Trashy Holiday Joy

A lesser-known occupational hazard of being clergy is that Christmas isn’t just for feeling merry and bright. It’s a work-related event that demands lots of energy and attention. Don’t get me wrong- I’m no Grinch, and by the time the final “Joy to the World” is sung by candlelight, my heart is as joyful as anyone's in the place. However, the days leading up to that silent night are crowded with long to-do lists.

Long before winter’s dawn this morning, my mind was prayerfully preparing for the day ahead. This year, it seems as if there are an unusual number of non-holiday, yet important, things on my plate. As I thought about everything that needs to be done and the amount of time in which I have to work, I realized that I was feeling. . .well, what was that feeling inside of me? I felt around inside of my head and heart and discovered that I was little tense, a little crabby, and really not very joyful at all. Realizing that I wasn’t feeling as joyful as I thought I ought to be feeling just made me that much crabbier.

And then I realized that it was trash day, and everything changed.

“Honey, how many people are on the recycling and trash trucks?” Andy and I guessed there were 2-3, although we’re usually not home when they come by. I grabbed a few blank Christmas cards. I didn’t have much cash in my wallet, so Andy supplemented what I had. He ran downstairs to get some ribbons, and I worked on how to secure the envelopes to our trash bin, so that they wouldn’t blow away. By the time we were done, we were both smiling.

As I drove to church, a trash truck passed me going in the opposite direction. Maybe they were headed to our house? I smiled again as I thought about them finding our gifts to them. I prayed for them, that these gifts would bless them during this Christmas season. 

While driving through the lakes, two seagulls kept pace with my car. How cool is it that I drive with seagulls on a December morning in the Midwest? The radio played a really cool version of “We Three Kings” by the Beach Boys. (Wow, their harmonies are tight.) Last night, we got to enjoy a lovely dinner with friends, and tonight’s dinner is crocking away happily in the crockpot. The sun has broken through the clouds, and my cluttered desk holds some great possibilities for worship and ministry. 

Who can be crabby on a day like today? After all, it’s trash day!

Upon the Ending of a Sabbatical

Seventeen airplane take offs and landings. 2257 miles by car, including crazy-jammed California highways. Uncounted miles on the water in various forms of boats. During my sabbatical, I’ve journeyed to the Galapagos Islands, the Amazon rainforest, the Sierra Nevada mountains, Sanibel Island, Hays (KS), and even Graceland Mansion. I’ve seen sights ranging from the finest of God’s creation (oceans and mountains) to the most mundane of human construction (California highways and Graceland).  I have had precious time with my family across the country. Andy has been my companion for many of these journeys, and some have been on my own.

I’ll be sharing much about these experiences in the future, but tonight I’m simply reflecting on the ending of this time away, and the resumption of my everyday life.

It turns out that, as much as I’ve loved this once-in-a-lifetime event, there are some things that I’ve missed.

I’ve missed the people. Stepping away from church has meant that I haven’t seen some of my favorite people for months. Last night, I got to see some at a church party. Today at lunch, I ran into some other faves. It will be great to reconnect with everyone!

I’ve missed worship at my church. Andy and I have worshiped in many different churches. We have heard some excellent sermons and experienced some different worship styles and varying degrees of welcome. As we were saying over lunch today, it will be good to be back at our church home.

I’ve missed the opportunity to respond to current events. I have missed writing in ways that I hope are helpful in making sense of seemingly senseless events, and I have missed coming together with people of faith in worship to find a faithful way forward during difficult times. 

I’ve missed getting to walk with Jesus alongside of you. I have missed being part of significant life events, of life and death and all of the in-between moments, and I’ve missed speaking faith into those moments when faith seems the least likely thing possible. Life is tough enough, we need each other.

I read an article at the beginning of my sabbatical, warning that grief was a normal reaction to the close of a sabbatical. After all, who wouldn’t feel sad about the end of a season of freedom and travel?  I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I feel some regret that this special time is over. 

As I look inside myself this evening, though, what I mostly feel is anticipation, not grief. There are so many great things ahead! I have been so blessed to have had this sabbatical time, and I am so blessed by this life of ministry that I am privileged to resume.

God is good, and God’s goodness infuses special moments of travel and rest. Even better, God’s goodness infuses all of the everyday moments of our everyday lives. Tomorrow, I am blessed enough to resume my everyday life, and for that I am exceedingly thankful.

Salbatical, Summer 2017

This Thanksgiving week, among the many, many blessings for which I am thankful, I am hugely thankful (in advance) for my coming salbatical.

Nope, that’s not a misprint. Sally + Sabbatical = Salbatical. And I get to have one in the Summer of 2017! After 33 years of ministry, I will have 3 ½ months of time away from my pastoral duties through the generosity of the National Clergy Renewal Program of the Lilly Endowment. My renewal leave will begin the week after Easter on April 24 and last until August 14, 2017. 

 “What makes your heart sing?” That question was central to the grant application, and it set my imagination going. Of course, my family makes my heart sing, and so the first thing I did was to build in plenty of salbatical time with my family around the country. There was something else niggling in my head, and it took me awhile to figure out what my heart was trying to tell me. I wrote several different iterations of my grant proposal, but I knew that I had not yet landed on the answer to this question.

“What makes your heart sing?” That question was stuck in my head, and then an answer began to emerge, surprisingly, through a memory from high school. (If you’re like me, remembering high school isn’t exactly the heart-singing highlight of life.) My high school memory was of taking a class with my favorite science teacher in which we studied The Ascent of Man, by Jacob Brownoski.

I had loved the pictures and narration of this coffee-table science book, laying out the beautiful ordering of nature. At the time, however, this book had troubled my faith, because I was concerned that this natural order might conflict with Scripture, or that it be somehow surprising to God. It wasn’t too long before I came to understand that to love and celebrate creation was to love and celebrate the Creator. Ever since, I have always turned to God’s world for sustenance and inspiration, finding deeply spiritual moments in natural settings.

“What makes your heart sing?” God’s creation makes my heart sing. With that certainty in my head, I turned again to the grant application, and this time, the ideas flowed easily.

The Clergy Renewal grant will allow me and Andy to explore God’s creation in some incredibly beautiful settings. I will have time in retreat centers in the Big Sur area of California. Andy and I will have family time on our beloved Sanibel Island, FL. The centerpiece of this salbatical will be a trip for the two of us to Ecuador, to visit the Galapagos Islands which inspired Darwin in his understanding of creation. 

My heart is singing in anticipation of this once-in-a-lifetime experience!

The church will have their own opportunities to explore God’s presence in creation during my absence. There will be an abundance of special speakers and worship opportunities, including internationally-known worship designer Dr. Marcia McFee. Marcia will create worship experiences that will highlight the natural beauty of our church’s setting. I can’t wait to hear about what she does! 

Best of all, my church will get a new pastor on August 14. Their new pastor will be refreshed and relaxed. She will have had some fantastic experiences to share. She will come back with ideas about how to utilize our 24 acres in new ways to connect with God. She will have renewed energy for her coming years of ministry.

This new pastor might look just like me, but these life-changing experiences will surely change her. In anticipation of all of these things that will begin on April 24, 2017, I am truly thankful this Thanksgiving week.