The theme of my twelve-week sabbatical, "Sitting by the Well," is drawn from the gospel of John: "Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon." I will use my time apart from pastoral responsibilities next fall to renew my body, mind and spirit by broadening and deepening four practices that consistently connect me with God's presence. Centering prayer, writing, yoga and beholding the beauty of creation all represent cups of refreshing water for my weary soul. But they are cups that I grab in motion, as if tossing back a three-ounce Dixie cup while running a race. As I enter my ninth year of service at United Church of Chapel Hill and my seventeenth year of ordained ministry, I plan to slow down long enough to sit by the well. Since I am the mother of two pre-teens and the wife of a man with a demanding job at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, I will spend most of my time here in the Piedmont, working with mentors (spiritual director, writing coach, yoga instructor and a naturalist) I already know, thereby deepening current relationships and practices in my own daily life. I will broaden my understanding and experience of those practices by traveling to several faith-centered communities far from here(New Mexico, Washington, and Hawaii), opening my heart to the new things God might reveal to me about my identity, my calling and my understanding of who God is as I distance myself from my calendar, laptop, cell phone and perpetual planning. Through the interface of well-sitting at home and away, I hope to rehydrate fully with the living water of Christ.