Can you consider yourself to be on a journey if you are not leaving home? My answer is “Yes” on two levels. First, you do not have to leave home to take a journey. You do not have to abandon your daily or weekly routine. You do not have to alter your calendar or schedule. “Journey” is as much a state of mind and a perspective as it as a change in physical geography.
Second, anytime someone with whom you are in a relationship sets out on a journey, you—by virtue of the impending shift in relationship—will also journey. When a child, sibling, or spouse leaves home to go off to college, work, or for some other purpose, other members of the household experience the movement of journey. The shift in relationship can be one of measurable distance, frequency of contact/interaction, emotional/mental/spiritual development, or any combination of these three (plus other things, I’m sure).
Thus, I contend that all who are reading this are about to begin a journey with me. I invite you to not miss this journey. I am making plans of all sorts for this journey; plans to travel, read, learn, think, reflect, rest, grow, and experience things and places I’ve never known or seen. I hope you will do the same, even if your life’s circumstances or your personal preferences preclude changes of scenery and schedule.
I have challenged our church’s leaders to intentionally plan and execute a journey of their own during my sabbatical, and to invite and include the entire congregation in that process. I challenge members of the congregation to both hold our leaders to their challenge, and to support and journey with them along the way. The theme for their journey is “Make church…” I encourage you to help and join them in “making church” this summer.
One of the ways I invite you to journey with me is to follow our sabbatical blog. In it, I’ll be relaying information about the books I’m reading, places and people I’m meeting, and the questions this journey is revealing. If you have and use internet access, you can follow right here. Become a “follower” of the blog (by clicking the “Follow” button on the left hand side and following the instructions), and you can receive notifications when new posts are made.
Grace and travelling mercies,
© 2011 Todd Jenkins
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