Managing Pastoral Stress

...A Financial Perspective

I just finished reading probably one of the best, if not the best book, on stress management as it relates to the pastoral service in the local church.  Authors David and Lisa Frisbie have just released Managing Stress in Ministry with Beacon Hill Press and this one is well worth the copy price. I get no monetary "perks" from conveying my positive feedback for this great NEW release! The true reasons I post this today is because David and Lisa offer "real time" clinical (not too heady) advise on stress and they offer great "real time" examples of pastoral stories that fit perfectly for how to assess and address stress triggers.

The engaging stories of pastors and churches, the chapter on pastors in bivocational situations, and the final chapter on Stress Reducers are my favorite parts of the book.  I will say that one of the stress reducers helps in the book calls for pastors to build healthy financial margins.  This is a BIG-DEAL for me because as a teacher/coach of the Infinite Banking Concept I deeply desire to help pastors struggling with being able to build those financial margins so they can reduce that area of stress level.  If you are reading this brief blog and happen to be a pastor, and would like to contact me about reducing financial stress, your call to me would be welcome.  I know I can help.

Back to the book - I hope you'll place your order with Beacon Hill and allow David and Lisa to encourage your heart and nudge you closer to ways you can handle the stress in your life better.  God bless you.

About Living Paycheck to Paycheck

According to CNN.com 76% of Americans live from paycheck to paycheck.  Living in one of the most affluent counties in America (Johnson, state of Kansas), it would be easy for me to dismiss this as alarmism, but even in this very county, and in the surrounding KC metro counties, it is easy for me to imagine that this CNN.com article is probably not too far off the trail.

Now, that being said, I am an optimist by nature and I do not re-post this article to point out the negative nature of how this article feels for so many who do live pay check to pay check, we get enough of that in this age.  I do re-post, because no matter what you or I think of the news service reporting (good or bad, legit or not) I think the vibe of the article is certainly valid and perhaps even fairly close in percentage of people in this situation.

My family was in this state in 2008 and mounting unsecured debt was the norm.  I was sooooo sick of living paycheck to paycheck.  Lots of discipline, implementing some Dave Ramsey principles, implementing tools and thoughts by Joseph Sangl, and implementing the Infinite Banking concept by Nelson Nash through Life Success and Legacy all have helped us to reduce and eliminate massive debt, correct poor habits, begin new better habits, and get our family back up on its feet into a brighter future.  In these five years since beginning the above principles, we now see a hope that we do not have to live paycheck to paycheck and we are hopeful, real hopeful.  This, my friends, is called a testimony.  It's our story after our financial tests and we thank God for his provision through the tests and now beyond debt into a better future.  I'd love to share more - maybe you should just send me a note of contact and we could talk?  I'd like that.

 

If you'd like a copy of Nelson Nash's book, Becoming Your Own Banker, I'll send one to you for $20 and I'll cover shipping.  Write to mzimmeribc@gmail.com with mailing details.