sabbatical
SABBATICAL’S END: FOUR BODY THINGS
Sabbatical 2024 is over. I went back in to the office yesterday and began setting in motion some of things that are to begin in 2025 and 2026.
I learned many things during this sabbatical. Many of them were for me and my own personal spiritual growth, but here are four things I learned for the body of Christ.
ETERNAL DEFINITIONS: Our church needs to begin living by God’s definitions of things rather than the world’s definitions of things. We need to bring the definitions of words from eternity into the here and now. We need to begin living by those eternal definitions in the here and now.
CORPORATE SELF-REVELATION: The church needs to have a revelation of itself, a revelation of who we are to Christ, who we are to ourselves and who we are to our communities.
THE NEED TO SEE: We need to see what is coming down the road. It feels like threads are coming together and we are beginning to see the tapestry, streams are blending in a divine confluence. We need to understand our own small part of the stream, much depends on it.
A SEASON OF DELIVERANCE: from OCT. 8….. “The next season will be about deliverance. Like repentance, deliverance is more about what you are moving toward than what you are moving away from. In fact you will never be delivered until you have a firm vision of what you are getting in place of what you are giving up and until you believe that what you are getting is better than what you are leaving behind.”…
From Oct. 28…….”The days ahead are days of supernatural deliverance! The power of the Spirit is going to begin flowing and moving in even more miraculous ways. Generational and ancient strongholds are about to be overthrown, but the ground is going to be hard won. Only the power of the Spirit will avail, no mortal weapons will do in these battles. Yet I counsel you do not look for the dramatic , bombastic, instantaneous deliverances that have characterized the places of so many flashy dreams. Look for the move of small stones. Let there be an embracing of steps that bring compounding glory and progressive deliverance. Expect and do not despise the day of small things. Rejoice in each advance and encourage each other in every setback. Pray the power over each other continually and without ceasing and walk in the Spirit until all that is to be done is done! INch by inch the ground will be won. Do not be afraid!The center will hold until I call you forth.”
I AM VERY EXCITED TO SEE HOW THESE THINGS ARE TO BE BROUGHT ABOUT IN OUR CHURCH.
SABBATICAL IN PLYMOUTH
I am finishing this sabbatical with three days in Plymouth MA. Amanda and I have travelled the two hours down for our annual Pastor’s retreat.
These last three days have been real rest and relaxation. We chose to be very flexible with the schedule, not demanding of ourselves, that we attend every service or network opportunity.
After we checked into our rooms at the 1620 House we took a long walk along the shore
We both went to service that night and I stayed for the chat connection afterwards. Amanda really needed the rest so she stayed for a little bit, then headed off to her room.
The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel and met some fellow pastors from Lynnfield MA. Amanda went back to her room to rest while I went on to an interactive service on the abundant life. My conversation group was with our new minister friends from Lynnfield, one of Amanda’s Bible college professors and a missionary from Indonesia.
After that Amanda and I met up for lunch at the Lobster Hut.
We took a turn around The Shoppes and I got some goodies.
Then we took a long walk around the Plymouth Plantation
One of the things that pleased me most was I recognized almost all the vegetables and herbs in the kitchen gardens, even some of the more arcane medicinals. Forest gardening is paying off in knowledge if nothing else.
I have spent long hours in prayer and meditation these past three days trying to encapsulate what I have learned this month.
We will leave this place after communion this morning. I have one more day to sum up all I have heard and seen. That will be tomorrow’s work.
THE PILLARS OF SABBATICAL 2024
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.
It is a shifting of rhythm and perspective in order to get a vision of the road ahead.
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.
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.
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.
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 23: NEEDING TO SLOW DOWN
It is going to take me a while to sift through all that the Lord has shown me during this sabbatical. One of the things I have been contemplating heavily is the stage of life I am in now. John Eldredge talks about the six stages of manhood: boy, cowboy/ranger, warrior, lover, king, and sage.
