Note: Pastor Tim will be on Renewal Leave from June 6, 2022 through September 19, 2022.

Today, I’m praying.

Today, the only story plastering the news is about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. And I’m praying.

Praying for peace to prevail instead of war.

Praying for a world of mutual encouragement instead of hate.

Praying for hope in the midst of the despair certainly felt by those in harm’s way.

Today, I’m also taking time to pray with my silence.

Today, I’m breathing in the tender ferocity of the Holy Spirit, and straining my ears to hear what words she has to say to me, to my hurting heart, to my frantic mind.

Today, I’m praying.

 Prayer is an essential discipline to the Christian walk of faith. Through prayer, we become connected – intimately, spiritually – with others and with God who sits with us, listens to us, and attends to our needs and cries. Often, my time for praying is brief. Often, my prayers are one-way communications where I make known my needs and desires to God. But on days like today, I find that my words fail me, and I can only sit and trust that God knows what my sighs mean.

Today, I’m praying.

 Prayer will have a central place during my Renewal Leave this summer. When other distractions are gone, when I am blessed with time to focus on my health, in all of its dimensions, prayer will be a practice that will enable me to center myself and take nourishment from the roots of my faith. I’m looking forward to the ways that time spent focusing on this gift will enable me to be renewed. May you find your prayer life to do the same for you.

Pastor Tim

Note: Pastor Tim will be on Renewal Leave from June 6 – September 19, 2022.

We are now a few weeks into a new sermon series called “God WithIN Us” – a series about spirituality. If nothing else, I hope that you have heard that spirituality – those specific practices and methods that we use to relate to and grow as disciples of Jesus Christ – can look different from person to person, and from one time to another. My own spirituality has most often been expressed by a Type 1 kind of life and practice. I find that writing, reading, and Bible study discussions help me to grow in Christ. But sometimes I can get stuck there. That’s the danger, I suppose, of over-identifying with one Type over another.

That’s why, for each Type in this system, there is a different Type that offers spiritual practices that complement and enhance the practices already in place. For Type 1s, the complementary practices can be found in Type 3s – the Mystic. Type 3s find spiritual growth in prayer – contemplative prayer – and are generally comfortable with mystery and paradox. They value and find strength in connecting to a God who is beyond-knowing. They know the importance of self-reflection, and the resilience that comes from tending to the inner life.

During my Renewal Leave, my schedule will be less structured, to be sure; but I do plan on prioritizing time for these kinds of spiritual practices. Spending time in intentional, prayer, solitude has always been a source of strength and spiritual growth for me. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of time. And for me – a parent who works just as much as his partner, and who is finding that parenting increasingly means shuttling kids from one place to another many times a day – time is something of a precious commodity in my life. I know of some people who wake up extra early so that they can do these kinds of spiritual practices on a regular basis, but I either don’t have the motivation or the alertness to keep that kind of schedule up. So, here is a perfect opportunity. One major component of my time is being removed, which leaves me a large amount of time to put into practice these kinds of spiritual exercises that feed me and make me feel more connected to God and my neighbor. I’m looking forward to it.

If you want to know more about these Spiritual Types, stay tuned to our current sermon series. And if you’d like to know more specifically about this Spirituality System that I’m describing in this series, you can learn more from the book entitled “Discover Your Spiritual Type” by Corinne Ware.

Peace,

Pastor Tim

NOTE: Pastor Tim will be on his Renewal Leave from June 6 – September 19, 2022.

One day in the middle of the COVID era, Micah and I had a day to ourselves. The weather that day was rainy and incredibly smokey due to the fires in Pacific Northwest. At a loss of what to do for a whole day given that scenario, we decided to pull out a book that had been given to us by a family friend. It is called “Adventure Challenge: Family Edition.” (I highly recommend this activity book; find out more about it at www.theadventurechallenge.com.) The premise of the book is that you choose an adventure knowing nothing about it other than the title and a few generic details (e.g., do this activity outside / inside; you’ll need a car to do this activity; this activity may cost some money; etc.). But, importantly, you don’t know the details of the adventure until you pick one and scratch off the square with the description and rules. Once you scratch off the square, you are committed. You have to do that activity.

The activity that Micah chose that day directed us to get $10 in quarters then to drive around to find at least three different places with claw machines and take turns trying to nab a toy. I hadn’t played with one of those claw machines in years. They were always such a waste of money in my estimation. But this adventure demanded that we do it. So, we did. And that adventure turned out to be SO MUCH FUN! Not so much because we actually did win a couple times, but because it was an adventure that we got to do together. We got to hunt for claw machines in and near Durango. We got to chat with random people around town about their experience with claw machines, and whether they knew where to find one. We got to drive around town, listening to music of our choosing and singing along loudly and dramatically. And, of course, we got to actually play with these machines and watch with disbelief as it dragged a toy out of the pile of stuffed animals! It was great!

