Elements of the Sabbatical--Rest, Renewal, and Recreation
"Departure for the Imagination" (Renewal)
Towards the beginning of my renewal leave, I intended to go on a solo trip to England for a multi-day hike along the Samuel Taylor Coleridge Way, a hiking trail along the paths used by Coleridge and William Wordsworth. However, due to COVID-19, and United Kingdom quarantine requirements, I have cancelled my trip to England.
I have been able to schedule a similar lodge-to-lodge hiking trip in Rocky Mountain National Park. And as I mention on my final sermon, August 30, this trip will take me back to a special spiritual location from 10 years ago. I look forward to many days of hiking in the mountains, still reflecting, reading, and writing. Just adding some Native American and other Western writers to my reading list!
Scheduling this trip for the beginning of the three months will help me shift gears from the routine of leading the church and into rest, renewal, and recreation.
"The Bookends" (Rest, Recreation)
This renewal leave is scheduled to allow our family an opportunity to travel together at the beginning and the end. We have not usually had the opportunity to travel on either of these holiday weekends due to my role as pastor on Sunday mornings, so this will be a great gift to our family. Our goal for these trips will be to rejoice in our time together, relax and plan some fun activities, and attend worship elsewhere to experience different approaches to the Christian faith.
"Poetic Imagination" (Renewal, Recreation)
When I was a teenager and in college, I journaled through writing poetry. Some years I wrote what amounted to be a poem every day. This habit came to shape me as a disciple as well, incorporating what I knew from Scripture with my life experience. I will use this renewal leave to develop a habit of writing again--whether that is poetry, journaling, stories, or prose. This will once again shape me as a disciple as I reflect on God's Word and my life. Consistently scheduling time for writing is basic advice from many writers. Bill Roorbach says: "Writers credit consistency with greater access to the unconscious (if you're working consciously every day, you'll be working unconsciously every day, too, and all night)....The regular schedule will help words to start to flow, make writing blocks dissolve" ("Writing Life Stories", 16,17).
"Metaphora Literaria" (Renewal)
In Coleridge's prose work, "Biographia Literaria," he explored the symbolic and its power, along with how that relates to faith. Borrowing the title, this section of the sabbatical focus will provide me regular time throughout the three months in order to write down the metaphor stories that I have used over and over again in telling the faith. These stories have never been written down, but I use them repeatedly in one-on-one conversations introducing people to the Christian faith and in teaching classes about aspects of the faith. Writing them down will allow them to be more easily used in various formats, such as written correspondence, in my pastoral ministry. The sabbatical may also yield new metaphor stories, especially from aspects like my England trip. I will couple this with the next aspect, "Macro Imagination," in searching for photographic images that can be paired with the metaphor stories and/or inspire new ones. After my sabbatical, I will create a booklet format of the stories and photographs to be used for my pastoral ministry. However, during the 3 months of sabbatical, I will focus on writing which is the more intensive, reflective work that often gets set aside during the course of regular ministry.
"Macro Imagination" (Recreation, Renewal)
In 2018, I had my first-ever art exhibit featuring my photography. I am particularly interested in macro photography, attempting to see things from an extreme close-up perspective in order to gain a new view of the world. That new view of the world makes me slow down, see the minute things around me, and how little things can tell the stories of the world, faith, and Jesus. I will use my time of renewal leave to develop this hobby even more, practicing and pursuing photographic ideas. Additionally, I will be seeking photographic images to be paired with the metaphor stories from the "Metaphora Literaria" aspect of the sabbatical.
"Re-Creation" (Recreation)
The sabbatical begins with hiking in the Rockies. Hiking will remain a regular pursuit throughout the renewal leave, scheduling multiple times each week to be exploring nearby forest preserves and state parks. Hiking also ties in with my photography, providing opportunities to discover new subjects, seeing God's Creation. As Coleridge and Wordsworth discovered, walking also leads to writing, so that this aspect of the sabbatical will tie-in with others related to writing. The goal will be to create a healthy habit of walking that can continue beyond the sabbatical as a practice that helps me in my overall physical, mental, and emotional health, as well as, an ongoing opportunity for inspiring my personal and pastoral writing.
"Pastoral Scenes" (Renewal, Rest)
I anticipate seeing "pastoral scenes" as I hike out West--and here locally. The reading I plan on doing also evokes plenty of "pastoral scenes," like George Herbert talking about shepherding a congregation as their "country parson." For my own pastoral care, I will turn to my friend, Luke McFadden, who leads Christian Neighbors Church in Waukegan, Illinois, next to Gurnee. I have asked to attend worship there during the sabbatical when I am in town, while also meeting with Luke periodically for pastoral care. Luke's pastoring, but also his own role as an artist, will be encouraging for the whole vision of this sabbatical.
