Study Leave/Reading Week

One of the true gifts of being a pastor is being able to take time to renew yourself & revitalize your ministry. Of course, your church also has to recognize the power of such sabbath time for the work you share. Happily, mine does; starting Monday, I get to renew & revitalize.

Since I have not yet finished Margaret Marcuson's Leaders Who Last: Sustaining Yourself and Your Ministry, I will begin this reading week by immersing myself in its wisdom*. Marcuson (quotes Gerald May who) refers to 16th century mystic John of the Cross' statement:

"God does not fit in an occupied heart".

Throughout this week I hope to hold an open heart, listening to where Spirit leads and daring to follow that voice. I hope to empty my heart of old and no-longer necessary "truths", so I may hold space for what the Divine has been waiting to put in their place. I hope to hang the "vacancy" sign, bright and flashing.

I also hope to check in with a couple other valuable resources - all in the arenas of leadership in congregations, renewal or self-care, and the spiritual practice of art/writing. Some of the possibilities are:

• Resonant Leadership by Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee
• Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art by Madeleine L'Engle
• The Art of Faith by Cathy Coffey
• Prayer and Our Bodies by Flora Slosson Wuellner
• The Equipping Church by Sue Mallory
• Hear and Be Wise: Becoming a Preacher and Teacher of Wisdom by Alyce M. McKenzie

We shall see what comes...

*If you've been following for a while, you'll remember I've been trying to hold myself accountable to reading 3 different books on leading well. I've finished the first one, don't overly appreciate much of the theology in the second one, and the third one is this one by Marcuson.