Down Time

One of the least understood areas of ministry is "down-time." Ministers are notorious for not taking vacations; for working (or being expected to work) long hours; working on weekends (Sunday is, after all, a real work day for pastors); and being available to their constituents 24/7. A December 12, 2009 article from the Kalamazoo Gazette says, "Pastors, by nature tend to feel indispensable," said the Rev. Ken Baker, who has been lead pastor at Third Christian Reformed Church for 18 years. "We’re not busier than other people — everyone is busy — but we tend to excuse our busyness under the cloak that it’s OK, because it’s holy work." The article speaks to the importance of taking a Sabbath rest, something that pastor's rarely do.
In my last pastorate, I worked for 10 years without taking a real break. The leadership of the congregation saw the burnout that was taking place and gave me a sabbatical leave for the summer. It was not without controversy. Those working 40 hour jobs tended to wonder why a pastor should get a three or four month break with pay. By the time I got back from the sabbatical, forces were at work to undermine my position, much of it being fueled by my absence. No wonder pastors are hesitant to take a Sabbath rest! I heard of one pastor who had a business meeting take place while he was away on vacation. The meeting was to hire an associate pastor. Everything was in place, so the pastor went on vacation. When he came back he found that the congregation had not voted on the associate. They wondered why they should hire an associate when they really were questioning the ministry of their present senior pastor. Within months, the senior pastor was on a more "permanent" vacation. Such fears are legendary in pastoral circles. It fuels the desire of many pastors not to be away from their pulpits very long, if at all.
Since matriculating to Fuller and doing my PhD, I have had a break from pastoring. My role with two congregations here in Southern California has been as an interim and on a limited role. I have not had the pressures of the normal pastoral role. However, in doing the PhD I have worked hard and finished my preliminary work in 3 1/2 years, an extremely quick pace. I have not taken off a quarter since I arrived in 2006. I have taken classes, seminars, and taught during that time in addition to being an interim and writing my dissertation. I am ready for a break. Since I turned in my dissertation on December 11, I have been relearning how to relax. During the last weeks of my dissertation writing, I found myself in the car driving to worship on Sunday. It was during that drive, stuck at a red light, that I realized I had not been out of the apartment since returning from worship the previous Sunday. Such is the life of the PhD student!
With Joanie recuperating from hip replacement surgery, I have found myself once again stuck in the apartment. However, it is a much different pace. I've watched some TV, a few movies, and played board games with Joanie. This is the first time I have written anything at all in several weeks. It feels good to take a break. Everyone needs a Sabbath rest. If you can't get it on Sundays, find a way to get it somewhere else. Your health (mental and physical), your spiritual life, and your family will respond positively to a little "down time."

A Christmas Present

When we first moved to Pasadena in the Summer of 2006, my wife had just been diagnosed with arthritis in her left hip. At the time, we thought it was bothersome but not serious. We could not have been more naive. Joanie found a job teaching music at a private Christian school across LA and commuted for the next two years. By the time her first full-time semester was completed, her hip had become acute. She finally got a doctor's appointment in January and saw a specialist by February. The diagnosis? She needed a hip replacement. It was quite shocking. The other news was equally shocking. Her other hip (which did not hurt) had arthritis and would need to be replaced in a few years.
So, for the last three and a half years, Joanie has struggled through a hip replacement, physical therapy, one leg longer than the other, an emergency appendectomy, and the slow deterioration of her "good" hip. Finally, on Tuesday (December 22) Joanie entered the hospital and had a second hip replacement. Our insurance with the school is going to run out soon (since I have finished writing the dissertation and am no longer a full time student) so we needed to get it done soon. Tonight (Christmas Eve) I wheeled her out of the hospital and into a car only 48 hours after having a new hip implanted. As I write this, she is resting comfortably on a day bed in our living room. She is my Christmas present.
I am amazed at how modern medicine makes possible the impossible. If Joanie had been born at the same time as her mother or grandmother, she would be spending her later years as an invalid, as did my grandfather. Instead of being confined to a bed, she is resting in one and plans to resume her 20 minute walking regime in a month or so. But I am most grateful to God who is the great healer of our whole being - our minds, bodies, and souls. Thanks, Lord, for a great Christmas present. First your son, Jesus in a manger. Now my wife, Joanie, at home in our apartment. It is a good Christmas.

The End of the Journey is in Sight

It has been a long, long time since I have blogged. I make no excuses. For the last 12-16 month I have been writing my dissertation. As of last Friday, December 11, 2009, I have completed the task and handed in the dissertation. This puts me on target for a June graduation. While the dissertation is written (277 pages, 295 with bibliography) there is much to do yet. It will be read by three different scholars over the course of the next several months. About five weeks from now I will receive it back from my mentor and will make any corrections (I'm sure there will be many) and do any re-writes (I hope there are few) that are requested or needed. After that, I make a new copy and give it to my second reader. The same process occurs and then a third reader, someone I do not yet know and who is not a member of the Fuller community, will read and critique it. After all the corrections are made, it will be signed off on by the readers and then it will be bound and placed in the library at Fuller.
I could never have done this without the loving and complete support of my wife, Joanie. She is the best. In spite of all that she has gone through (she had one hip replacement two years ago and will spend Christmas having the other hip replaced) she remains my biggest fan and unquestionable chief supporter. She is an amazing woman and I am more in love with her today than I was 35 years ago when we first wed. She should get a degree for all the papers she has read and the discussions she has endured.
I will be continuing at Fuller for the next several months as the process of dissertation review continues. I have several classes to teach in the Winter and Spring Quarters. I have accepted the opportunity to take on a larger pastoral role at Church of the Foothills. Our Associate Pastor, Dana Krull, has finished his degree and returned back East to attend Chaplain School for the Army. It leaves some work unfinished at the church and I will fill in the gaps. I will also be going over to Azusa Pacific University to see if I can catch on as an Adjunct next semester.
My mentor, Clay Schmit, is giving me several opportunities to write and be published. I am going to help edit a book entitled, A Teaching Hymnal. It will be a resource for seminary classes and chapels to encourage worship. I will also be looking to write another book between now and graduation. I am talking with some publishers about that opportunity.
To any and all who have followed this season of my life with interest, I thank you. It has been a long journey but the end is now in sight.