Return to Sabbatical Main Page
Follow these links for more detailed information
"Departure for the Imagination" (Renewal)
Towards the beginning of my renewal leave, I intended to go on a solo trip to England for a multi-day hike along the Samuel Taylor Coleridge Way, a hiking trail along the paths used by Coleridge and William Wordsworth. However, due to COVID-19, and United Kingdom quarantine requirements, I have cancelled my trip to England.
I have been able to schedule a similar lodge-to-lodge hiking trip in Rocky Mountain National Park. And as I mention on my final sermon, August 30, this trip will take me back to a special spiritual location from 10 years ago. I look forward to many days of hiking in the mountains, still reflecting, reading, and writing. Just adding some Native American and other Western writers to my reading list!
Scheduling this trip for the beginning of the three months will help me shift gears from the routine of leading the church and into rest, renewal, and recreation.
"The Bookends" (Rest, Recreation)
This renewal leave is scheduled to allow our family an opportunity to travel together at the beginning and the end. We have not usually had the opportunity to travel on either of these holiday weekends due to my role as pastor on Sunday mornings, so this will be a great gift to our family. Our goal for these trips will be to rejoice in our time together, relax and plan some fun activities, and attend worship elsewhere to experience different approaches to the Christian faith.
"Poetic Imagination" (Renewal, Recreation)
When I was a teenager and in college, I journaled through writing poetry. Some years I wrote what amounted to be a poem every day. This habit came to shape me as a disciple as well, incorporating what I knew from Scripture with my life experience. I will use this renewal leave to develop a habit of writing again--whether that is poetry, journaling, stories, or prose. This will once again shape me as a disciple as I reflect on God's Word and my life. Consistently scheduling time for writing is basic advice from many writers. Bill Roorbach says: "Writers credit consistency with greater access to the unconscious (if you're working consciously every day, you'll be working unconsciously every day, too, and all night)....The regular schedule will help words to start to flow, make writing blocks dissolve" ("Writing Life Stories", 16,17).
"Metaphora Literaria" (Renewal)
In Coleridge's prose work, "Biographia Literaria," he explored the symbolic and its power, along with how that relates to faith. Borrowing the title, this section of the sabbatical focus will provide me regular time throughout the three months in order to write down the metaphor stories that I have used over and over again in telling the faith. These stories have never been written down, but I use them repeatedly in one-on-one conversations introducing people to the Christian faith and in teaching classes about aspects of the faith. Writing them down will allow them to be more easily used in various formats, such as written correspondence, in my pastoral ministry. The sabbatical may also yield new metaphor stories, especially from aspects like my England trip. I will couple this with the next aspect, "Macro Imagination," in searching for photographic images that can be paired with the metaphor stories and/or inspire new ones. After my sabbatical, I will create a booklet format of the stories and photographs to be used for my pastoral ministry. However, during the 3 months of sabbatical, I will focus on writing which is the more intensive, reflective work that often gets set aside during the course of regular ministry.
"Macro Imagination" (Recreation, Renewal)
In 2018, I had my first-ever art exhibit featuring my photography. I am particularly interested in macro photography, attempting to see things from an extreme close-up perspective in order to gain a new view of the world. That new view of the world makes me slow down, see the minute things around me, and how little things can tell the stories of the world, faith, and Jesus. I will use my time of renewal leave to develop this hobby even more, practicing and pursuing photographic ideas. Additionally, I will be seeking photographic images to be paired with the metaphor stories from the "Metaphora Literaria" aspect of the sabbatical.
"Re-Creation" (Recreation)
The sabbatical begins with hiking in the Rockies. Hiking will remain a regular pursuit throughout the renewal leave, scheduling multiple times each week to be exploring nearby forest preserves and state parks. Hiking also ties in with my photography, providing opportunities to discover new subjects, seeing God's Creation. As Coleridge and Wordsworth discovered, walking also leads to writing, so that this aspect of the sabbatical will tie-in with others related to writing. The goal will be to create a healthy habit of walking that can continue beyond the sabbatical as a practice that helps me in my overall physical, mental, and emotional health, as well as, an ongoing opportunity for inspiring my personal and pastoral writing.
"Pastoral Scenes" (Renewal, Rest)
I anticipate seeing "pastoral scenes" as I hike out West--and here locally. The reading I plan on doing also evokes plenty of "pastoral scenes," like George Herbert talking about shepherding a congregation as their "country parson." For my own pastoral care, I will turn to my friend, Luke McFadden, who leads Christian Neighbors Church in Waukegan, Illinois, next to Gurnee. I have asked to attend worship there during the sabbatical when I am in town, while also meeting with Luke periodically for pastoral care. Luke's pastoring, but also his own role as an artist, will be encouraging for the whole vision of this sabbatical.
Return to Sabbatical Main Page
Follow these links for more detailed information