SHARPEN

“The first day the young lumberman cut down ten trees. His axe was keen, and he was strong and fresh. The second day, he worked just as hard. In fact, he felt that he worked even harder than the first day. But only eight trees fell. Tomorrow, he would get an earlier start. So he retired early and the next morning worked as hard as he could but managed to cut down only seven trees.

The following day, he was down to five trees. The fifth day, he managed to chop down only three trees and was exhausted by nightfall. Early the next morning, he was chopping furiously when an old man passed by and asked, “Why don’t you stop and sharpen your axe?” “I can’t. I’m too busy chopping down trees,” he replied.

“Most bivocational ministers I know work hard. We start early and work late. We try to squeeze as much into each day as possible. The mistake some of us make is that we don’t take time to sharpen our axes. We don’t renew our spirits, our minds, or our bodies. Eventually, we will find that we’re running on empty.”

Most bivocational ministers I know work hard. We start early and work late. We try to squeeze as much into each day as possible. The mistake some of us make is that we don’t take time to sharpen our axes. We don’t renew our spirits, our minds, or our bodies. Eventually, we will find that we’re running on empty. Too many ministers have their ministries cut short because they kept chopping trees with a dull axe.” Dennis Bickers - The Bivocational Pastor: Two Jobs, One Ministry

It takes time to sharpen the axe, but it’s time well spent. We’ll soon discover that we’re actually able to accomplish much more in less time with a sharp axe. What does that mean for the co-vocational minister and what is a co-vocational leader? Watch this space…