Recently I finished a time of sabbatical.  It was about giving my soul a quiet place.  Being still. Reading the Word. Listening.

Every four years, missionaries with Campus Crusade are allowed 30 days to step away for spiritual renewal.  Although I knew I had this rare privilege, this is the first time in 18 years with CCCI that I’ve taken advantage of it.  I followed the advice of Ken Cochrum and others who gave excellent tips for planning a successful sabbatical.

Two Things I learned:

These hardly seem radical.  Basically, it was just really good to be reminded of some key things.

#1  Rest is a very good thing

God invented rest.  Not because He needs it, but because He knows we do.  I had to convince myself that it’s ok to radically step away from the hectic pace of life.  Yes, it required planning.  In my case I had to postpone a few projects I was working on and hand off others work to coworkers.  The Lord provided space and time to read His Word and rest.  Those were the two things I did at...

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From my back porch: Today I’m writing my first post/tweet/FB status update in over a month. The mallards and sandhill cranes that nestle on the pond behind our home don’t seem to notice I’ve been offline. This is day #29 of my sabbatical and I’m feeling pretty dialed in to nature.

The verdict is in: Sabbatical works. With only two days left, I feel refreshed, restored and eager to reengage. If you’re considering a sabbatical anytime soon, here are some of my takeaways:

1. Intentionally break your routine on Day #1. At the advice of two close friends, on Monday, March 1st I packed a small overnight bag and checked into the Canterbury Episcopal Retreat Center about 10 miles from my home. Just one night and two full days. This provided the clean break and a mental ‘reset’ button to help me escape the pull of gravity around my home. I took long prayer walks on the grounds. I fell asleep on a bench in the sun. I packed a few books on Contemplative Prayer, a topic I had been eager to learn more about but ‘never ...

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Sabbath, noun, a period of rest.

For the past 15 years I have enjoyed what I call “distance leadership” roles. Ministering over geographic and cultural distance taps into my gifts and passions. It also demands a lot of travel and emotional energy.

In 2002 a number of challenges led to me to begin taking a regular weekly Sabbath. My goal was simple: no email, no phone, and no wristwatch for 24 hours each week. Since that time I’d say I’ve averaged about 35-40 good Sabbaths each year. Not perfect, but definitely profitable. I’ve also managed to squeeze in one or two “mini-sabbatical” weeks each year which have been devoted to reading, reflection and prayer.

Last August the Lord showed me that my soul needs to take an extended rest from ministry. There’s a subtle temptation, almost unnoticeable, that creeps in when one is constantly positioned to help others enjoy Jesus: we can stop enjoying Jesus for ourselves. When this happens we can be in danger of drying up as a branch, or worse, losing o...

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Sure, Hillary climbed Everest. But how often did he do this?

How does one achieve such a blessed state? As with all great human endeavors, it begins with a compelling vision. In my case, this vision takes the form of “I want to go home every weekend seeing the bottom of my inbox. I want to savor a Sabbath rest. I want to exit that Sabbath with energy and hunger for next week’s new opportunities and not just manage what’s been going on.”

At some point we have to answer the question: What’s the difference between hovering at 500 or hovering at zero?

Answer: Nothing, really.

Kudos to:

• David Allen (Twitter: @gtdguy) and Getting Things Done for believing in me
• InboxZero.com for practical how-to’s and “mind-like-water” thinking
• Erik Butz, MySan McGowan, Jason Dencklau and Kelly Sasser, my fellow Inbox Ninjas over the past five years

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