Leading on Empty By Wayne Cordeiro How in the world do you do that? Let me tell you, Wayne Cordeiro hits the nail right on the head when he addresses some of the toughest issues a pastor ever faces, the loass of passion and drive. Failure in ministry, depression, thoughts of suicide, and finding the way back home. Failure, depression, suicide? This must be a reading for a very small percentage of pastors. Not as small as you would think. Expectations are high. Inadequacy abounds. Cordeiro subtitles the book "Refilling your tank and renewing your passion." It is accurate and duly noted. The picture Cordeiro uses of the gas gage on your car is all too real for those in ministry leadership who have faced the very private and painful isolation that work, work, work brings on. How do you run on empty? You can go on fumes for a short distance, but when the needle hits "E" it's over. So how does one prevent "leading on empty" in their ministry? As important, how does one who is in the midst of that empty tank find their way out? Dordeiro is complete in his description of both. You cannot win at the expectations game. Well-intentioned people in your church expect more of you than is humanly possible. You need to set the boundaries. Sounds good in a book review but when the rubber meets the road, it is very difficult to do. You will find very straight talk on some very common subjects in the chapter on 7 Lessons Hard-Learned. However, if you apply them, you still will not make everyone happy. Once you are in the hospital with high blood pressure and various and sundry ailments, folks will suggest you take better care of yourself. But before that happens, the impact of doing the seven will only be felt by you, yet these seven lessons are rights to do for long-term ministry health. In short, if you lead, you need to read this book. It may not be you today. But someday at sometime, you will face something like what he describes. Be in the preventative mode and do everything you can to make sure you never lead on empty!