I am a very blessed man.
Tonight, at our service, the leadership team announced that they are providing me with a three month “rest stop” from my role at the church. What that means is beginning September 15, I will be taking three months to rest, reflect, and refocus. I will not be involved in any aspects of the church. I will continue to receive my full salary during this break.
Some of you are familiar with the concept of a Sabbatical. It’s a concept taught in the Bible. The idea that on the seventh day, God rested. Farmers were told to let the land rest in the seventh year.
The Sabbatical has found its way out of the Bible and into the secular, with many professions including Sabbaticals as part of their program. However, often these Sabbaticals are focused on doing something specific with your break. Writing a thesis, or teaching in another country.
My break is more about getting re-energized. There are no expectations being placed on me.
Many churches are introducing Sabbaticals into their policy manuals. Ours is doing that. It will be mandatory for the lead pastor to take a three month break every five to seven years. I think it’s a healthy policy and hopefully more and more churches will follow suit.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll explain more about this rest stop that I’m going to be enjoying. For now, you can check out the video of the message on the Bikers’ Church website as soon as it’s available (likely tomorrow some time).
One thing I will be doing on my break is a road trip. I hope to leave Ottawa on September 15th and will be riding across the U.S., arriving in Los Angeles before heading back through the Southern States. I’m looking forward to the trip, and hope to connect with many people along the way.
And yes, I’ll blog a bit on the trip.
