Isolation: A Place of Transformation in the Life of a Leader

A few weeks ago I was reading Steve Addison's blog and I have always respected his insights about the heart, issues and practices of Church planters and apostolic leaders. He wrote a short post about feeling what to do and think when you feel like the wheels have fallen off your ministry bus. This is where I have been a lot this past 8 months; at times no wheels, no gas, no engine other times 4 flats. He mentioned in passing a gal, Shelley Trebesch, that wrote an article/short book called Isolation: A Place of Transformation in the Life of a Leader. Something about the title and probably where I was feeling at the moment struck me deep to my core. I have felt like I have been in isolation much this past year. I have felt like a failure. I wrestled with God about if He'll ever use us again. I have been pissed about where I have been in the process and feeling like a little 2 year old whining about going to the bathroom (I have a personal experience with my own little 2 year old princess Isa - that's another story).

So I quickly jumped on my local library web site and checked to see if they had this short 80 page book. Nope! But that didn't stop me from asking them to buy it. Well two weeks later, I got one of my favorite calls. "Your book is in." They didn't buy it but they did borrow it from Fuller Seminary. Either way, it saved me $10.

Shelley quickly gave me some tracks to run on as I evaluated my last 8 months and where am I now and where I'm going. You'll observe in the first few pages that this is really a paper or article for some class but that doesn't shrink its input and value into my life. She walks you through about 7 case studies throughout history, biblical and non, of people who have been in isolation. You enter isolation either via a voluntary choice or in our case, involuntary. "Isolation is the setting aside a leader from normal ministry involvement in its natural context usually for an extended time in order to experience God in a new and deeper way." p. 10


"God can use a season of isolation to break a leader's arrogance and self confidence. Such breaking process can also restore a leader to become what God really created the leader to be." p.15


She talks about a 4 stage process of Isolation that I can almost give exact dates of entering, leaving and in some cases, I'm still in.
1. Stripping: of money, family, health, primarily of ministry identity. Ouch! This is what God had to do in me. Get rid of my self worship, worship of ministry, fame, impact, power, doing great things for God. I questioned am I worth anything? Is God enough? What in the world am I doing?
2. Wrestling with God: My codependency was discovered here. What I was getting my security and love from. It felt like God wasn't around. I think I even went into a period of depression. Not fun for me but I look back and see this is a tremendous value in my life. To be honest, there are still times of wrestling that are going on right now. "Why are you downcast, O my soul?" Psalm 42:5
3. Increased Intimacy: I often don't get here but not working for 8 months was I believe a gift God and CCC gave me. This is a big part in getting here. All I'm left with is God. I can't produce, can't perform for others. All I have is His grace. Desire for ministry success and being cutting edge dies and desire for the presence of Jesus is birthed.
4. Release to look toward the future: I think I may be here mixed with a couple of of these other stages. My desire is not to rush out into the future but wait for God to call us out. This should become a quiet peace when looking forward not an escaping the pain of isolation.


She also talks about 3 fruits of transformation. (I want these!) p. 49-54
1. Inward Transformation
2. Spiritual Transformation
3. Ministerial Transformation


She also talks about what development goes on in Isolation. She walks through Ps 42 (one of my new favorites) as she explains this development.
1. Be Honest.
2. Remember.
3. Have Hope.
4. Get a Mentor.
5. Listen to the Voice of God.
6. Embrace Isolation. (either if you're in it or because it will come.)



So grab it somewhere, read it and take the time to process what God may be doing in your isolation experience. If you're not in one, read it so when it does come, you'll have some sort of grid to grow.


Categories: Books, God