Sabbatical One Day Away
Ok, it’s late. I need to go to bed, but I can’t even think of going to bed after just having finished my final newsletter communication to my supporters at YFC, telling them of my blogging journey this summer.
Tomorrow afternoon I officially begin a long awaited Sabbatical Rest! From May 14 – September 8, I will be away from my “work” at Youth Unlimited to seek the heart of God for the summer. My plans are as written in the summary I wrote just a few minutes ago in my newsletter . . . copied below.
In my last news letter we shared with you our celebration of 15 years in ministry with Kawartha Youth For Christ. These have been wonderful years and I want to continue strong for as many years as the Lord would have me.
Back in December the Chair of our Board of Directors encouraged me to consider a Sabbatical at this point in my ministry. Since then, we have been working on a plan so that I can take this much awaited time away to rest, refocus, write and grow.
Rest – this seems like a bit of a lame word as I look around at all the people who work hard day in and day out in their various vocations. But as I consider the rest the Lord has for us, as we enter his rest, I am looking forward to it. The root of Sabbatical is Sabbath and that means rest.
Refocus – I don’t know if you follow the growth and development of YU or not, but if you do you will see we are moving and growing. I want to take a considerable amount of time to seek the Lord and find assurance that we are heading in the right direction for the things we are doing now and the direction that we are heading in, especially as it pertains to other communities and leadership development for young leaders.
Write – I am asked on a regular basis if I am writing down the stories of His Faithfulness to us as a family and to this ministry he has given us the care of. I have decided that a considerable chunk of my time away will be dedicated to this record. I don’t yet know who the intended audience will be, my kids, youth for christ or even broader, but I do want to tell the stories, the miraculous stories of His Faithfulness in our lives.
Grow – I don’t know about you, but I find that life gets in the way of personal disciplines and growth habits. On my Sabbatical I plan on finding a rhythm for reading, writing and running, to keep my brain growing, my communication growing and my body growing healthier – after all, I am turning 40 before the end of the summer!
I have been asked by a few people if I am Ok? Are things going alright? The answer to that is I am doing fine. In fact, as I wrote to one friend today, I am doing better than I have been for years! I feel fresh and energized, I am really enjoying my family and our life in Ennismore and my ministry is more engaging than it has been in years! I thank God for that!
The number one thing that I want to get out of my Sabbatical time this summer is a sense that I am walking closer to the Heart of God. I am thankful that He has allowed me this kind of energy so that I can more readily engage him in this time. But who knows, I might find that once I stop, I may actually be a lot more tired than I feel right now.
Tim,
Your time of ‘rest’ will fly! It sounds like your going to try and pack a lot of stuff into a very short time, good goals but if you don’t do everything that you want to….thats okay.