sabbatical

Our lives have been very...well, odd, for about a year. There hasn't been much direction, yet there's been a definite path to take. There hasn't been much stability, yet God has proven Himself a thousand times over. There hasn't been huge to-do lists, yet we always find ourselves running ragged and exhausted by the end of the day. Sometimes I think of this past year of our lives as a page in a book. The page is full, but there are very wide margins. There's a lot of space all around. The page looks and even feels strange. But, at the same time, it's inviting and engaging.

This may sound strange to some, but Carla and I have really loved this weird transition period. Well, let me qualify that. At times we have loved it. Today we love it. There are other days that we're pulling our hair out due to frustration. Overall, though, when we're thinking clearly, we realize what a huge blessing it's been. It's been a time of waiting, mystery and random, unexpected miracles. We realize how much healthier we are now. We are learning—or, more accurately, re-learning—a ton about the Lord, ourselves and the Church. Maybe even more importantly, though, we simply feel amazingly refreshed and rejuvenated. We have a heightened sensitivity to God right now...and that's priceless.

The only thing I can compare it to is a sabbatical. I know of a few organizations that grant sabbaticals to their long-time employees. Hearing them talk of these time periods now sounds familiar. Professors are often granted sabbaticals to finish large research and/or writing projects. Bill Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek, takes a two-month sabbatical every summer. Every summer! He claims it has become his most precious time of prayer and preparation for the coming year. It’s a time of rest. It’s a time of reflection. It’s a time of re-learning. It’s a time of refocus. Notice that all those words begin with "re."

Sometimes this stinkin’ world drives me crazy! Sure, there are moments when I love to pop a meal in the microwave and eat something hot in four minutes. Of course, I enjoy flipping on the TV from time to time and completely vegging out. Like everyone else, I take advantage of my cell phone, cars and innumerable other technological advances. But I often yearn for the slower, quieter days my parents and especially grandparents lived. Man, that makes me sound so old.

Our contemporary culture does life at a break-neck pace. Do any of us work a 40-hour work week anymore? How many families eat dinner together more than once or twice a week? When was the last time you spent thirty minutes in complete silence—no phones, TV, iPod, etc.? I’m beginning to think that we humans actually require periods of complete rest. Without them, the meltdown is evitable and ugly.

I heard Rob Bell talk about Sabbath several months ago. It was extremely enlightening and extremely challenging. He mentioned that when the people of God were slaves in Egypt, their value was determined by how much work they could get done. Quite literally, your worth was tied to how many bricks you could make in a 24-hour period. The point of your day was to see how much you could accomplish. When Yahweh delivered them, though, He completely changed the system and the perspective. He commanded times of rest. At certain times He commanded them to do nothing. God was highlighting the fact that our value is determined by who we are. It has nothing to do with how much work we can get done. The point of the Sabbath was to accomplish—get this—nothing! In fact, to get any work done was a complete failure and even sin! Now that is counter-cultural!

Yahweh established more than just a weekly Sabbath, though. There were at least seven annual feasts that were to be times of total rest. These were multi-day events. Every seventh year the people were to allow the land to have a Sabbath and not work it at all…for an entire year! As Carla and I are experiencing right now, sometimes it takes greater faith to not do things than to do things. When we depend on God completely, He has a way of providing miraculously.

Maybe it’s important for us to unplug for extended periods on a regular basis. Families used to take long vacations together every year. That seems to be a dying breed now. Even if vacations are taken, though, they’re “working vacations” or they’re too short to really relax or they end up being even more stressful and busy than our regular days. Man! What is wrong with us?!

I have a big, bright, yellow sticky note on a bookshelf right in front of my face. It's there every day as a reminder of something very important. There are two words on it: "JUST BE." I am a do-er. I want to feel productive. I like marking things off my to-do lists and accomplishing tasks. But God has stopped me in my ministerial tracks. He's teaching me that I am priceless not because I do anything. I am worth His death on that cross simply because I exist. I can just be. That's enough for God. And maybe it's enough for me too.

Father, I sure hope I’ve learned my lesson about this. I hope I will have the courage to say “no” to a lot of good things simply because I need a break. I hope I can schedule regular small and even large time periods where the goal is to do nothing. I want to be spiritually mature enough to watch a long movie with my family, read a good book from cover to cover and take a three week vacation without feeling guilty or checking my email. Thank you, Lord, for a sabbatical!

enjoy the journey

It’s not that I don’t believe in goal-setting. In fact, I’ve always been a very goal oriented person. A very difficult lesson learned along the way, though, is that the goal is not…well, the goal. Instead, each goal turns out to be one more step along a path. It might be a very difficult and/or ginormous step, but it’s still just one, single step. The real goal, objective, target, purpose is not summed up in one, two or even a thousands steps. Instead it is the sum total of all those steps. It is the process of getting from here to there. It is the journey.

