Who is this weeping man?
During my first visit to New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur, Calif., I pondered this question as I wept freely amid the rugged hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
What was going on with me? I remembered Bill Coffin, then chaplain at Yale, saying he went on a sabbatical "to pay a visit on myself, to see who's at home."
So I wondered: Who is this weeping man?
Was I weeping from stored-up grief? Was I weeping at the raw beauty of the breathtaking coastline? The tears dripped as if they had been stored up, waiting for this time of release. I learned to call it the gift of tears.
The doing of ministry can be harmful to your health. I learned the hard way. After two hospitalizations -- bleeding ulcer and, a few years later, heart arrhythmia -- I knew I had to get serious about moderating my hurry-up-and-rush method of ministry. I had to learn to take care of my health, or I'd soon be no good to the 500 members of my congregation. Physical health and spiritual health are connected, and I needed to attend to both.
I was in midcareer, then in my seventh year as pastor of my third church. I decided to take advantage of our sabbatical leave policy. I wanted three months to think, write, meditate and reorient my life and ministry. Since I'd spent snippets of time at monasteries, I decided that my first step was to spend a longer time in a monastic setting.
Read more from Mel Williams » |
| IDEAS THAT IMPACT: SABBATICAL
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| Pastor John Hudson offers a candid look at the unexpected challenges and gifts of re-entering pastoral life after a sabbatical. Read more » |
| One United Methodist annual conference will grant a sabbatical leave every six years if a clergyperson will undergo a leadership evaluation, see a doctor, meet a financial planner and reflect on his or her vocation. Read more » |
| | CONTINUE YOUR LEARNING: UPCOMING WEBINAR |
Effective Financial Oversight by Boards and Finance Committees with Mike Batts August 17 | 2:30 p.m. ET
This Church Network TeleWeb presentation will address financial oversight by boards and finance committees, including liquidity, cash flow, financial position, compliance, and internal controls. Participants will discuss simple and efficient ways to assess critical financial information, including: Determining the most significant areas of financial oversight that a board or finance committee should ensure are covered;Discuss an effective approach for ensuring that the board and / or finance committee gets the information it needs in a timely and useful format;Evaluate overall risk management in ministry settings. Learn more and register » |
Clergy Renewal: The Alban Guide to Sabbatical Planning by Richard Bullock and Richard Bruesehoff
Planned time away from the parish for study, rest, and spiritual renewal can be beneficial-and often necessary-for any pastor, as well as for the congregation. In this thoroughly revised and expanded edition of Alban's popular Sabbatical Planning for Clergy and Congregations, Bullock and Bruesehoff provide the definitive guide to putting together refreshing pastoral sabbaticals that can help keep ministry vital and growing for the long term.
Learn more and order the book » |
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