Lately, I have been in an “offseason.” By that, I mean that I haven’t been actively involved in running missional school programs or been active with a church program. After years of missions, serving, leading ministry, coaching, and studying, I found myself, surprisingly, in an offseason. I’m not burned out, but I will admit I am quite enjoying not having too much going on right now.

One thing I noticed is that I am not missing all the hours in the prayer rooms, group intercession, lectures, and worship meetings. Regardless, I am still active in my faith. I don’t feel lost! It’s just that I am involved in other things that aren’t church or ministry related, and I simply spend less time in Christian ministry settings because of it. So, how do I stay active in my faith?

My spiritual lifestyle never takes an offseason

I don’t feel at all that I am spiritually rusting. As a matter of fact, I sense that though I am missing out on a lot of organized ministry, God is teaching me new things and also letting me rest and recharge for ministry in the future.

I guess living a life of faith has put me in a stable place where I also have faith that my relationship with God won’t change based on how much work I do for Him.

Maybe you are in a season like mine? Or, perhaps you are about to end a season of full-time ministry? It could also be that you need some inspiration to stay spiritually engaged in your daily life? Some of the things I have noticed Him bring my attention to, and that is helping me stay spiritually active in this season are:

Blessing My Community

I have found three areas in which I have learned to honor my community in this offseason.

1. Using ministry skills locally

I am using my years of project management in ministry, and my skills in communication to help out locally. Though it is not directly ministry, I still get to become close friends with people outside my little Christian bubble. Also, and I am never in lack of things to pray for. As I always meet people who are struggling and who need encouragement, I actively get to join God in His concerns and vision for others.

2. Care for my neighborhood

God has also put my neighborhood on my heart a lot lately. Jeff and I are getting endless opportunities to bless and care for those in our community that we normally are too busy to spend time with. It’s funny how this offseason has been an eye-opener. I especially enjoy getting to know some of my senior neighbors. Not only do I learn a lot about life from them, but I also get to appreciate how humor, just like many wines, gets better with age 😉

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3. Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit

Additionally, I have found myself being surprised by the inkling of the Holy Spirit. I’m now noticing people I usually wouldn’t. It starts with an impression on my heart that I need to ask them about certain things. So far, I have only had good experiences with this, and it has to lead to a lot of people feeling encouraged and seen when they needed it.

4. Nurturing My Christian Friendships

I am enjoying getting to know my friends from ministry on a deeper level, now that there are no tasks ahead of us. I have been able to build closer and stronger friendships with people that I no longer work with. Now we are “just” friends, and I think that is a beautiful thing.

Since I don’t work with these people daily, I can steer my focus on things that help or bless people. I also have more time to stay connected or re-connect with people that live further away. I find myself having more grace and love for friends since the relationship is the most important things—not our common task.

5. The Bible has become more exciting

I know, how is that even possible? Don’t get me wrong—I love the Bible and what I learn from it, but I didn’t realize how much it had become a work tool for me when I did ministry. The Bible was my manual, and it was helpful. Now that I am not active in ministry my Bible has become more of an exciting suspense novel. My study time focuses less on solving individual problems and more lead by my interest and understanding the Bible’s broader themes.

6. Learning new ways to use spiritual gifts

Give me a problem, and I will find a way to fix it. I love to solve issues, finish goals, and get it done. I am recently reading a book on spiritual gifts. One of the gifts that resonate in my heart is what I am learning about the Gift of Wisdom. God’s spirit can supernaturally help in conflict resolution and solving crises. As I have always been a get-it-done powerhouse, and since I don’t have daily ministry tasks at the moment, I am learning to use energy, skills, and gifts in new ways.

This really challenges my emotions, my way of approaching conflicts, and how I deal with pursuing my vision. I am learning to trust God more through it, and rely on Him in situations my natural gifts would habitually take over.

7. Learning to do ministry in my own family

I don’t have children yet, but I do have a big family. I often tell my friends, in good fun, that the reason why I’m so bossy is that I have five younger siblings. Recently, as a family, we have gone through some real ups and downs. Jeff and I traveled to Europe for my sister’s wedding a little while ago and we were so excited to spend some time with family in this offseason.

But, the day before the wedding we got news that my cousin had passed away in her sleep. We were mortified. Emotionally we were pulled in two very opposite directions. A wedding and a funeral.

Nonetheless, it has been a long time since I felt so “called” to be there for my family. Getting to celebrate, love, enjoy, care for, cry with, and minister to my family at that time was such a privilege. I am thankful that I wasn’t busy with other things at the moment so I could whole-heartedly be there.

Spiritually active no matter what season I’m in

Of course, for me, this is considered off-season. I will jump back into ministry as a lifestyle missionary again. Though I might not do ministry full-time, I think it is important to remember that as Christians we are called to live a lifestyle that is missional. I will write a post about lifestyle missions soon. It is a core passion of mine and the pillar of the Christian community that I am part of. I hope you were encouraged and blessed by this article. I pray blessings and grace over you.

Disclaimer: The information in this blog is meant as help and is for general informational purposes only. Meaning, do not consider this as legal advice or a consultation. To clarify, I am a communication strategist and consultant with a degree in Communications, and I teach on conflict resolution and communication skills. Surely, I love what I do, and my advice is always based on either textbook communication theory or empirical evidence. However, I cannot be held liable for how you apply my advice. Without a doubt, I hope you well and success in applying the views I share on this blog.