Sabbatical Revisited

A year I did something entirely new for me: I took the month of October off work. No email, no facebook, no business phone calls, no meetings, no ministry work, no board meetings, no lots of things. I checked out and focused on God, me, and D’Aun (pretty much in that order, though I admit I’m fallible).

The month was split in three main sections. First came a “chop wood, carry water” time when I helped D’Aun at the D’Oliva Olive Oil grove. Then came some time alone to think, write, and pray. Finally came a vacation to Italy with D’Aun where we ate, enjoyed the history, soaked in great art, sipped cappuccino, made new friends, and practiced la dolce vita.

Now, a year later, what came of that time? Did it change my life? Was it worth the work before and after?

Before I answer, let’s look at my list of goals that came from that month. Here’s a list of things I gave to D’Aun (slightly edited for privacy) after the month:

– Lose weight and exercise more.
– Schedule some true time off.
– Create a sustainable plan for Goble Properties.
– Mentor some key young people.
– Write more often in my blog or elsewhere.
– Speak and teach more frequently.
– Network for various ministries.
– Lead one or two vision trips to Belize and lead a handful of fundraisers for PathLight.
– Be available to D’Aun for D’Oliva Olive Oil work.
– Spend more time in prayer, devotions, and worship.

The cool thing is that almost all of this happened. Or at least progress was made. I’ve lost a lot of weight, we’re making good progress at Goble Properties, I’ve mentored several folks, I’ve definitely written and taught more, I’ve maintained my normal networking pace, I’ve led a vision trip to Belize, I’ve been available to D’Aun, I’ve been a diligent prayer warrior, and I’ve done daily devotionals in Celtic Daily Prayer.

The weaknesses? Well, some are beyond my control. My true break from work was interrupted by a nasty kidney stone that had me in the emergency room. My worship life has been sporadic. The fundraising is mostly scheduled for the Fall, so judgment is still out on that.

But overall, that’s pretty good! And I’ve not mentioned the many new things I’ve taken on, from chairing the Westmont Buildings & Grounds Committee to co-leading a diversity team at my church.

I’d say the break last year was an excellent time of re-centering my focus. It was not a complete fix by any means, but it was very helpful. And I felt the most recharged spiritually. I feel closer to God and stronger in my faith. The break gave me the time to look honestly at where I was spiritually and the time to figure out how to grow. What I learned about myself was that I needed margin in my life to have the time to grow and invest in spiritual formation. Once I practiced that, good things began to happen.

That’s a gift to be thankful for. So yes, the sabbatical was a great thing for me.

Another thank you to all the good folks who helped me make that one-month sabbatical a reality. You know who you are, and I thank you!