MINISTRY

THE PILLARS OF SABBATICAL 2024

/ joseph elon lillie / Leave a comment

I have said it many times over the course of the last month, and I will say it again a sabbatical is not a vacation.

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It is a shifting of rhythm and perspective in order to get a vision of the road ahead.

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In order for that to happen each sabbatical must come with its own plan and a set of intentional pillars upon which the “vision quest” rests.

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This sabbatical has definitely been different from the last one I participated in. As I look back on it now I see that the pillars have been a bit different and I also see why they had to be different for God’s plan to be carried out during this time.

The first pillar was prayer and Bible study.

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Of course prayer and Bible study was a pillar last time too, but this time I have been led to lay down between five and seven hours of prayer and Bible study most days. I have been reading the Bible cyclically. I am reading Genesis and then the next book of the Bible in order and then Genesis again.

The second pillar was rest breaks.

I attended the Fall Fest in Winchendon.

I went with my kids to Hollis Farms. I took lots of walks and many trips to Starbucks. I ate out quite a few times, and I binge watched The Rings of Power. At the end of this time I am going away to The SNEMN (Southern New England Ministry Network) Pastor’s Retreat on Cape Cod with my daughter Amandal.

The third pillar was new voices.

There were several new voices that spoke into my life this time around. Some of the voices I planned on hearing. Others came as quite a surprise.

The Fourth Pillar was Planning.

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I laid out sermon series, wrote budgets, finished ordination paperwork and even worked on missions methodology this month.

This sabbatical has definitely been more active than my last. I feel more connected to what is going on around me than I did last time, less sequestered. It has been good. It has been productive. It has been marginally relaxing. It has been vastly different than what I thought it would be. But I think that is OK.

SABBATICAL DAY 16: AUTUMN SHINES AT THE VICARAGE

/ joseph elon lillie / Leave a comment

One of the things that has made this sabbatical so special is the amount of time I have had to spend at home working, resting and praying fresh vision for the future. The Vicarage is beautiful at this time of year. One of the spiritual exercises I have tried to practice these last sixteen days is to build on the beauty of this little piece of Earth entrusted to me, while being mindful of the wild beauty it already does possess.

I was on the phone with my sister the other day and she suggested that I should photo-document the sights at the Vicarage so that people can see what I am seeing and perhaps they will then understand some of the things I am thinking.

This is my neighbor Sing’s house.

Sing has done such a beautiful job with his yard. It seems always in bloom or full of color. He is someone with a real gift to make the most out of what he has. I hope to grow in that same direction and mindset.

The red maple tree out in back of The Vicarage has broken out into vivid color this week.

One of the projects I want to work on as part of beautifying the Vicarage is cleaning up this side yard and getting some trails cut into the wooded part of the Vicarage property to the left. I know it is too much to do this month, but part of the visioning process this month is to plan the way I want the forest garden to look in the Spring and to decide on the first steps come November.

When the sun shines through the colors of the trees, on these cool autumn mornings, it is hard not to feel hopeful about the future and about the eternal continuation of beauty. I am well aware of the precarious ledge of darkness our world is walking along right now, but in this little corner of the world the sun is shining bright. I know I can not take one day of sunlight for granted.

This leaf strewn pathway is one of the projects I began this summer. It leads out to the vernal brook which is dry most years after June. It reminds me of how much more potential is in this place. It just has to be spoken forth and created.

I am reminded that this season of autumn is quickly passing just like my sabbatical. Soon both will be passed. Then, it will be about beginning the work of bringing the future God has revealed, through this season of abiding, into reality.

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE FUTURE?