What does a sabbatical look like?

What does a sabbatical look like? Well, I'm not really sure, I've never done this before! However, I thought you might like to see some pictures above from my first week! Here are a few glimpses of what sabbatical looks like:

1. Sabbatical looks like a cool float in the wave pool at Wave Country! On Monday we went to Wave Country in Nashville with several of the campers and counselors who usually participate in Muscular Dystrophy Camp. This year, camps were canceled nationwide because of the swine flu (boo!). So on the Monday we should have been at camp (for David's 26th year!) we went to Wave Country. I guess you can see that it was a blast. I even went down the really scary huge water slides. I did this because I decided when I turned 30 that I would do more things that scare me. I'm so glad I did it was totally fun.

2. Sabbatical looks like a trip to Christmount with a good friend. If you've never been, you must make a trip to Christmount Christian Assembly in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Christmount is a ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and it is WONDERFUL!! It was so beautiful in the mountains and so very cool. We spent time by the pool each day, ate great food and visited our favorite coffee shop. We also had a pretty "green" trip. We took our own cups for soda at gas stations, our travel mugs for coffee shop runs, and our own napkins. It was great fun! I had a fantastic time with my friend Hope- we are almost always working on camp when we are together and it was great to have time together with few responsibilities. We got a chance to surprise our other good friend, Kennnedy who works on staff at Christmount for the summer- she was SO surprised! We got her good!

3. Sabbatical looks like spontaneity! Hope decided that she would only take the clothes on her back on our trip (plus underwear and a swimsuit). The rest we would find for her at the BEST Goodwill store you have ever been to in Asheville- it was awesome! She found all she needed and more for our trip. Kennedy found great stuff and I did too! It was as if we walked into a boutique made just for us- and it was cheap! Some of the things I bought were brand new from Target. I also got 5 books for 75 cents each. I LOVE Goodwill!!

4. Sabbatical looks like time spent with your dearest friends. On Friday Hope dropped me off in Rockwood where I got to spend time with my husband and some of my closest girl friends from seminary. Kara and Mark hosted 5 humans and 4 dogs for the weekend! It was so much fun. We ate great food, saw the beautfiul sights of East, Tennessee, watched movies (while the boys launched bottle rockets) and most of all just enjoyed one another's company. Quality time with dear friends is so important and this was delightful. I also got to visit Kara's church- more about that later!

5. Sabbatical also looks like home. I am so glad to be home and to get to do things around the house that need to be done like cleaning and even (yes, get ready for it...) cooking. I am sleeping better, I feel good and I even got to go on a long walk with my best friend Dee this morning (who I miss a lot not seeing her at church everyday). I am even letting go of waking up in the morning and trying to find something to worry about, I'm not a slave to my cell phone- I am truly starting to relax. And it is a beautiful thing. I hope everyone can experience this feeling at some point in their lives!

On visitng a church and being a non anxious presence

Being originally from the Midwest I am a true appreciator of Southern culture. I had a truly authentic experience on Sunday for my first church visit of the sabbatical. I went to Miller's Chapel Christian Church in Alpine, Tennessee.

Prior to my arrival there- it felt like the weirdest Sunday morning ever. I mean, I slept until eight am and I am usually up at least by six. My husband was already scurrying around to leave for our first service. So I slept in, had coffee and breakfast (that NEVER happens on Sunday morning), had some God time (read a devotion, journaled and read part of a book I love). Then I got ready for church.

I drove slowly the 20 minutes through winding country roads. I enjoyed with new eyes the amazing green covered rolling hills. I said good morning to horses and cows and smelled that smell that you smell when you pass a spot where they are drilling for oil.

Then I arrived at Miller's Chapel. It wasn't my first time there- I have actually preached there before. When I arrived I walked around the yard and took some pictures. The church is made of stone and amazingly beautiful. The minister and his wife are good friends of mine- even second family. They are my senior minister's parents. I know many of their members as well so it felt familiar and comfortable. I made a quick use of the indoor plumbing they are so proud to have recently acquired and it was time to grab a seat. They were happy to see me. Not just because they know me and I'm a friend- but because two major families that make up the bulk of the church were gone and I would prove to be a warm body and a head to be counted (my presence will boost the number they will post at the front of the church next week for last week's attendance).

We began the service singing "Victory in Jesus" from our hymnals with shaped notes (its a good thing I don't read music or that would be really confusing). The service continued to make me smile as the community shared its life together through prayer concerns, we took communion, we gave our offering, and we took time to greet one another. By greet one another I mean every person spoke to every other person there- which was less than 20 of us. I felt so at peace there among the community- even though it is not exactly my own- I'd say they're more like church cousins.

Then it was time for the sermon. "Lessons learned from watching gardens grow." Not only did I love the sermon, it seemed totally identifiable to the lives of the people gathered there. The thing I loved most about this church visit was the lack of anxiety I felt there. Part of it was my own attitude- I'm on sabbatical! Another part was David (the pastor's) ability to be a completely non-anxious presence as a pastor- both in the pulpit and out. This is what I am striving to be as a minister- a lot of times I do a good job. Sometimes I'm totally rattled.

A non-anxious presence (to steal a phrase from Dick Hamm) speaks volumes. In not so many words it says, "I love God, and God loves me and there is nothing we can't handle together." Or it says, "This church loves God, and God loves this church and so there is nothing we need to be anxious about." Sometimes we let the fear take over and we forget that we love God and each other deeply. The church at its best is a place where the people who love God back (to steal a phrase from Anne Lamott) can be together and never forget to dwell in that love. We act and make decisions not because we're scared but because we're in love. What a great goal- to actually be the Beloved Community of God. As a minister I want to be anxious and fearful less and love more. Sounds easy, right? Maybe during sabbatical I will discover deeper ways and new ways to do that.

All that said my report from my first church visit is: I love church and it was delightful to visit a small, mountian church and to feel the non-anxious presence of God and others there.