It’s the week of Christmas. I know some pastors will do Christmas Eve services, others are officially done with their Christmas sermons.

Next week, I’ll start sharing resources for new year sermons, but this week I want to talk about pastoral health.

These last few days of 2025 are a great time to step back and take inventory of where you are spiritually, physically, and emotionally.

I had a conversation with a pastor recently that broke my heart. He had a stroke the previous year and I asked him how long he took off after his stroke to recover.

He said, “a week and a half.” I wanted to give him hug. But then he said, “I felt like it was important for my people to see I was ok,” and I wanted to cry.

He said the first week he preached after his stroke he had to hold on to the sides of the pulpit to keep from falling over.

I haven’t been able to get that conversation off my mind. Even when we’re unwell, we feel the pressure to get well for them.

I’ve written more about the challenges of healthy preaching ​here.​

Today I’m giving you 1 stat, 1 quote, and 1 story about pastoral health.

You can’t use them in your sermon, but hopefully it will inspire to you to make a few healthy decisions as you start a new year of leadership.

One more thing: If you haven’t downloaded your free preaching calendar yet, ​you can download it here​. I would love to help you get ahead in your sermon planning.