As I look back on this sabbatical, and consider some of the things I did during it, I am realizing why it had felt so different from other sabbaticals. Some of the things I did made this month different, and perhaps a bit un-sabbaticalish, but as I consider these things I realize that each has played its part in shifting/ revealing the rhythm of life for the future…which after all is the main reason I took the sabbatical.

On day two of the sabbatical a truck hit the church, so I spent some time this month dealing with insurance and contractors. That is an example of several administrative and pastoral tasks that I have taken on this month that I should not have. I have shifted over the month and have begun to delegate the tasks to staff and volunteers. As I come back I am asking the question, “What tasks do I need to begin to share with staff and volunteers on a permanent basis?”

At the beginning of sabbatical my old phone broke beyond repair. I had been jollying it along for a few months. I probably should have taken time to replace it before I went on sabbatical. I would not have had to spend five hours of resting and prayer time fixing something that could have been fixed if I had taken the time to do it before it was an emergency, As I come back I am shifting to a pace that will enable me to take care of necessary work before it becomes a true problem. I am going to figure out this procrastination thing.

During sabbatical I went to my doctor for my annual physical (something Im have been becoming better at). The physical raised some alarm bells for my doctor and she sent me for a cardiac CT which showed I am at risk for a cardiac event. I have been prescribed medication for the first time in my life and have been referred to a cardiologist. As I return from sabbatical I am choosing a pace that will involve the health care that is required to “take the journey into the winter season” (I have a lot more to say about that particular word which was a personal word to me and a corporate word for the church).

I am looking forward to hearing what the church has heard from God as we have sabbatical together.