your invitation to build something back in:
1. Develop interests that have nothing to do with your role There’ s something powerful about doing things that don’ t serve your job at all.
Run. Paint. Take photos. Go to a game. Explore your city. Pick up something that stretches a different part of you. Not everything you do has to be productive. More often than not, the productivity is in the renewal.
These kinds of interests give your mind a break from the constant loop of troubleshooting, planning, and producing. They create space for joy without pressure, and ironically, they make you better at your work when you return to it.
2. Create space on purpose This one takes discipline. There will always be something urgent. If you don’ t intentionally create space, it won’ t just appear … you have to plan it.
So, take the day off, use your vacation time, build rhythms into your week that pull you away from work. Decide ahead of time that rest is not optional.
Because here’ s the truth most of us learn the hard way: If you only rest when everything is done, you’ ll never rest.
MOVING FORWARD AFTER EASTER Easter is one of the most meaningful seasons we get to be part of and it’ s also one of the most demanding. So, as the moment passes and things begin to quiet down, don’ t rush straight into the next thing … pause. Take an inventory of where you are, notice what feels full … and what feels empty. And then ask yourself a simple question: What could I build into this next season that would actually renew me?
Not just to get through the next big weekend, but to sustain the calling you care so much about.
Because the goal isn’ t just to keep going, it’ s to keep going well.
Todd Elliott Todd is a writer, speaker, technical artist in the local church and Founder & President of FILO, which stands for First In, Last Out. FILO was born out of his own need as a technical artist in the local church to be in community with other church tech people, to learn new ways of doing things and to be inspired that what he did mattered. The more FILO-type people he met, the more convinced he was that these are things we all need. That’ s why FILO exists: to equip, encourage and inspire technical artists in the local church to become the best version of ourselves. Formerly the Technical Arts Director at Willow Creek Community Church, he started FILO in 2015 to help other technical artists become more effective so that the local church can be more effective.
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102 April 2026 Subscribe for Free...