The Old Normal Has Left The Building

On Thursday last week, Bill Hybels kicked off the Willow Creek Leadership Summit with a talk entitled, Leading in a New Reality. He mentioned that "the old reality has left the building." We need to understand we are and we will be leading in different times.

As a result, he said the one thing that he has found has been happening to him, and to others around him, is that he is spending more time at work. He has gotten caught up in that temptation to just work harder to get out of this hole. God has begun to speak to him about this, much like he did 20 years ago when Hybels was on the verge of complete burnout. God has been saying, "You can't sustain this."

As a result, Hybels is on a mission to reclaim his life...to put some margin back in his life...to replenish his bucket. Here are three things that he is doing that we all can benefit from:

1. Ask, "Who do I need to be around more? Who replenishes me? And, who drains me?
2. Physical exercise - he has doubled what he was doing
3. Starting every day with God. Instead of getting to the office early where he usually spent time with the Lord, he has been spending the first part of his day with God at a designated place in his home. This way, there is no temptation to tackle the mounds of work on his desk at the expense of his time with the Lord. He says that when you show up at work with a fresh spirit, everyone around you benefits in tangible ways.

What do your followers and colleagues see? Are they worried about you? Do they see someone who is exhausted and fearful? Or do they see someone who knows God is in control and knows that He is going to do something amazing in our time (like in the verse below)?

Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known.

Habakkuk 3:2a