Looking Back, Looking Forward

My summer sabbatical has come to an end. Tomorrow I will return to full-time ministry. I few weeks ago I was visiting with my friend Jerry and he asked, “Are you going to miss the quiet of this summer or are you excited to get back to work?” My answer was an emphatic “Yes!”

The sabbatical that I have journeyed through these past three month has been a precious gift that will always be cherished. It has provided me with a time to slow down the pace of life. A time to rest. A time to regroup. A time to be with family. A time to do things that fill me up. A time to rediscover the lost art of play. A time to be with Jesus in a very special way.

I took unhurried time each morning to read through the gospels and see how Jesus – the busiest, most giving Man that ever lived – built margin into His life so He could keep going strong. Jesus consistently found strength for the journey through a healthy lifestyle – He got His sleep, ate nutritious food, and engaged in vigorous exercise. He surrounded Himself with close friends. He took time to get away from it all. He opened Himself to the ministry of angels. And Jesus spent time with His Father every single morning meditating on the Scriptures and praying.

I took time to be with my family. Linda and I have been fireproofed and laughed our way to a better marriage. We have enjoyed date nights, watched movies, and eaten gelato together. We have gotten together with our adult children for two trips. We have visited our parents and siblings.

This summer I took some important time to sharpen the saw. I took some classes in digital photography, communications, reading dynamics, and homiletics. I read a pile of books – 14 at last count – books on pastoral health, biblical studies, ministry, and even some biographies.

I took some day trips – I went to the beach, went hiking and dirt biking in the hills, went sailing in the San Francisco bay, and took in the Musee d’Orsay Birth of Impressionism exhibit at the deYoung, I even had time to get my yard cleaned up and do a little cooking in the kitchen.

I was able to get some long-neglected office projects knocked out. I cleaned up 25 years of computer files. I got my church member’s phone numbers entered into my cell phone. My first sermon back is written and I have a good stab at the second. My office at the church is finally decorated.

The results? I am rested. My sleep patterns have improved significantly. My calling is renewed. My marriage and family is having more fun. I am better acquainted with the fun places to go and fun things to do in my area. I’m better equipped to do life and ministry at a sustainable pace. I’m more in love with Jesus than ever before.

Some things are going to change. I’m going to be more intentional about slowing the pace of life and ministry, and make it a point to just enjoy the journey. I’m going to simplify life and ministry by focusing on that which is most essential and by better delegating more of the detail work to other – after all, we are a team. I will better walk with my churches. And I’m going to more clearly keep my eyes on Jesus – the Head of the church, remember that He is not only the Source of my calling – He is the wind beneath my wings that will carry my life and ministry to a higher place.

Vacation or Sabbatical

For some time now I have been trying to define the difference between and vacation and a sabbatical. I'm not sure that I have all the answers or that I even know how to put what I do know into words. What I do know, by experience, is that they are not the same. When I am on vacation, I take a total break from my work. A textbook pastoral sabbatical, on the other hand, is about one third work and one third R & R to get ready to go back to work. I don't know what my ratios have been. I do know that I have worked and I have had some wonderful rest time.

This summer I have taken classes and read books. I have cleaned up some files and set up a new computer for my work. I have read a pile of great books. I have done some decorating in my church office. I have answered the phone and enjoyed conversations with church members on the other end of the line. I have visited with a number of church members whose paths happened to cross mine. And I have had the privelege of making a hospital visit and bereavement visit this summer. I have checked out a number of churches in the area to see what I could learn.

This has been a sabbatical. I think that the balance of work and rest has played well for me. And I am grateful for this wonderful gift of time to better balance my life and ministry for the future.

Dr. Pace

Yesterday my friend Ivan stopped by for lunch and conversation. Ivan wrote his doctoral dissertation on the subject of pastoral burnout, so I was eager for any advice he could give on how to better pace life and ministry in a sustainable way.

He had one piece of advice: Not to push myself too hard in the early weeks of my return. Yes there will be people to reconnect with and yes there will be numerous issues to catch up on, but I need to maintain a steady pace.

The genius of what Ivan had to share with me was the questions he asked me to think through: (1) What are the things that trigger stress for me? That is important to identify so that I can minimize the occurrence of such events and better deal with such stresses when they arise. (2) What is my philosophy of ministry? What is my mission in life and ministry, and what are my governing values? (3) What are my expectations? Are they in reasonable alignment with what my churches expect of me, or way beyond?

These are all good issues for any of us to think through and apply to our particular lives and businesses.

Under a Rest

This morning I started writing the sermon for my first Sabbath back. I'm calling it "You Are Under a Rest" and it is drawn from Mark 6:30-32. So far the writing is coming easily. I looking forward to this opportunity to reconnect with my church family, share what God has done in my life this summer, and encourage my friends to take quiet times to rest in the Lord.

Time Out

Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer, since to remain constantly at work will cause you to lose power of judgment...Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller, and more of it can be taken in at a glance, and lack of harmony or proportion is more readily seen. --Leonardo da Vinci

Work and Play

Right now I am living in the world of work and play. I'm working on a couple of sermons. The first I am calling "You Are Under a Rest" and is drawn from Mark 6:30-32 where Jesus invited His disciples to a quiet place for some essential R & R. The second I am calling "Better Than Coffee". It's about the devotional life and is drawn from Mark 1:35.

For play today I am going mountain biking. I haven't done that for a long, long time. I want to explore a new corner of the Foothills Park. Tomorrow Linda and I will enjoy a picnic lunch in the Healdsburg Square and go window shopping.

Work and play -- sounds like a fun and balanced approach to life right now.

Retreat

This afternoon I enjoyed a retreat in the hills. I took a notebook with me and as I walked along, and as I stopped from time to time, I asked myself some important questions--

What have I learned from this sabbatical experience?

How am I going to do life and ministry differently?

What do I need to do between now and the end of the month to be ready to hit the road running?

Who are the people I need to connect with quickly in order to get my finger on the pulse of church life?

Who are the people who will need immediate pastoral care?

What are the major issues I am aware of on the immediate horizon?

What will I do differently with my next sabbatical seven years from now?

It's a beautiful day. It was fun to forget about time (I left my watch at home.) The fresh air, sunshine, walking, prayer time, and ministry reflection are exactly what I needed to do. Two more weeks!