If you have been following these pages for any length of time you will know that back in January I was appointed Chief Administrative Officer of the Dudley Fire Department. That position has now ended as we have a new Chief. As hard as it is to believe that position was very stressful as it was budget time in a world where there just was not enough money to go around. Difficult decisions had to be made on how the Department was going to function for the coming year. I am glad all of that is behind me but it was a great experience.
I asked for and was granted a little time off that I am calling a mini sabbatical. According to this article in Wikipedia a sabbatical is an extended period of rest that actually gets its origins in Leviticus where the command to not work the land after seven years is put forth. So I am on this little retreat if you will. Time away is good if it is used in the right way. I started at home for a few days ad have now ensconced myself in a little cabin in the woods of New Hampshire.
One of the things that led me to this idea was a blog post I read on Deacon Michael Hyatt’s blog about a 30 day sabbatical that he and his wife Gail took not long ago. Deacon Michael was the CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishing House, a very demanding position I can imagine, and has now transitioned to another phase of his life. He and Gail took time away for refreshment and that is exactly what I am doing.
So what is the plan? Well no plan really other than to rest, physically and spiritually. I have a stack of books to get through and I have been thinking of turning my Bible study notes on the Epistle of St. James into some kind of book. I will also take this time to plan out my sermons for the fall and do a little forward reading. I also need to get back to some serious prayer!
Time away is good to slow down and reconnect with what is important. We can get so mired in the day to day that we forget to stop and smell the roses, I know that sounds silly but it is true!
Please pray for me during this time away, and I will pray for all of you.
