Being Refilled

This last week has been pretty quiet on the blog, primarily because I have been spending time at two different conferences.  Both conferences couldn’t be more different in theme and content!  The first was called Streaming Conference: Biblical Conversations from the Missional Frontier at Rochester College in MI. It was a smaller conference (only about 130 people), but we sat at the feet of amazing theologians and listened to their perspectives and wisdom.  Scot McKnight, Miroslav Volf, Katie Hays, and Doug Pagitt spent 3 days pouring the truth of the book of James in a missional context into ministers and pastors from all over the midwest.  If you haven’t heard of this conference, make plans to attend next year!

The second is a songwriter’s conference in Nashville, TN. It’s called SongDiscovery in the Round. I didn’t have the time to travel down this week, so I paid for an Online Pass and have been watching the main sessions  from my computer. I’ve been filled from presentations from songwriters and musicians such as Charlie Peacock, Joel Lindsey, and Keith Getty. They have stirred my creative juices and inspired me to become a better songwriter.

As church leaders and worship leaders, we do our share of “pouring out”  every week.  I can’t stress enough that we need to take time out of our schedules to refill our own cups. I know too many ministers who feel that they can’t leave their congregations to their own devices on a Sunday. Things may fall apart!  We can be control freaks at times, and it is in these times we remember that God is in control of his church.  It is a great discipline to regularly “unplug”, get out of town, and spend some time being refilled.

How do you get refilled spiritually?  What works best for you?