Finding God in the Wilderness
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”
This will be my morning routine for the month of August.
Earlier this year, our Staff Parish Relations Committee granted my request for a one-month renewal leave. By our Book of Discipline, clergy are encouraged to take a renewal leave or sabbatical every seven years for the purpose of returning renewed, recharged, and purposeful for the sake of the church and its mission. In 38 years of ministry, I have never taken one. We have been through a lot of transition in the last four years and more is coming, including new construction, new staff members, new ministries, and a new capital campaign next spring. Plus, our Futurist Team is working at the request of our Church Council to discern the direction our church needs to take in the next 5-10 years. All of this requires our best and my best.
Though it has the earmarks of a vacation, a renewal leave is different. On a vacation, you barely have time to unwind before you are winding back up and increasingly, we all “do just a little work” from wherever we are to keep the work wheels turning so that we can enjoy the rest of our vacation day. Our Lay Leader, David Boatfield – also on SPRC – advised me differently. He had taken a renewal leave while working for Adidas and what he learned he shared with me. “If you are calling, texting, emailing or otherwise staying connected to the work, then it is not a renewal leave.”
I have taken that advice to heart and have worked this month to do my fall work in advance to make sure all our systems are in good hands – both staff and laity. I know they are. Rev. Judith Reedy will be my one contact from the church and only in the event of a crisis. Our excellent staff is here to help you with your ideas, questions, and needs.
Otherwise, Cammy and I will be at our cabin in Colorado, cutting down dead trees, chipping the piles to make walking paths, hosting some family and friends, hiking, reading, and watching hummingbirds, nuthatches, and blue jays at the feeders on the porch. It is a solitary-feeling place where God feeds my soul. I will be away and in prayer and for all of you.
Connecting God and Grace to Self and Community,
