A Sabbatical

Next week, many of you have heard and I've talked with you about my taking a sabbatical during the month of June.  I just wanted to explain a few things, so you can know what's up.

What is a sabbatical?
If you aren't familiar with the concept of a sabbatical, usually it's termed most often in the case of a professor or teacher in college for them to take time to have some professional development, to write or do intensive study and recharge.  It's a time of improving themselves to come back as a better teacher.

While it's known in the US more in those secular circles, it is actually derived from the Biblical term "sabbath", which is a time of "religious observance, abstaining from work".  We are to practice this weekly habit of spending devoted time centering on Christ away from our work.  

Why do you need a sabbatical?
If we look a the life of Christ, there were times when he withdrew for extended periods to recharge and be ready for the next season of his ministry.  This is a practice I try to repeat regularly in short stints, because, as you may know or not know, as a pastor, I'm really never off the job.

How long is a sabbatical and when do you take it?
In many churches and religious organizations, they have started giving their ministers and leaders sabbaticals after certain periods of service in current roles.  It can range from a month to 3 months to 6 months or in some extreme cases, a year.

At First Baptist, after every 7 years of service, you are given a month of paid sabbatical leave, usually encouraged to be taken all at once, to recharge, develop, learn and rest.  This year is my 7th year and next week, I'll be taking one month off of my duties as campus pastor at Bay West Church.  

Will you be attending Bay West while you are on sabbatical?
No.  During that time, I won't be attending Bay West Church, but I will be attending and worshiping elsewhere (I don't a break from following Christ.)  I will be observing other churches, meeting with other church staffs, and if I was at Bay West, I couldn't be off anyway.

Do you just vacation or hang out at your house?
No, but I have presented a plan to our Personnel Team and they have approved my itinerary and plan to make the best of this time away.

Over this time, I will be unavailable.  I'll be spending some concentrated time with my family.  I'll be seeking wisdom from concentrated time alone with God most of all.  I'll learning from other staff members/pastors from some different churches, conducting interviews on the subject of church growth, multisite work and other leadership subjects trying to better myself as a leader as we look to the future of Bay West.  I have been working on writing a book, as well, and will be devoting some time to that, as well as some time to reading and learning myself.

Is there something wrong?
Nope.  We do things like this as a preventative measure, so everything stays right.

Who will be preaching?
Bob Lorenzo, who has taught us several times before, and who you hear indirectly through me a lot because of his influence in my life, will be preaching.  The rest of the staff will be operating as normal.

Will things fall apart?
No.  I've tried very hard to make Bay West not about my presence on a Sunday, but the presence of God and in doing so, you are surrounded every week/Sunday with capable leadership and a sound structure, so things should run like a top.

Can I still be baptized in our services?
Absolutely, but the process is the same.  You'll need to call our offices, we'll schedule a time to meet with one of our ministers to make sure you are ready spiritually, and then we will coordinate the baptism in our services.

What if I have an emergency and/or need a pastor?
Please contact Mandy at  our offices at (321) 723-0561 and Nate, Randy or Raul will help you or if they are unavailable, one of the pastors from the Melbourne Campus will contact you. 

Can I just call you and chat?
Normally, I'm up for that, but since I'm trying to spend time away, that probably wouldn't be best. I'll be back to see you soon.

How long will you be gone?
I'll be back in services at Bay West Church on Sunday, July 6th.

I would like to thank you all for allowing me to do this and it is my hope that I will return as a better Christ follower, husband, father and pastor as we continue together into the future.

Please be faithful, come prepared to worship and learn because as I am listening to the Lord during this time, I expect him to be faithfully teaching you special things through the normal activity at Bay West, that if you were to take a break from, you would miss, so please continue attending, serving, loving, worshiping, giving, cultivating, giving, communicating and being the church.  I'll be there this Sunday, then I'll see you in July.

In Christ,
Jim

Quick recap of Sunday's sermon Week 2 of SIGNS - Yield

Bad news...no podcast this week, because we had some difficulty last Sunday.  Put down some rough thoughts from my sermon notes..

Yielding to God is essential to following God.

The concept of yielding in driving is giving someone else the right of way, letting them go first before you.  The concept of yielding to God is similar, it's giving someone else the priority or the right of way in your life...setting aside your schedule or goals in deference to theirs.

How do we do that?  Enter Jonah...specifically Jonah 2, his prayer in the belly of the fish.

4 stops in the process of yielding.
1)  Understand reality.  Jonah 2:1-6

• God is in control of and owns everything.  All kinds of "your" language in these verses.  It is clear that Jonah is coming to grips with the fact that all this is God's and he'd better get with the program of reality.
  We operate in our own little fake reality so often, where we are in control and God is living to serve us...untrue and just like simply denying that a brick wall is there and trying to run head first through it is painful, damaging and impossible...so is not grasping that all this, including me, was created for God, not the other way around.
• We are hopeless and helpless without God.
  We can't even see what God has given us without Him
  12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.
  1 Corinthians 2:12 (NIV)

There are 4 sources of authority in everyone’s life and everyone's decisions are made under one of these authority structures. 1)  Scripture  2)  Experience 3)  Tradition 4)  Reason -

At some point, if you are going to follow Christ, Scripture has to become the authority structure that trumps everything.

2) A recognition of our personal situation. Jonah 2:7

• Jonah realized that his life was ebbing away...he had forgotten God, he had not prayed to God (only guy on the ship that DIDN'T pray, fyi), and he had turned away from God's presence (the Holy Temple is symbolic of God's presence in Scripture).
• BUT here's the biggest recognition personally for him...vs. 8

“Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them."

He was clinging to an idol of his standards and prejudices against the Ninevites for their reputation in cruelty...He was clinging to his own idols instead of God.

3)  Jonah’s response to his situation Jonah 2:9

But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good.  I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’”

• Praise right where he is...don't wait to get out of the fish.
• Sacrifice his standards to God's...God first
• Act on his commitment to God.  In the dark, act on what God has told you in the light.
• Become a verbal and life example of God's salvation.

4)  God's restoration of Jonah.  Jonah 2:10

God spoke to the fish (still in control of his fish) and it spit Jonah out.

Couple of things:

1)  When you come out of the storm of life or the belly of your fish, you won't be where you were when you came in...no going back to what it used to be.

2)  You'll be prepared for what God has for you next.  Some say that even Jonah's "bleached" appearance from the gastric juices inside the fish, may have "augmented" his appearance to make his message to Nineveh more noticeable when he got there.

While many say that Jonah 2 is a prayer of repentance, and inside the fish IS where Jonah turned it around with hints of repentance in vs.7 and 9, the overall theme isn't repentance...it's a prayer of thanksgiving.  The fish saved him physically from drowning in the storm and it also saved him emotionally by forcing him to realize where he was and to respond.

Imagine the worst thing, the most traumatic thing in your life, at some point, God having healed that to such a degree that you thank Him for it...in all things give thanks...28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28 (NIV)