In reality , it isn ’ t the church ’ s job to feed you spiritually . It is your job . I think many Christians miss this truth . We all look to our pastor and the church staff to do our spiritual work for us . I ’ m not saying that God can ’ t move and work in a church service . That ’ s kind of the whole point . But in truth , God wants a personal relationship with you , which can only happen if you are spending time with Him alone .
There was a time in my life when I decided I would start reading my Bible every day . Don ’ t all good Christians already do this ? I told a friend , “ I know people tell us all the time that we should read our Bible , but it actually works !” I became more attuned to what God was doing around me . I became more acquainted with my depraved heart and more dependent on Jesus .
We need to develop the disciplined , consistent habit of spending a few minutes each day absorbing the words of God . If we want to become the best version of ourselves , we can ’ t do it without filling our brains with the truths of Scripture .
GET A HOBBY For much of my life , I only did three things : work , go home , eat , sleep . If you do that for long enough without much variation , you can dry up pretty fast .
I believe we are all artists . What we do requires a level of creativity . If you don ’ t take time to refresh yourself , you will empty yourself out .
The beauty of developing a hobby is that is gives you something to look forward to . It also has a way of distracting your brain from the overwhelming problems to be solved at church or home . And if you ’ ve signed up for a class , it gives you a reason to leave work at a reasonable time .
Maybe it is a home renovation project . Maybe it is a cooking class with your spouse . Maybe it is stamp collecting . The exact hobby matters less than the fact that you ’ re involved in something completely different from what you do every day . This will give your brain a rest from the problems at work . By expanding your interests , you will develop a new perspective on life and work .
Just as our bodies need a chance to recover from exercise , our brains and hearts also need chances to recover : to remember why we love doing production in the local church in the first place , to give our subconscious a chance to figure out some problem that needs to be solved .
EAT BETTER I ’ m a huge fan of production food . You know , stuff you can eat while you work . Pizza . Hamburgers . Chips . Cookies .
I also have to stay awake , so Mountain Dew is a necessity .
It is easy to let ourselves go when it comes to what we eat . If we hope to live healthy lives and have the energy to lead our teams , we need to be taking better care of ourselves .
Corresponding to the idea of your team following your lead , what kinds of food are you providing for your team ? Is it whatever is easiest ? I totally get it , but there is a better way .
I would argue it is an issue of pace . I think we are usually moving too fast , and we don ’ t value our time like we should . As a result , I ’ m always thinking about the fastest way to feed people and keep moving . There is nothing wrong with stopping for a few extra minutes to eat something that is healthy and less portable . It will help provide community moments with your team members that you wouldn ’ t get otherwise .
GET OFF YOUR BACKSIDE I know that production work is hard on your body . I wake up sore more days than I care to mention . But for the majority of our lives as technical artists , and really as leaders of technical artists , we spend most of our time in meetings , working on spreadsheets or sitting behind a console for hours on end .
I need to create time to actually move . Many of us are living right at the edge with no margin , and making time for exercise can be difficult . It sounds like a nice idea , but that ’ s about it .
It can be as simple as walking your dog more often . Ride your bike around the block . Park at the back of the lot and walk into Home Depot .
You don ’ t have to sign up for a marathon . You don ’ t have to start a hot yoga class . It doesn ’ t have to be an Ironman competition . But for the sake of your team , your family and your own health , move more .
One of my favorite parts about introducing exercise into my schedule was that it gave me a chance to ponder the problems I was trying to solve . It also helped me relieve any stress I was carrying . I didn ’ t generally listen to music or a podcast ; I just ran . It gave my brain the space it needed to explore possible solutions . I made it through several very tough situations at work by running when I got home .
Without some intentionality , our lives will easily get out of control . Forget about your team for a minute . You deserve to take better care of yourself than you probably are doing . In 1 Corinthians 6 , Paul says our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit . In verse 20 he says , “ Therefore honor God with your bodies .” How is your life reflecting this reality ?
I need to do better in all these areas . I don ’ t want to get to the end of my days and wish that I hadn ’ t let life drag me along behind it . I want my life to reflect the things that matter to me and not just be a shell of a human who let the urgent squeeze out the important .
Todd Elliott Todd is a writer , speaker , technical artist in the local church and founder of FILO . 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 . Residing near Chicago , he and his wife Bissy have three kids and a dog ... none of whom are into production .
@_ ToddElliott www . filo . org