Perhaps an illustration would be helpful here. Sunday, October 12, 2008 is an important day. God ahead and mark that day on your calendar. For on that Sunday, our beloved Seattle Seahawks will host the Green Bay Packers. I know, I know, I love Bret Favre too, but that's not the point here. See, last year, during the Divisional Playoff game in Green Bay, we got beat. No, we got embarrassed. Green Bay whooped the Seahawks 42 to 20. It's wasn't pretty. And on Sunday, October 12, 2008 (did you write it down yet?) we will exact our vengeance. But here's the twist. A complete decimation of the Arizona Cardinals is not the goal. What?! That win is simply one step. The goal, in fact, is not another playoff spot or even a Superbowl win (as desirous and unlikely as it may be). The real goal for the Seattle Seahawks is a dynasty, isn’t it? Every team wants to rule the day—to win and keep winning and keep winning—for as long as humanly possible. If they could win every game of every season into eternity they would do it. And the fans would be very proud and very bored.

Now, regarding my life, what am I really after? What is the true, actual goal? I mean, is it honestly just about good church attendance? Is my whole objective to work my brains out just to make enough money just to pay the bills just to not be homeless? Every person on the planet deals with an endless minutia of things on a daily basis. The key is to see those things for what they really are—steps. We don’t accomplish anything great, but we can contribute to greatness. For our lives to really matter we must discover a way to enjoy the journey.

I am absolutely convinced there is only one way to do so. We must ask our Creator. The answer is not (said with a sweet yet ignorant tone) “inside of you.” We are far too mortal and foolish for that. The answer is most definitely beyond us. God alone has the key to our passions, our desires and, thus, our enjoyment. And it is different for everyone. While I love to communicate to groups of people, many find this the apex of all fear. While some love the rush of the trading room floor, I get nervous buying a song online. Our Creator is wonderfully diverse and—get this—created us in that same diverse image. We are not supposed to all look alike, act alike and talk alike!

Here are three very general questions that will evoke very specific responses.

1. What do I love? That question may stir up thoughts of a certain person or place. One might begin to dream about an action or a feeling.
2. What fires me up? Some minds may wander to politics or environmental issues. It could be that we begin to remember a situation from the past.
3. What would I give my life for? Hopefully the answer here doesn’t center on material things, but people, ideas, a vision of the future.

I’m not so naïve to think that every day is going to be roses and sing-alongs. Neither do I believe, though, that I have to dread waking up. With all my heart, I want to enjoy the journey. I want to smile and laugh more. I want to look forward to gatherings, appointments and even Mondays! Maybe this means I let a few of the insignificant things go. Maybe I dedicate my time and energy to just a few really important things. Maybe I relax a little more often, spend a few more minutes in prayer or sipping coffee. Maybe some things are about to change.

mystery

How did Jesus speak of the Kingdom of God? What kinds of things did He say? What did He make it feel like?

Lately I’ve read His descriptions very differently. He seems to paint a picture of the unknown. He hints at a secret. He brings me into His confidence and slowly unveils a mystery. I find myself excited, looking over my shoulder to see if anyone else is in the room. I hold my breath as classified information is revealed. I’m honored and exhilarated to realize that He trusts me. He believes in me.

The Kingdom is like an elite club whose membership and real role is only known to those within. Of course, when you get in you realize the “elite” is made up of plumbers and salesmen and mostly third world inhabitants. It’s not elite in a socioeconomic sense, but they are royalty. These are children of the King. Not some fake, temporary king on this dying planet, but the real King. The all-powerful, yet unseen King. If He is all-powerful why would His kingdom not be? If He is unseen, why would His kingdom not be?

Perhaps that’s why I have such a strong aversion to the idea of church marketing. Jesus never did anything even close. Not only did He not advertise and publicize the Kingdom, but He almost seems to cover it up! I can’t recall a single instance where Jesus announced a service or event. Even when the thousands were attracted it was pretty much a spontaneous gathering. So much so, in fact, that the people didn’t think to bring any food! (Read the story in John 6.) We’re constantly told that Jesus withdrew from the multitudes to pray and/or mentor His small group of friends. I see lots of examples where Jesus heals the sick and then tells them to keep the miracle quiet. What is all the mystery about?!

