During a recent sabbatical, I felt compelled by the Holy Spirit to begin writing about my experiences. Over the past year and a half, my wife Carolyn and I provided full-time care in our home for my rapidly failing 90-year-old mother suffering with Alzheimer’s. At the same time, we continued all of our regular work at home, with ministry and church involvement, and with my duties at the Potomac Ministry Network office. Following mom’s death, we found ourselves spiritually drained and profoundly exhausted. We were physically, mentally, and emotionally spent. Therefore, I asked my boss, PMN Superintendent Frank Potter, for a much-needed sabbatical and Frank generously agreed to my request.
Very few helpful written resources
As many of you know, I am an avid reader with a couple of thousand books in my personal library. However, when I looked for helpful resources about what to actually DO to make the most of a minister’s sabbatical, I found very little in the way of practical help. Therefore, I offer this candid and transparent window into my personal experiences about how I spent my sabbatical.
In the days ahead I will talk about what I actually did, and why. I’ll discuss what was meaningful and talk about what worked and what didn’t work, admitting my mistakes. It is not intended to be a one-size-fits-all authoritative blueprint for every minister. On the other hand, these thoughts are offered from the perspective of a seasoned minister and fellow traveler. Therefore, I hope some of you will find at least a few tips to help you make the most of even a brief time away from the responsibilities of ministry.
Pay attention when you feel the “rumble strips”
Pastor Wayne Corderio compares the warning signs of profound emotional, spiritual, and physical exhaustion to the “rumble strips” along the edge of the highway. Drift over the line and the rumble strips will “vibrate the fillings of your teeth right out.” Ignore the rumble strips and you are headed for a certain crash. Corderio has learned, “The best discipline of all is the ability to self-correct . . . Now when I feel the rumbling that warns me that I’ve headed off the road, about to crash and burn, I schedule rest — not after I am exhausted, but just before I get there.” [1]
Five warning signs cited by Corderio:
- You are constantly tired and worn out
- You have stomach pain or some other chronic physical pain or notice you’re more angry or irritable than usual.
- You’re having a hard time sleeping, or you find yourself more emotional than feels normal
- Your willpower is low, you have trouble getting up in the morning, you depend on coffee or colas to keep going, or you feel run down all the time.
- Your weight isn’t where it should be. You’re either overweight or underweight. You eat too much or not enough. You often grab food on the run or not at all. [1]
Looking back, I can see that I experienced almost all of these warning signs. I was always tired and felt rundown. Frustration and irritation were always near the surface. I couldn’t sleep through the night. I was typically awake by 4 a.m. and unable to go back to sleep. Plus, I was unusually emotional. I often found myself in tears for no apparent reason. In fact, the morning we left for sabbatical I took Carolyn’s hand to pray for God’s protection and ended up sobbing behind the steering wheel of our car while still sitting in the garage.
No one is immune to the need for rest
After a busy season of ministry Jesus told his disciples, “Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place and rest a while” (Mark 6:31 KJV). Or, as Dallas Willard wryly comments, “If you don’t come apart for a while you will come apart after a while.” [2] No one is immune to the need for rest. A number of well-known high-profile ministers have learned this the hard way. Pastor Carey Nieuwhof thought he was too smart and too strong to ever burn out, but candidly admits, “ . . . in caring for others, I had not adequately cared for my own heart and soul . . . I hit bottom.” [3] Hard-charging megachurch pastor Wayne Cordeiro went jogging and found himself “sitting on a curb, weeping uncontrollably . . . something had broken inside.” [4] Robert Morris, lead pastor of the massive, multi-site Gateway Church in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex ended up half-dressed and weeping on his closet floor after discovering an empty underwear drawer. When Morris asked his executive pastor, “Am I losing it?” he was assured, “No, Robert, you’re just exhausted. You’ve been pushing too hard for too long. You just need some real, deep rest.” [5]
I could not avoid the obvious reality. I, also, needed some real, deep rest. In the next installment, I will suggest ways to plan and prepare for a sabbatical. However, let me leave you with this insightful definition of a refreshment sabbatical:
A sabbatical is more than a vacation. It’s really a series of Sabbath days strung together. A sabbatical is an extended period of quiet, stillness, rest, reflection, prayer, and fellowship with God and His Word. It’s a string of days in which we do pretty much nothing, and do it with both intentionality and expectancy.[6] (Emphasis added.)
If you are a credentialed minister in the Potomac Ministry Network of the Assemblies of God, you should be aware that as an investment in the health of our ministers, the Network helps to fund a limited number of minister sabbaticals each year. In addition, the Network can also help with quality pulpit supply to provide speakers for your Sunday services while you are away. For more information, please contact your regional executive presbyter for additional details.
Bibliography
Barton, Ruth Haley. Invitation to Retreat: The Gift and Necessity of Time Away with God. InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Ill. 2018. Kindle edition.
Cordeiro, Wayne. Leading on Empty: Refilling Your Tank and Renewing Your Passion. Bethany House Publishing, Minneapolis. 2009. Kindle edition.
Cordeiro, Wayne. Sifted: Pursuing Growth Through Trials, Challenges, and Disappointments. Zondervan, Grand Rapids. 2012. Kindle edition.
Morris, Robert. Take the Day Off: Receiving God’s Gift of Rest. FaithWords Publishing, Nashville. 2019. Kindle edition.
Nieuwhof, Carey. Didn’t See It Coming: Overcoming the 7 Greatest Challenges That No One Expects and Everyone Experiences. WaterBrook, New York. 2018. Kindle edition.
Footnotes
[1] Cordeiro, Wayne. Sifted: Pursuing Growth Through Trials, Challenges, and Disappointments (loc. 1690-1703). Zondervan. Kindle edition.
[2] Barton, Ruth Haley. Invitation to Retreat: The Gift and Necessity of Time Away with God (p. 7). InterVarsity Press. Kindle edition.
[3] Nieuwhof, Carey. Didn’t See It Coming (p. 145). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle edition
[4]Cordeiro, Wayne. Leading on Empty: Refilling Your Tank and Renewing Your Passion (loc. 142). Bethany House Publishers. Kindle edition.
[5] Morris, Robert. Take the Day Off (p. xvi). FaithWords. Kindle edition.
[6] Morris, Robert. Take the Day Off (p. 118). FaithWords. Kindle edition
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