This is a space for clergy in need of support to do the work they are called to do. A place of rest and renewal, honesty and transparency. Subscribe to hear from our Founder, Rev. Kinsie M. Tate who is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, Ordained Minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and clergy spouse.
What meaning do you make from struggle?
|
The image of the suffering Christ and suffering for one's faith is foundational in many Christian traditions. I consider this concept often in my work: the idea of what is enough suffering to help us grow? I talk to the people I work with about finding their "growth edge" - the limit to push through so you can continue to grow in the ways you want, while also identifying when to stop, or pause for rest. That balance between suffering and relief is important, but it is also important to consider what we make suffering mean. What is the meaning you make from struggles in your life? Do you see struggle as holy and good? Does struggle feel like failure or weakness? Maybe it depends on the situation. I would argue that the interpretation of our suffering matters in how resilient we currently are and become in the future. The philosopher David Rondel wrote in A Danger Which We Do Not Know (2024), "We humans are fearful, worrying creatures. Seeking out knowledge is a natural response to being afraid. And so … when anxiety rises up, we instinctively go hunting for answers. Having more information sometimes helps to quell the fear." We can also fall into doom scrolling in the search for understanding and meaning for the pain and suffering we experience or see around us. It is an individual task to know and understand what is enough and what is too much. If suffering causes us to feel like a cog in the machine to be ever more productive and effective, we erode our humanity and make the necessary rest that allows us to think creatively and grow somehow lazy and potentially shameful. This is a tragedy and leads to ever increasing experiences of suffering that are unhelpful and potentially traumatizing. I focus on helping people better understand how the lenses that they see the world through and their perceptions impact wellness, resilience, and leadership. This is the work I love and feel privileged to be able to do. If you too are curious about this and want to move toward restoration and sustainable ministry, I invite you to join us for our next 1 hour Wellness Insight: Running on Empty: The Hidden Costs of Depletion in Ministry happening NEXT WEEK Wednesday, June 10, 2026 @ 10am PT/ 1pm ET. It's an opportunity to pause and contemplate how you are doing. You'll get a CEU for attending, and maybe find some community and connection that helps you remember that you are not alone and what you think and do really does matter. If you are unable to make this, we have 2 more Wellness Insights happening later this year: Creating Culturally Responsive Faith Communities co-facilitated by Carolina Fuentes, LCSW on August 12 @ 9am PT and What Happens When Leaders Grieve? co-facilitated by Rev. Dr. Rae Karim on November 5th @ 1pm PT. And if you are interested in a deeper practice, Leading From Abundance is happening the five Tuesday's in September starting 9-1-26 @ 10:30 am PT/ 1:30 ET. I am updating the curriculum to help clergy identify their unique giftedness, how they can act from that in their ministry setting, and what causes them to act from a place of scarcity rather than abundance. It incorporates nervous system and stress response information, to give you practical application to embody the concepts. More on that to come! You don't have to go at it alone. We are here to help.
Take Care, Rev. Kinsie M. Tate, LPCC Founder and Executive Director Restore Clergy |
Restore Clergy
This is a space for clergy in need of support to do the work they are called to do. A place of rest and renewal, honesty and transparency. Subscribe to hear from our Founder, Rev. Kinsie M. Tate who is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, Ordained Minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and clergy spouse.
Do you have friends? Like the kind of friends that you can ugly cry in front of or whine about how hard life is and know that they won't judge you the way you judge yourself when that happens? Someone other than you spouse or family? Not that spouses and family aren't important, but sometimes they are biased because they need you to be okay so they can feel okay and that keeps you from feeling truly understood and supported. A friend isn't usually your primary life partner and doesn't rely on...
It's Holy Week and I know...it's a lot. I'm not even in the pulpit and it's a lot for me and our family. All the additional services, on top of the regular weekly duties....it's just...A LOT. These are the weeks when insidious patterns of mediocre self-care, or worse yet, lack there of, wreak havoc not only on the individual, but on those surrounding them. The pressure to perform and push and get it all done takes a lot of capacity and I bet many of you are already running out of that. I...
This testimonial is from one of the recent participants of the Restoration Fellowship that will begin again soon. Warning lights When you own a car, it is important to watch for the so-called “idiot lights.” Those lights that light up the dashboard with warnings such as “headlight out,” “add oil,” or the most terrifying “engine light.” We learn not to ignore when the light comes on. We learn that putting off dealing with a warning light can lead to catastrophic damage to a car’s engine. Yet,...