I GOT TO SPEND A FEW MOMENTS IN THE FOREST GARDEN TODAY. AUTUMN IS IN FULL SWING.
IT IS OFFICIALLY AUTUMN, WHEN THE MAPLE AT THE CORNER OF THE HOUSE, BY THE CHICKEN COOPS TURNS RED.
IT IS OFFICIALLY AUTUMN WHEN THE ASTERS BLOOM. THESE FAIRY ASTERS ARE SOME OF MY FAVORITES.
I LOVE THE PURPLE ASTERS TOO.
THE WILD LETTUCE HAS GONE TO SEED.
EACH SEASON HAS ITS OWN BEAUTY.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON WHERE YOU LIVE?
Day 2 of Sabbatical.
I forget between sabbaticals what the first days are like. I am not as disciplined as I should be about resting so when I come to vacations (which I seldom take) and sabbaticals (which I take every two years), the first day or so my body just collapses.
This year I have built in a pretty aggressive prayer schedule to the sabbatical. I was at prayer by 6 A.M. yesterday. I had gotten up at 3:30 A.M.
By 10 A.M. I was drawing in weariness
So I went to bed until 1:30 P.M.
I dragged myself out of bed for the afternoon gardening and animal chores.
I barely made it through the chores. I had to take breaks between each dog walk and the chicken coops.
My plan was to go to prayer at TWR House of prayer for three hours. The prayer topics were: Braking down strongholds; prayer for the church; Prayer for TWR House of prayer. I knew by 3 P.M. that was not happening.
I had a light supper and I was in bed by 7 P.M. again. I slept until 3:15 A.M. without stirring.
I prayed in the dawn. I am feeling better today, and that is good. It might be sabbatical, but I have some very important places to be tonight and tomorrow.
Monday night is my assigned night at The Worship Room House of Prayer. I lead worship for the first hour and then lead prayer for the second and third hours. The second hour is what TWR calls worship with the word and I call lecto divine.
The verse we meditated on this week was Psalm 27:4
One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.
As I sit here typing on the eve of my third sabbatical I am captured by the thought of INQUIRING of the Lord.
I have so many questions of Him just now:
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?
WHAT IS HOLDING US BACK FROM ENTERING INTO HIS FULLNESS?
WHAT DO WE AS A CONGREGATION NEED TO RELEASE TO MOVE FORWARD?
WHAT DO WE NEED TO EMBRACE TO MOVE FORWARD?
Our congregation is taking this next month to discover the answers to these and other questions.
WHAT ARE YOU INQUIRING OF THE LORD THESE DAYS?
September 28, three days before my third sabbatical as lead pastor of Cornerstone Church. Sabbatical is a vision quest.
We are on the edge of God’s next thing for us as a church. I am preparing now: Preparing to engage with the world in a different way;
Preparing to wait on God until He shows me the future;
Preparing to rest in the Lord and to let His saving grace wash over me to refresh me for the next work.
The church is joining me in this work. When we come back together in November we will have fresh vision for 2027 and 2028.
We are on the edge of something amazing!
The wind blowing through the New England tree tops has sounded like a river in Spring, as the first Nor’ Easter of the season makes landfall here in the North East United States. For us in Winchendon it has just been a little wind and rain. It has been far worse for the coastal regions of our country.
I preached my last sermon at Cornerstone this morning. Sabbatical begins on Oct. 1. I will return to the pulpit In November. The purpose for the sabbatical is to take a breather and listen to the sound of the Spirit as He is moving through the world. The sound of Him moving through the spiritual landscape is like the sound of a river in Spring.
It is not hard to hear the sound of the Nor’ Easter in the trees. It is also not hard to hear the sound of the Spirit as He moves through the world. The sound is there for anyone who will listen, but the world is full of sound and distraction, so without taking time to here the sound of a rushing wind… a rushing river… a moving Spirit it all just becomes so much background noise.
A few people have asked me if I am doing anything exciting on my sabbatical. Sabbatical is about taking a pause from the distractions and focusing in on what the Spirit is saying. That is what I am preparing to do. To me that is all very exciting. I desperately want to know what is next.
Let’s find out together!