I am not sure the stages are cut and dried like steps on a stairway. I feel as if they undulate like the currents of the ocean, and that men move and back and forth between certain stages as they pass through their days. In some areas of my life I feel like I am in the “king” stage. In other areas of my life I feel like I have firmly entered the role of the “sage”.
For the first time in my life I feel like I have crossed into the arena of being “old”. That feeling is one of the things I am going to need to spend some time unpacking. It doesn’t feel bad, although there is a sense of loss that goes with it. Mostly it feels like something that I have long been waiting for is settling into place.
I think all the walking I have done during this sabbatical is partly responsible for this feeling. I have lost strength and stamina. I noticed it when I went to Hollis Hills the other day. I couldn’t keep up with the youngsters.
It has been a theme of the walks I have taken with the family this sabbatical. I used to take the lead. Now I am bringing up the rear. My son and I went for a walk last week and he had to slow his pace for me.
I know it’s a sign that I need to start being more mindful of my physical condition. One of the things I have put in place as part of my life rhythm is a daily stretching time (which seems to be helping with my flexibility) and a daily step count. They are atomic habits that I know will pay off over the long haul.
There are some benefits though of this reduced speed. I feel like I am seeing more.
I am noticing the colors of things, the scent of things and I am taking note of how the things around me are affecting me.
As I said there is a lot to consider as I come to the end of this time apart. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN FORCED TO SLOW DOWN?
SABBATICAL DAY 19: A DAY AWAY IN A NEW PLACE
I have not done much in the way of entertainment during this sabbatical. Well ….that is not really true I have been enjoying some good reading,
and I finished this year’s season of The Rings Of Power.
I did write last week about going to the Fall Fest, but today I did something new in a new place and it was also entertaining!
My son and his wife invited me along on their excursion out to Hollis Hills Farm, In Fitchburg MA. They had never been and neither had I, but it came highly recommended.
I guess this is as good a time as any to talk about the transition coming up at the end of the month. Joe and Kristine put in an offer on a condo here in Winchendon and it was accepted. They are supposed to sign paperwork on Oct. 31st my last day of sabbatical. This means their move in date will probably be the weekend of Nov. 1st-3rd, my first weekend back at church.
I think I have been unconsciously preparing for the change all this month, practicing the quiet, and wondering what it will look like as far as a new rhythm of life at The Vicarage.
But today was all about the farm and enjoying the presence of my family.
We had lunch and ice cream in the park while listening to a cover band. I had hummus and vegetables and the kids had barbecue.
Then Sevy had to go see the cows and play on the tractors.
It was a great day. The kids finished up with ice cream and I had a blueberry soda.
SABBATICAL DAY 15: THIS SABBATICAL’S MENTORS
Yesterday was a day of relationship. I talked with my sister in The Netherlands for about an hour and a half. We talked about the calling and how it moves and shifts in our lives creating a never-ending journey that we sometimes flow with and other times struggle with.
Then I went to breakfast with my son-in-law James Franklin, who has helped me out during this sabbatical by preaching for me.
We talked about the word of prophecy for our church Cornerstone.
After that, My son and I took a walk around the greater block of the Vicarage. I told him the history I knew of the schools in town: Old Murdock, Streeter, Poland, Wheeler. As we walked I talked to him about the people I knew in each house: Jack Bowler, the Sweeney’s, the Knocks, The Blacks, Mr. Otto. We noted the dates on many of the historic homes: 1840, 1791. How different was life back then? How different from my life was the life of Capt. Murdock or Morton Converse?
I said before that I had trouble finding mentors to speak into my life for this sabbatical. Maybe I didn’t have trouble. Perhaps I was resisted by God because He had already chosen those individuals who would speak into my life and they were much closer to home than I was willing to look.
The conversations I am having are much more organic than traditional mentorship conversations, but perhaps this time around they are the more resonant for their organic nature. In these conversations I am hearing the echoes of my deepest thoughts, even some of those hidden from me by myself. There are things being called to the surface I was unaware of.
