As My Season of Sabbatical Approaches...

As my season of sabbatical approaches, I am amazed at the speed of life. Soon, I will embark for multiple weeks of exhaling the busy and inhaling the beauty. I am anticipating -- and just to be honest -- a little bit anxious as well. While being a pastor is not really what gives me value to God, it is who and what He has called me to be. So, I guess you could say "sabbatical takes me away from my appointed post in life." It's always been a mystery to me that The Good Shepherd would ever in a million years call me, the son of a fisherman to feed His flock. Yes, it's a mystery, but a marvelous mystery, for sure. In other words, I like my post as a local pastor. With all of that said, I guess I am a little nervous about sabbatical. But it's a good nervous, because I know God will be magnified in my own life as other distractions are set aside for a while.

So, while I will not be taking time away from God's Presence, I will be vacating my role as Vision Pastor, at least geographically. After I preach a third message in a 3-week series on "Humility" this Sunday morning, my two younger pastor-brothers will join with our family of five for a time of togetherness on Sunday afternoon. Yes, the fourteen of us will spend time just loving on each other and no doubt they will somehow assist in helping me to begin unwinding for my time of rest, refreshment, and refocus.

I'm often asked: "What will you be doing on your sabbatical, Pastor Kerry?" Well, I truly believe for me as a 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week, 365-days-a-year, vigilant, local, shepherd what I really need to be doing more than anything else on my sabbatical is best understood in two words: "creative loafing." I know it sounds like I will actually be "doing nothing" and "doing nothing" doesn't get much acclaim in our world of being busy, however, while "being still and knowing that God is God," may seem like "doing nothing" to those who are propping up our present culture, it is still worthwhile for eternal souls. I have come to know that when it seems we are "doing nothing", our God is really "Doing Something!" Make that "GOD IS REALLY DOING SOMETHING BIG!"

It's Time, my friends!

In closing, a sabbatical for me is a chosen and a given season of once again trusting God totally to be God all by Himself! As my friend, Pastor Joseph wrote: "Trusting God is easy. He's so Trustworthy!"

While I'm unplugging from the pastorate and "doing nothing", my blog will still be my daily place of devotional focus for many days of my journey. So, I invite you take the journey with me if you'd like -- in Spirit of course. :-)

Grateful

Everything New

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” -- Words of our Lord in Revelation 21:5 (NIV)

Lord, when I think of the most wonderful words to define "revival", I know of no other words more wonderful than Your words recorded in Revelation 21:5 -- "everything new."

Indeed, "revival" is intimately aligned with "renewal" -- You making everything new again!

Holiness Unto the LORD!
Grateful

Biblical Roots of Revival & Renewal

I heard Dr. Dennis Kinlaw beautifully share this New Testament passage as one of the Biblical roots from which we understand revival and renewal in our own lives and revival and renewal within the community of the local church and then beyond:

Like sheep you wandered away from God, but now you have returned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls who keeps you safe from all attacks. -- 1 Peter 2:25 (NLT)

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.