Free Hugs

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I definitely need to work this into a sermon on the importance of loving those around us!

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Sabbatical Planning

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  I'm BACK!! What a season of ministry this has been! Over the past year, I have talked with many leaders from churches, para-church ministries, and businesses, and many say the same thing: "I'm still recovering from the craziness of the pandemic four years later!" Does this resonate with you? It definitely has for me! While this past year has seen some INCREDIBLE moves of God and great blessings, it was also filled with many challenges, divisions, spiritual attacks, and a lot of weariness. Thankfully, God has given us many spiritual disciplines to help us overcome this weariness in our souls: Sabbath and Sabbatical. In October 2023 the craziness of the pandemic in the life of our church and family finally caught up to me. I was tired. More tired than I had ever been. Every decision in my role at the church felt heavy and filled with doubt. While my spiritual life was deep and I felt very close to God, a nagging voice would speak into my thoughts that it was time to t...
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Reset Leadership Retreat

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Last week, I returned to Ellel Ministries Canada for their Reset Leadership Retreat. This was the last event in my Sabbatical plan. My goal was to use this week away to meet with the Father and simply see what He wanted to say to me about all that I have learned and experienced over the past four months. And he certainly did not disappoint! I'm just in amazement at the Father's faithfulness! Back in January 2023, Danielle and I began a two-year course at Ellel called Explore. We originally signed up for Explore to care and minister to other people better. Little did we realize that God was going to personally care for us so much in this journey. During the week at Reset, I took time to go over all my notes from each of the Explore sessions. During the very first session in January 2023, I made a small note that simply said "Trust him!". At the time, I didn't know exactly what I was reminded of to trust. Was this just to trust God in the general sense, or was it in...
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The Sabbatical is Over!

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It's over! Four months of rest, reading, relaxing, praying, writing, journaling, sabbathing, fellowshipping—and everything else the Father led me into during this Sabbatical—have come to an end. I've just stepped out of one incredible adventure and into another. Same church family. Same friends. But now with a renewed faith and fresh excitement to serve my church and city! Last week, our family was blessed to spend seven days at a cottage on the Ottawa River, generously offered by a former elder who, nearly 19 years ago, helped send Danielle and me into pastoral ministry. It was a special time to reconnect as a family (which gets harder with adult children!) and to spend some quiet, focused time with God before reentering ministry life. During one of those quiet moments, I made a list of the ways I sensed God working, teaching, and healing during my Sabbatical. In the months ahead, I plan to blog in more detail about how I was challenged and the spiritual growth I experienced. ...
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