Things like: I am an escapist at heart always trying to distract myself with petty entertainments when questions of legacy and leadership arise; I procrastinate because I have been infected by the spirit of lack that is epidemic in our land; The call is not convenient and it is not comfortable, but it is good for me in my truest self; There is a price to pay for a deeper walk with God and I need to pay that price.
I entered this season a little disappointed, maybe even a little concerned, because I had not been able to find my mentor(s). I know now that God is the One who always had charge of the arrangements for this season and He has chosen His best for me.
HAS GOD EVER SURPRISED YOU WITH A BETTER BEST THAN WHAT YOU THOUGHT WAS BEST?
SABBATICAL DAY 13: The End Part Felt Like a Hallmark Movie
I am just about half way through sabbatical 2024. I have had the privilege of attending three conferences and 10 prayer meetings so far.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE THOUGHTS THAT HAVE STOOD OUT TO ME DURING THE CONFERENCES AND PRAYER MEETINGS:
- During this next season, believers must begin to cultivate eternal mindsets and put away worldly mindsets.
- The next season will be about deliverance. Like repentance, deliverance is more about what you are moving toward than what you are moving away from. In fact, you will never be delivered until you have a firm vision of what you are getting in place of what you are giving up, and until you believe that what you are getting is better than what you are leaving behind.
3. Our congregation must begin to cultivate an abundance mindset in place of a scarcity mindset.
WHAT YOU THINK DETERMINES WHAT YOU SEE. WHAT YOU SEE DETERMINES WHAT YOU DO. WHAT YOU DO DETERMINES WHAT YOU GET.
REMEMBER YOU ARE WORTHY OF SUCCESS. SUCCESS IS STORED UP BEFORE IT SHOWS UP. LIFE HAPPENS FOR YOU NOT TO YOU. PERSONAL GROWTH EVOLVES INTO ABUNDANCE.
PROCRASTINATION COMES FROM SCARCITY. ANTICIPATION COMES FROM ABUNDANCE.
4. Your conflicts may be the key to unlocking your peace.
5. Life will bring you people and circumstances to reveal to you where you are not free yet.
6. Conflicts start inside our hearts not outside, but we spend most of our time trying to change what’s outside.
I have also accomplished several personal and ministry goals during this season including:
Sermon planning for 2025 and 2026 (though there is a lot more work to do here)
filling out and sending in my ordination paperwork.
Reviewing staff budgets and submitting my personal budget for FY 2025.
Winterizing the chicken coop (though honestly this was mostly Kristine)
I removed the air conditioners from the windows at the Vicarage and started planning the steps to winterization. I also started bringing in some herbs for the winter for a window garden and planning the gardens for next year.
So far I have had one fire to burn brush….there are many more fires to have throughout the winter.
Yesterday, I took a couple of hours to mix and mingle at Winchendon’s annual Fall Fest. This event made Me feel like I was living in a Hallmark movie.
Amanda, Joe, Kristine, Sevy and I met up with our friend Paula and her granddaughter Leila and went down to visit the 205 vendors set up on Central St. Fairs are my kryptonite. I can end up buying a lot of things I don’t need, so having strong people around me to curb the buying frenzy is essential.
The town was mobbed!…milling and seething through the mob was like mixing it up at a family house party. I ran into Denise and her granddaughters who I hadn’t seen since the oldest grandy was probably three (she is now thirteen). I saw Walter and chatted with Andy at the Fidelity Ice Cream cart. I hugged several Rathier children and stopped at the Rathier/ Lambert booth.I checked in with Tamie about her husband Brian who had knee surgery recently, and planned a coffee date with Father Henry when I stopped at The Immaculate Heart Booth. I stopped at Nancy’s fudge booth and caught up a bit with her while earnestly resisting the desire to buy a case of her homemade fudge.
Actually, as you can see from the picture above, there was plenty to buy. I did well. I tried some of the leftover pies from the pie baking contest when I checked in on my daughter Melanie. I also bought a sourdough pretzel with cheese sauce from her booth (Winchendon Parks and Rec). And…
I bought these books for a donation to the local library…..and
this new walking stick to replace the one I lost at Kimball’s Farm.
