Preachers the world over regularly travel the desert called Monday. We are worn out. In our exhaustion we are often sitting ducks for spiritual attack and sin. Here are some possible routes through the Monday wilderness, and some of the pitfalls to watch out for along the way…

1. Plan Mondays, don’t just let them happen. Take control! Idleness is a sin that feeds on exhaustion and breeds more sin along the way.

2. Don’t do sermon prep on Monday. You won’t usually get far and you will simply feel guilty for your lack of success.

3. Don’t do a post-mortem on Mondays. You are too tired to be objective about your preaching, which, let’s face it, you are not good at being at the best of times.

4. Get some space. Time alone to pray and read and think without the pressure of sermon preparation is invaluable on a Monday. Monday morning is the time to go to the office and sit quietly and actually read the books you try to impress other people with.

5. Use Monday’s for soul cultivation rather than sermon preparation.

6. Use Monday’s to get out and visit your people.

7. Watch a movie and drink a beer. Kiss your wife and play with the kids. And say sorry for being grumpy.