So… what did you learn over your sabbatical? I mean, the question itself is tough. But I do feel that God showed me
a couple of things… One of the things that I have been reflecting on for the past number of months is my posture. Not my physical posture, although that is something I have been trying to be more aware of. My spiritual posture. My emotional posture.
I think that God is calling me to focus on a posture of grace and receptivity in this next season of life and ministry. Just before my sabbatical started, I had the opportunity to be a part of a coaches’ training time through Ecclesia. A was leading it out. Overall great stuff, fairly Jungian (in a good way), listening stuff. The leader, Brian helped me to bring together the discipline of asking good questions and through doing so, helping someone hear God’s voice.
What struck me was how difficult it was to not insert my own.
In his fantastic book, , Malcom Gladwell hits on that very thought. “The key to good decision making is not knowledge. It is understanding. We are swimming in the former. We are desperately lacking in the latter.” (p. 265) His point is that we have the capacity to, in areas that we feel competent and experienced in, to make blink judgements. Draw conclusions in two seconds. The longer I walk with God, I grow both more comfortable and less with that.
I am probably more comfortable, challenged, and clear on what God wants me to do than I have been in a long time. I am seeing fruit from my efforts – it is working. In the way I have asked God to make it work, on the timeline that I have asked for it to work. It doesn’t always happen that way, so I love the ride. That gives me a sense of confidence. (more…)
Just checking in to update that my sabbatical is going very well. If anything, it is going by too fast!
I am sensing God’s voice in a few areas, have done some very prelimary work on the next book, read ten others, and have been able to study a number of scriptural areas in great depth. All this while our family planted a garden, traveled a bit, took a few naps and have had a lot of family time!
My sabbatical ends Aug 6 and things will be nuts for a while. I should be back in the blogging groove by early Sept.
Peace!
Jim
So, a number of people have contacted me and asked about why my postings have dropped over the past few months.
Fair question with an easy answer. Since May 15th I have been on sabbatical, and for the roughly month and a half before that, I was getting ready to go on that sabbatical. It got a little nuts.
The first six weeks of my sabbatical is intended to be a writing sabbatical where I would be able to do some very preliminary work on the next book; very preliminary. I also want to continue some things to help promote the first one. The second six weeks would be straight sabbating. Some focused reflection in the morning and then just enjoying whatever we as a family wanted to do, by ourselves or with friends.
A bunch of people have asked what the point of a sabbatical is.
To the second question. No. Certainly God has the ability to guide us wherever he chooses to, but, no indications that we are leaving the area or [nlcf] anytime soon.
Now for the first question, is this just another word for a vacation? The simple answer is, kinda. The word we get vacation from is actually vacationem (nom. vacatio) “leisure, a being free from duty. It also means freedom or release from an occupation or duty. So, in that way, it does fit. This summer I am not doing the things that I have spent the last 15 years doing in my ministry work as they relate to my job. No teaching, no coaching of staff and leaders, no meetings, no planning, no assessing, no networking or helping out with any of the churches, congregations, and non-profits [nlcf] has started or helped to start. I certainly continue to live my life as a follower of Jesus, I just don’t do certain occupational activities I have been doing for [nlcf].
That is certainly a release from my occupational duties. And it has been great!
However, it doesn’t fit most people’s idea of a vacation in other ways. The term sabbatical comes from the Mosaic code of the Old Testament. It meant, the 7th year where the land was to remain untilled, slaves were to have been released, and debtors relieved of their debts. If you look at the Mosaic code, you get the intent of the sabbatical or Sabbath year. It wasn’t just do take a random break, it was to take a reprieve from the demands of yearly planting so the ground could actually be more fruitful in the future. It was to stop doing some things to remember more fully who God created them to be.
That is very similar to what I am trying to do. I have been on staff with [nlcf] for 15 years. I started as a staffer who had never led a small group and who was still a pretty new follower of Jesus. Think of where I started as the equivalent of the corporate mailroom. As the years progressed I have had just about every job in [nlcf] you can have. I even led worship one pitiful Sunday.
