Today is my fourth day in the office after my sabbatical. I’ve been updated on what my team has been working on and what my priorities are for the rest of the semester. At the top of my list is writing to all of you about the last three months!
A lot of my staff friends have traveled on their sabbaticals, but I had done so much traveling earlier this year that the thought of another trip sounded like stress rather than rest! So I stayed in town and spent extra time in my favorite coffee shop, our wonderful local library, and a local park that has walking trails through the woods.
The main goal of a sabbatical is rest, so Psalm 62:5 from the Christian Standard Bible became somewhat of a theme verse for my time:
Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from him.
(Psalm 62:5, CSB)
Having a lot fewer responsibilities allowed me to relax and do things that refresh me: read, listen to podcasts, take naps whenever I wanted to, make music, and spend time with friends. And I think I can truly call myself a Bible nerd, because just for fun I watched video lectures for three entire Bible courses!
Here are a few favorites from my sabbatical:
- Favorite book: Rejoicing in Christ by Michael Reeves. It taught deep truths about Christ combined with dry British humor, historical theology tidbits, and insights that made me stop to worship.
- Favorite video series: Exodus taught by Dr. Carmen Joy Imes from Biola University. It’s free on the “Classroom” section of BibleProject.com. (Her Torah Tuesday YouTube podcast is great, too!)
- Favorite devotional practice: praying the “Daily Office.” This is a tradition from the early church of praying at three or four set times during the day. Most of the versions I found include scripture, the Lord’s prayer, historic prayers and creeds, and a time to pray for your own requests. Praying these prayers (not just reading or reciting them) has helped me focus on worship instead of only on a “laundry list” of needs. A phone app that serves as a helpful starting point is called Lectio365, which is from a ministry called 24/7 Prayer. It has short audio devotions for morning, noon and night (different ones every day) and, if you like, you can read along as you listen.
Please Pray…
- for a smooth transition back into full-time ministry;
- that I would continue a rhythm of short prayer & scripture breaks three or four times a day.
Thank you for praying!
