For decades now Debb and I have had our own little inside joke. Whenever we witness something that showcases the creative majesty of our God, one of us says, “ain’t evolution great?” It’s a tongue in cheek way of pointing out the utter inadequacy of materialistic evolution to explain the beautifully complex world in which we live. It’s a sentiment that we’ve been moved to countless times already this summer, including during yesterday's hike to alpine lakes as revealed in the picture above. As I write, we are a little over a third of the way through our three-month sabbatical. What is a sabbatical? It can be different things for different people. For me, a sabbatical is a set apart time after at least 7 years of full-time ministry (it’s been 10 since our last one) where ministry responsibilities are put on pause to provide time for reading, study, prayer, and renewal. It’s not primarily a vacation (though I am taking 2 weeks of vacation as part of this time away) in that I have 400 hours of structured activity. But it is an opportunity to focus on being over doing, input instead of output, letting others shepherd me in place of devoting myself to shepherding others. I am filled with gratitude for a church that recognizes the value of sabbatical, for God’s provision of leaders willing to fill the gap in my absence, and for God allowing this unique time to take place even in the midst of such a unique time in our world. Most of our sabbatical, so far, has been enjoyed in isolated pastoral retreats (Camano Island, the Olympic National Forest, Whidbey Island and Prairie City, Oregon). We were even able to throw in a long weekend camping trip to Salmon La Sac with our family. What all these places have in common is that they help us to be off the grid, intentionally decreasing our intake of media and significantly increasing our intake of God…in His Word, His people (I’ve finished four books so far) and His creation. Our most recent experience of the beauty of God’s creation found us on a seven-mile hike up to Strawberry Lake, to Strawberry Falls, and ending at Little Strawberry Lake just in the shadow of Strawberry Mountain, a 9,024 ft peak in Eastern Oregon. I wish I had words to fully capture the richly flowered meadows, the beautifully tree-lined trails, the serenely still lake, the stunningly soaring osprey, the powerfully gushing waterfall, and the majestically towering alpine peaks. You could call it eye-candy for the soul! Truly, it is the greatness of our God that has been on display throughout the first third of our sabbatical. We’ve seen it in countless ways in His creation and His Word. We’ve also felt it in the graciousness of hosts providing us with places to get away, at no charge, out of their love for Christ’s church. And we’ve witnessed it week after week in the faithfulness of a variety of co-workers at RBC who have picked up our share of the ministry in shepherding, the church office and our building expansion. This is in addition to those who have been leading us before the throne each Sunday in worship and the Word (which we’ve gotten to enjoy via live stream). Especially in the face of the chaos of our world right now, I’ve been grateful for the reminders of our identity in Christ from those who have preached in my stead this summer. I’ve also enjoyed such reminders in the various passages we’ve been digging into for our Life on Life groups. This morning, for me, it was Colossians 3:1-17 (I’m a wee bit behind) which directs us, as in-Christ people, to focus our thoughts and desires on heavenly realities, refusing temptation and embracing the righteous living appropriate to God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved. How I need such reminders of who I am!!! I pray that you will take advantage of weekly sabbaticals (our Sunday “sabbath” celebrations) as opportunities to be reminded, together with God’s people, of who God is and who we are in Christ. Now, more than ever, we need to heed Paul’s admonition, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God” (Col. 3:16). I also pray that we will seek daily sabbath (spiritual rest) opportunities to read God’s Word and pray and remind ourselves of who we are in Christ Jesus, as those awaiting His glorious return. Until that time, and until we are able to rejoin the fellowship of Renton Bible, I echo Paul’s powerful admonition: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17 In Christ, Pastor Dan
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Dan GannonDan has ministered at Renton Bible Church, with his wife Debbie, since 2003. Archives
June 2022
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