What made my heart most glad about this festival, though, were the number of people from our congregation who were working for different town booths our just attending the fall festival. I met some of the members of my son’s Gideons outpost. I saw our friends and neighbors the Ash-Sears family and we said hello to our friends the O’Briens. As I walked up and down the street with my new walking stick..I was struck by the richness and depth of relationship I felt flowing through our little community. I am not sure if the change is in me, in our community or in both of us. All I know is it was a wonderful day in the midst of this wonderful sabbatical.
A DEFINITELY DIFFERENT SABBATICAL
Today I am thinking about how different this sabbatical is from my last one.
FIRST THE SEASON IS DIFFERENT.
My last sabbatical was in the summer…. August as I remember. I spent a lot of time sitting on my front porch and praying. I didn’t have a garden, so aside from mowing the lawn I did little yard work. This sabbatical is an autumn sabbatical. It has been too cold to sit on my front porch to pray, and the fall is a more busy season around the Vicarage anyway. I have a list as long as my arm to accomplish before winter: Gardens to harvest and clean, bulbs to get in the ground for next year’s flower garden, windows and doors to plastic, a chicken coop to winterize, herbs to dig up and move into the house for a window garden over the winter, and a house fall cleaning to finish up.
SECOND THE VICARAGE IS DIFFERENT
We were just at the tail end of construction on the Vicarage last time. I remember being frustrated that we had to have the outside pipes dug up because a root had grown through one of them and the deconstruction of the front porch exacerbated the problem causing our cellar to fill with waste. This time around the Vicarage is definitely more settled. We are in maintenance mode, not project mode.
The social atmosphere of the Vicarage is different too. Back in 2022 it was me, Amanda and Mom living in the house. Amanda was at work most of the time and Mom was just starting with Ibis Health a chronic care health agency. It was the beginning of our season of eye to eye caregiving. Mom could no longer be alone and we were just figuring out how to make all that happen. We had only just hired Sunday help so I used Sundays as my breakaway day instead of going to any church as it was really the only time I could get away from The Vicarage.
This year it is me Amanda, Joe, Kristine and Sevy. We are still grieving Mom’s passing last April. In some ways, I feel like with everything else going on this year, I haven’t really begun grieving her loss. Having a two year old in the house definitely changes the dynamic energy of the house, and just this month Joe and Kristine had a bid accepted on a condo so now we are in the throes of preparing for their move on November 1st.
THIRD THE PATHWAY IS DIFFERENT
In my last sabbatical I had a list of questions to pray through and I met with a mentor twice to discuss and coach around my thinking about these questions. This time around as hard as I tried to find a coach or mentor none of those I approached were able to accommodate. Instead God has set up several conferences for me to attend through the month and instead of questions I have been a list of tasks I need to accomplish before I return to a “normal” ministry schedule. Some of these tasks are personal, some are professional but they all are causing me to think about what the future should look like from God’s perspective.
The world is changing. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that my methodology of visioning for that change also needs to change. But I have to admit I am a bit surprised.
ARE YOU SURPRISED BY CHANGES YOU ARE GOING THROUGH?
SABBATICAL DAY 8: ON ORDINATION AND DELIVERANCE
This week is all about the projects.
Yesterday I harvested the last of the vegetables from the garden and began moving some of the herbs indoors for the winter. The temperatures are starting to get below forty during the nights now so it is time to start putting the outer Vicarage to bed and getting everything set for winter.
Early morning view from the Vicarage
Today I filled out the paperwork for my ordination and began looking at all the church budgets for FY25 which are due by the end of the month for review by our church finance committee.
In prayer I have begun to hear about a coming move of deliverance for our region. Here is something I heard in prayer today.
“The next season will be about deliverance. Like repentance, deliverance is more about what you are moving toward than what you are moving away from. In fact you will never be delivered until you have a firm vision of what you are getting in place of what you are giving up and until you believe that what you are getting is better than what you are leaving behind.”
Notes From the Vicarage 