I wonder if there’s something dangerous about a public faith. Maybe there’s something inherently wrong with the mass marketing of the gospel. From the very beginning it was intimate. A personal God approached one man named Abraham with a message. Slowly it spread not through the nations, but simply through his children. As the family grew so did the faith. After a while we hear about non-Hebrews, aliens, who heard about this personal God and His beloved children. Foreigners are drawn into it and even allowed, by law, to participate. When Jesus comes He doesn’t relate only to the Jews, but to the Samaritan woman at the well and even the roman centurion. After He rises from the dead He gives a proclamation that must have stunned His band of brothers: this love relationship is for the entire human race. They were commissioned to take the good news to the ends of the earth!

So, in our zeal to spread the news, we neglected the relationship. In an attempt to comprehend deity, we “explained” the mystery. I want to go back. I want to experience the day when it all revolved around a one-on-one relationship again. (Okay, I can handle one-on-twelve, but let’s stay small, personal, intimate.) I want to go back to the time when it was in the hands of a few ignorant and yet passionate secret-keepers. Doesn’t that sound exciting?! Doesn’t it sound like something you’d love to know more about?! Wouldn’t you seek answers to those kinds of questions?! Wouldn’t you love to be a part of a movement like that?!

big, fat yes

Man, I’ve listened to a lot of stories. That’s probably not surprising seeing as how I’m a pastor. I have heard countless people talk about their relationship with God and others. And I’ve observed a frustrating common denominator in many of them. It can be accurately described in an image.

Imagine that you’re standing alone in a small room. As you turn 360 degrees all you see is one closed door after another. None of them are necessarily different than the others and none of them are open. I think this is how most Christians view their life. They’re just hanging around, watching and waiting for “the open door.” We all want something miraculous to happen, don’t we? Wouldn’t it be nice if God would let us all know what He wants with a simple email, phone call or writing in the clouds?!

The problem with this image is that it assumes a negative. It assumes that God has told all of us to “wait,” “stop” or just plain “no.” While this is true of God sometimes, it is not His natural inclination. We are created in the very image of God (read about it in Genesis 1). We have been stamped by the divine with a taste of His very own nature. God is all about pleasure and enjoyment and pursuit of passion. The Scriptures are full of stories of people daring to do the impossible simply because they believed. That is the image of God in us! God is not some cosmic kill-joy. In fact, He’s quite the opposite! God doesn’t love sitting around telling us “no, not yet.” “Uh, uh. Hold on there tiger.” “Um, I don’t think so, pal.” This passionate, loving God of ours has, in fact, issued us a big, fat “YES!” “Go for it!” “You’re doin’ great!”

Matthew, one of the twelve apostles, wrote a great book. It’s called Matthew. Clever, huh. Anyway, he ends his narrative with a very specific passage highlighting a very specific purpose. Over the years it’s been dubbed as “The Great Commission.” Most church going people have probably heard it before, but I think they underestimate its power and implications. Jesus has just been brutally murdered, buried and then resurrected. He is now showing Himself to the remaining eleven apostles (including our eye witness, Matthew) and offers one last, stirring charge.

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me,” He says. In other words, this is important, guys. I didn’t die and rise from the dead just for fun. I have been endued with the authority and power of God the Father, Creator of the Heavens and the Earth, the One in whose Image all humanity was made. Listen up!

“Therefore, go…” Let’s just pause right there. Jesus continues to list stuff that we should do, but let’s not miss the forest for the trees. Jesus just said what so many of us are waiting around to hear. We want so badly to get some direction today, but forget that we already got it 2000 years ago. We’ve been created in the image of a passionate God. So we have our own passions, hopes and dreams. And Jesus just told us to “go.” Just before He ascended into heaven, He wanted to make sure we knew one last thing: we have a big, fat YES!

Do you dream of making a difference in some field? Do it! Have you always hoped you could work at that company or apply for that job? Take the first step! Would you love to do that thing one day? Well, guess what. Today might be that day!

It’s obviously a little more complicated than this and we are all wise to spend time in prayer and council about these big issues, but the point remains. We don’t have to wait around for God to “open a door.” Instead of picturing yourself in that little room surrounded by doors, get a different image in your mind. Imagine yourself in a wide open field. There are no walls to be seen, no doors to be unlocked. You’re free to go wherever, whenever. Now what?

What do you dream of when you close your eyes? If you woke up tomorrow morning and had the perfect life, what would be different? If you are a follower of Jesus, that dream comes from God. Today, why not start moving toward it? We’ve already been given a big, fat YES!