This afternoon I walked out of my office at church with a box of goodies I wanted to take home, and stepped into a 3-month sabbatical. Yes, after 12 years of pastoral ministry, and 7 years at Holy Cross, I get 3 months to step away from the normal daily duties for a season of making-up-for-lost-time with my family, refreshment, re-creation, study, and seeking God like I haven't been able to in SO long!
My general plans are to spend time with my wife and daughters, to go on a missions trip to Kenya with Dawn in August, and to study. More on those later. For now, I'm so grateful for this gift. Ministry is draining, and most pastors burn out and don't finish well (if at all - a surprising percentage of pastors either quit the ministry or disqualify themselves because they don't get refreshed and lose their way from Jesus). I want to be able to take some time now so that I can come back strong this Fall.
Lord, you rested on the 7th day. You have commanded us to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. You even directed your people to refrain from planting the land in the 7th year. Rest is supposed to be part of our rhythm. Help me rest, Lord. Not by abstaining from being productive, or by becoming lazy, but by again drawing near to You, the Author of Life. May this be a time of laying aside the busy-ness of Martha to sit at your feet like Mary - which you called the better of the two. Thank you, Lord, for this opportunity. Praise be yours. Amen.
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