The reason I think God guided me to ask for the sabbatical this summer, and the reason I think he guided my co-pastors, friends and Tracy to encourage it, was that I needed to take time away and let the ground remain untilled. Get away from the demands of helping to guide a church and all that requires and take time to allow the ground to soak up a few extra nutrients. Step back a bit and reflect on whether I am becoming more fully the man God has created me to be.
I have already had more time to spend with my family, and that has been wonderful. God speaks to me so much through them. I have already read five great books and look forward to many more. I have been able to sit down and read Leviticus in a sitting (not everyone would say that is a good thing) 
I have had more time than normal to pray and more time than normal to reflect. We have had a few neighbors over, with plans for more. We have had the opportunity to help a few people that needed it. We have planted a garden for the first time ever and I am getting to some yard and house work that has been long overdue. (more…)
In his closing , JR answers the question, “Do you think Rob Bell is a heretic?”
What did you think of JR’s take?
Peace, Jim
In part five, JR continues the discussion of whether or not God’s love extends beyond the grave. Take a !
Peace, Jim
Ready for part ? In , Rob Bell touches on the idea that people could respond to forgiveness from Christ after death. In this post, JR discusses that issue.
And now, installment . In this post, JR discusses his thoughts on whether Rob Bell is a universalist.
Here is second post on Rob Bell’s new book, . Take a ! In this post, JR gives a general overview of the flow of the book.
Just over a month ago, news that John Piper had tweeted a farewell to Rob Bell, in response to his newest book, , took over evangelical blogs, the twittersphere and secular news agencies.
The fervor over whether or not Bell was a universalist; or whether Piper was being unfair was almost instantaneous. Many people, myself included, were asked our thoughts.
As I was working on my response, I heard from my good friend and former pastor, ,
that he was going to handle the issue in a six-part series. I have just been able to read it, and it is fantastic. I will be posting the links to his blog over the next five days.
The reason that I will post a link each day is in the hopes that the posts will be read in the spirit they were written in. When I was talking with JR on the phone about a week ago, he shared that he hoped that people would read the content and reflect a bit, not just just to the next one or try to get to the answer.
Obviously, if you just want that, you can just stay on his site and do so but I hope you will give his answers some reflection.
This isn’t to say you agree or disagree with everything JR says, but he does provide a great foundation upon which the continuing conversation can be had. And what I like is that he tracks the discussion a bit through history. Like it, like it, like it.
So, here is post one. Take a look and I’d love to know what you think!
Peace, Jim
This is part three of a three part posting on processing when God doesn’t do what we ask him to do. Posts one and two are below.
When we do that, we can start to do what Nouwen describes here.
“Dear God, I am so afraid to open my clenched fists!
Who will I be when I have nothing left to hold on to? Who will I be when I stand before you with empty hands?
Please help me to gradually open my hands and to discover that I am not what I own, but what you want to give me.
And what you want to give me is love, unconditional, everlasting love. Amen.”
— Henri Nouwen (The Only Necessary Thing: Living a Prayerful Life)
Nouwen’s point is that we hold things with an open hand. That we trust God enough to relax and instead of grasping or feeling the need to grasp, we relax. It doesn’t mean we don’t work or that effort isn’t needed. It certainly doesn’t mean we don’t ask for specifics, if anything, this has drawn me into asking for more than I did before. It gets to our heart in the midst of that work and effort.
When we are able to see God’s presence in our everyday lives and experiences, and when we can realize that he is more deeply committed to our good and us than we are ever to his. Then our faith, which is the promise of that which is unseen and that which is hoped for, begins to truly come alive.
So, my friend continues to pray for his job. Yes, he would prefer predictability, but what inspires me is his willingness to hang in there for the ride. To pray, to trust, and to remember that he is not alone in this, and he hasn’t been from the start of it.
So, to me, that is what faith is. It isn’t greater predictability, it isn’t a lack of confusion at times or often. It isn’t ceasing asking for specifics out of frustration or confusion. Faith means asking the Father you are convinced loves you for the things that matter to you, and then trusting him, whatever the response. It means holding everything with an open hand, and relaxing. Often he will respond in ways that make sense to us. But that honestly isn’t the point anymore. What matters more than getting what I want is the confidence that I will get what he thinks is best.
More and more, that is enough.
To me, that is the assurance of things unseen, the promise of things hoped for.
Peace, Jim