One of the things that I am looking forward to most about my Renewal Leave is all of the time that I don’t have scheduled and pre-planned. As procrastinator-y as I am, I have to admit that most of my life is pretty scheduled. I have definite patterns and routines that I follow most days. My calendar is a Godsend, helping me to know where to be and when. So, for these upcoming fifteen weeks of Renewal Leave, I’m looking forward to more impromptu adventures and exploring and learning. I’m looking forward to more adventures like the one that I had with Micah, that are unexpected and gloriously refreshing. Those are experiences, I have found, that refresh my spirit.

If you’d like to know more about my upcoming Renewal Leave and how you might use the same time as a way to rejuvenate and renew your spirit, please come talk to me. I’d love to share more details with you.

Peace,

Pastor Tim

I have a routine for Sunday mornings that I have been following for the last many years. I wake up at 4:00am, then groggily stumble to the shower. After getting dressed, I quietly tiptoe through the house, gathering all the things I’ll need for the day and – especially – filling a travel mug and a thermos full of coffee for my morning. I drive to the church, arriving around 5:00am. Once in the building, I prepare four pots of coffee, make sure communion and other worship materials are ready and in place, and unlock doors. Then, I sit (or stand) at my desk, pray, and then wait for the Holy Spirit to show up to give me the words to say for my sermon that day. Praying, writing, erasing, re-writing, and rehearsing usually takes me right up until the start of worship, after which the morning feels like it’s pretty much over.

I don’t mind this Sunday morning routine. It has provided my life with a steady and stable rhythm, week in and week out for years. But…

I won’t have to do that during my renewal leave next summer, and I wonder what that will feel like. Honestly, I’m not sure if I’ll miss it or not. Either way, I will have ample opportunity next summer to rest, which is really the intended goal of the renewal leave. Not work; just rest.

There will surely be things that will fill my days between family time, creating things in the workshop, writing, reading, exploring (more on that next month). But all of these will be extensions of the theme of rest. Without the pressure of deadlines and high expectations, rest – real rest – seems possible.

The name sabbatical comes from the same root as the word “Sabbath.” The Sabbath is one day out of every seven that is intended for rest. (Therefore, Sabbaticals are recommended once every seven years.) The Sabbath, indeed, is not just an intention of God, but a commandment! But, more than that, it is a gift. The gift of time for rest. Not just the absence of work; but true rest, that has the potential to restore and rejuvenate. The point is, whether talking about a once-a-week Sabbath or a once-every-seven-years sabbatical, rest should rejuvenate us and prepare us in mind, body, and spirit to return joyfully to the work to which God has called us.

I’m looking forward to some time of rest next summer; but I’m already eager to see how such rest will lead to a more robust sense of call upon my return. 

Peace,

Pastor Tim

P.S.: The dates for my renewal leave will be from Monday, June 6, 2022, to Monday, September 19, 2022. Have more questions? Please ask me about it!

Renewal leaves – more often called sabbaticals – are intentional times away from the rhythms of work life. In academia, sabbaticals are often times for intentional and intense writing and publishing, research and data collection. But in the church, leaders are specifically encouraged not to work during their time away. A renewal leave is just what it sounds like: time for renewal.

That’s not easy for me. I can hardly imagine what it will be like to not work, to not have a big project, to not be on a deadline for something. So, I struggled a little when I was first asked what I planned to do during my renewal leave. But now, I think I have it figured out.

I will enjoy creating things.

I really enjoy tinkering in my workshop. I don’t have a dedicated space for all of my tools and stuff. They’re all tucked away in the little recesses of our garage, sharing space with our cars, water toys, and bikes. But the thought of having the luxury of time to just be in there, to let my creativity flow and make something grand or teeny or useful or useless or pretty or Frankenstein-ish… that sounds absolutely lovely. And a great way to do something while also not working!

My creativity will no doubt be expressed in other ways, too. I do imagine that I will spend a good deal of time writing. Whether anything I write ends up being published is hardly the point; I just know that I do my best thinking and processing with the written word.

I’m certain that creativity is an essential part of our faith. We are all created in the image of God, and God is the Master Tinkerer. We are called to participate with God in the ongoing process of creation, adding our own little dash of color to the world. (This is one of the reasons that I love our annual Art Gallery & Gala at CtK! It gives us all an opportunity to express our faith through art, and then we get to celebrate together and learn from each other in seeing what everyone has made. Make sure you come to our Art Gallery & Gala this year on Saturday, November 6^th from 5:00-7:00pm!)

Do you feel the same way about creativity and faith? If so, I’d LOVE to learn more about how creativity is expressed in your life.

Peace,

Pastor Tim