Hi, my name is Pete Scazzara. I want to welcome you today to the Emotionally Healthy Leader

podcast. Our topic is finding your desert rhythms. That is finding your desert rhythms. Now in

scripture, the desert refers to solitary places, whether it's to wilderness, a place of

solitude, to meeting with God, an uninhabited space.

And we all need a place to go to it or a rhythm in our lives of getting to the desert to be

with God out of which we then are active and doing for God. So let me just start with a little

bit of an inventory to get a sense of where you are, and you can get a sense of where you

are, and just say, how many of these

are true of you? I avoid silence, and even when I do am silent, my mind constantly races. Or I skip

and skim on Sabbath. I hurry a lot. I often position myself so that others will think well of me.

Or I say yes, when I'd rather say no. I find

myself often resentful and tired because I'm trying to get it all done to do it all. I rarely taste

my food as a gift. I've got little mindfulness of delighting in God Christ's love throughout the day.

I'm often unaware of how much tension there is in my body. I've got little or no awareness of when I'm overreacting or triggered.

And I'm checking email, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, more than 15 times a day, and before I go to bed.

Now, at least three or more of these are true.

You may be out of balance.

If four or seven are true, you may be out of balance.

If four or seven are true, you probably need a lot more being and desert in your life to sustain your doing.

And if most of those are true of you, eight or more, you're probably in need of an extreme makeover.

And these are kind of indicator lights that I know for myself, I need an adjustment in my rhythms. Because as you go through life and different responsibilities

come our way and we hit different seasons of life, we must adjust our rhythms of being and doing

...