Sabbatical Q and A
Notes
Transcript
What is your heart for sabbatical?
My heart is for rest and restoration. I really want to make sure that myself and my family continue to be faithful to the will of God for our lives.
I want this more than anything.
I want to make sure that the guy you all see on stage is the same guy you see through the week.
Exhaustion has definitely taken its toll on me at times and I want to work to be rested and restored.
What will this time look like practically?
The first 2 weeks Amy and I both will focus on rest and our health. My friend Bryan Stallings and others have shared with me that it takes the first two weeks to just unplug.
My third week I would like to do a study retreat for 4 days or so. I am still working on this detail.
Week 4 I plan to do a preaching seminary course that is offered free by Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Weeks 5 and 6 My hope would be to start to think about what the future of Bridge of Faith looks like and really searching for God’s desire for our church.
The Last several weeks we will be making a return trip to Surfing the Nations in Hawaii. We want to learn from them and this trip we will be taking our kids with us.
We hope to visit family as well and attend worship with them on Sundays. Our kids may be here on Wednesday nights and we might be in worship some here during this time.
What are your biggest Concerns?
I am concerned about putting an extra load on our staff. I want them to be supported while we are out. As I look at our responsibilities, Cameron and Kara will have an added work load. We have tried to set things up to help lighten their loads during this time.
Another concern I have is, Some of you may feel like you have a strong connection with me. I would be heart broken if some of you just didn’t come while I was out.
Church is not about me. It is all about Jesus and if you stop coming to church because I am not here, then I will feel like I have not been teaching sound doctrine. I want you here no matter who is teaching.
I would be super stoked if during my sabbatical time our church grew on Sunday mornings. Wednesday nights it can stay the same. jk.
If a need arises and the church feels they need myself or Amy, then what should they do?
I would encourage you to reach out to one of the other staff first. I would encourage you to exhaust your resources first with the other staff or the executive leadership team. Give them a chance to help you.
If you have done this, then for me you can reach out to Cameron and he will reach out to me. For Amy, you can reach out to Kara and she will reach out to Amy.
This is hard because you all are my friends and none of us especially us here in Rockaway want to have boundaries. Right we people in Rockaway will push it to the edge. You may be tempted to push it to the edge with this Sabbatical and say I don’t care what they say I want to be a friend and call.
Let me encourage you that for mine and Amy’s sake try this and keep praying for us to be rested and restored in Jesus.
1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vineyard keeper.
2 Every branch in Me that does not produce fruit He removes, and He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit.
3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
4 Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.
6 If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.
8 My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be My disciples.
