I propose to take a six weeks sabbatical leave in order to feed my soul and rest my body. I will do these by attending to three basics: reading, writing, and rest… the 3Rs. The context I'm suggesting for these is a place I've dreamed of studying - Oxford, England. There, I will relish removing myself from the "tyranny of the immediate." There, I will stay at a flat connected to Regent's Park College. There, I will reinvest in the areas that nourish my soul, but I've too frequently neglected. Study/reading stokes the fires of imagination and I will do so by returning to the imaginative works of C. S. Lewis who nourished his own soul fires near Oxford with the likes of JRR Tolkien. Writing/ journaling will help me refocus on my spiritual journey and "listen to my life' as Beuchner would say. And Rest/Sabbath? Rest I will. I will stop and keep the Sabbath. A week of preparation will precede Oxford. A week of reflection will follow. At journey's end, I hope to publish, preach, and practice what I learned during my sabbatical, having been renewed by the luxury and disciplines of the 3R's.
Image | Title | Year | Type | Contributor(s) | Other Info |
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Sabbatical as Fitting Room: A Pastoral Paradigm | 2008 | Newspaper Article |
James Lamkin |
Winter 2008 http://www.leadershipinministry.com/LIMNewslettervol8no1.pdf |