Today, I begin the first six-week segment of a combined three-month sabbatical. We first began discussing the church’s policy around this benefit over three years ago. As with so many things, Covid interrupted all the original plans, including a trip to Spain to walk the ancient pilgrimage of the Camino de Santiago. While taking my “Camino” will have to wait for the next sabbatical, I still have much to look forward to as I go on my way.
You can read a summary description of my plans here.
To take full advantage of this time away from the day-to-day responsibilities of ministry, I have set a number of “intentions” to help focus my time and energy. To broaden the benefits of this time, might I suggest that, in solidarity with me, you might also consider how these intentions could be incorporated into your life during the time of this sabbatical? Even if you chose just some or one of them, knowing that you’re on this journey with me will be a delightful way to feel connected.
Pray
It’s interesting how easily this spiritual practice might take a back seat to the more important concerns of the day, at least that might be what we fool ourselves by thinking. To re-prioritize this practice, I’m going to wear a beaded bracelet throughout my sabbatical as a visual reminder to stop regularly to pray. Each bead of the bracelet will invite me to think about one of you or some aspect of our ministries that I will lift up to God. And, as I’m away, I will covet your prayers for me.
Read
As the years have worn on, the list of books I’m hoping to read only grows, while the time I take for reading only shrinks. Here’s are the three books that I’ll be reading (or listening to) at the outset of this time:
Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada’s Quest to Change Harlem and America by Paul Tough
“What would it take? That was the question that Geoffrey Canada found himself asking. What would it take to change the lives of poor children—not one by one, through heroic interventions and occasional miracles, but in big numbers, and in a way that could be replicated nationwide?“
Beyond Homelessness: Christian Faith in a Culture of Displacement by Steven Bouma-Prediger and Brian J. Walsh
“This book goes far beyond covering the subject of homelessness as the social problem we all recognize in our cities. Mass emigrations, displaced families, and human alienation from the earth all mark our times. In critiquing contemporary North American culture, the authors discuss various forms of homelessness — socioeconomic, ecological, and psycho-spiritual — and creatively show how biblical attentiveness and Christian faith can heal the profound dislocations in our society.“
Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story by Bono
Bono is an artist, activist, and the lead singer of Irish rock band U2 (one of my earliest musical influences). A memoir, Surrender is the story of the remarkable life he’s lived, the challenges he’s faced, and the friends and family who have shaped and sustained him.
After I return, I’ll be eager to trade stories with anyone who might also read these titles or learn of what you’ve read instead that inspired or provoked you in some way.
Exercise
I think it’s a sign of contentment that, since I’ve started at Prince of Peace, I’ve gained over 50 pounds. While I’d like to blame the pastoral requirement of being gracious in accepting the gift of every sweet treat offered, it’s really the more sedentary life I’ve become all too accepting of. I’m hoping to reclaim some of my former, more active lifestyle, by exercising more each day, hoping to just make it an integral part of my daily life, even after I’m back in the office.
Dream
My favorite place to let my imagination take over is while behind the wheel on a long road trip. This sabbatical will include some significant windshield time and I can’t wait to let the open roads and sprawling landscapes create time for wonder and possibility. These are the times, I’ve learned, when God might respond to some of what I’ve been lifting up in my prayers. What’s next for me? What next for Prince of Peace? What might be possible as God continues to lead us forward? This is what I’ll be dreaming about. How about you?
Pray, read, exercise, dream. Sounds like the recipe for a wonderful sabbatical. Even though we won’t be together, why don’t you join me in these practices too?
May God’s hope embrace you today, and for the next 45 days too! – Pastor Peter
Let us pray…
God of creation, we know you value times of rest. May this sabbatical be a time of refreshment and renewal for Pastor Peter and all of Prince of Peace. Be with us as we pray, read, exercise, and dream. Trusting your Spirit to be with us, guiding and inspiring us along the way. Amen.