I started at Faith Church in October 2002 as full-time youth associate pastor. That meant, given my denomination’s recommendation that pastors receive sabbaticals every seven years, that my first opportunity for a sabbatical could have been as early as October 2009. But I didn’t take a sabbatical until January 1, 2018. Nine years later. Why?Continue reading “How a church that never gave a sabbatical in 50 years decided to give one – The Sabbath Year, Part 4”
Monthly Archives: July 2025
Sabbaticals should be required for employees in any organization – The Sabbath Year, Part 3
Do you know the first corporation to grant sabbaticals? McDonalds. Does your church or company grant sabbaticals? They should. If you are in leadership in a church or company, this post explains why sabbaticals are not an indulgent luxury, but deeply beneficial for the employee and the organization. As I mentioned in previous posts thisContinue reading “Sabbaticals should be required for employees in any organization – The Sabbath Year, Part 3”
A rainbow mosaic to help us trust in God – The Sabbath Year, Part 2
During worship this past Sunday, we did an art project. You can see it in the picture above. We’re going to frame it and display it in our church lobby. Why? It has everything to do with the Sabbath Year. In Leviticus verses 1 through 7, we learn about the Sabbath Year. “The Lord saidContinue reading “A rainbow mosaic to help us trust in God – The Sabbath Year, Part 2”
Are sabbaticals an unnecessary indulgence? – The Sabbath Year, Part 1
In 2009, a husband and wife from my church, both full-time teachers, took sabbaticals to spend an entire year as substitute missionaries in Kenya. Because theirs were full-year sabbaticals, they received 50% pay. Another option would be to take six-month sabbaticals at 100% pay, which is standard for teachers. But the school in Kenya, RiftContinue reading “Are sabbaticals an unnecessary indulgence? – The Sabbath Year, Part 1”
There is not one, but three sabbaths – The Sabbath Year, Preview
This is my last week before my August through October 2025 sabbatical starts. In preparation for sabbatical, I have been writing a blog series on the concept of Sabbath. Last week I mentioned that there is not just one Sabbath Day. In the book of Leviticus, God instructs his people Israel to keep three SabbathContinue reading “There is not one, but three sabbaths – The Sabbath Year, Preview”
How a car for sale on Facebook led to a beautiful expression of Jubilee – Jubilee, Part 5
A person in our congregation has been seeking a reliable vehicle for months. Given their financial situation, our church Leadership Team approved using money from our Care & Share Fund to help them with the down-payment on the vehicle. During the past two months, they looked at numerous vehicles, and two really good possibilities fellContinue reading “How a car for sale on Facebook led to a beautiful expression of Jubilee – Jubilee, Part 5”
Jubilee failure and success in the ministry of Jesus – Jubilee, Part 4
Can we apply God’s Jubilee heart to our lives? To try to answer that question, we need to go to the New Testament, and there we learn that Jesus himself talked about the year of Jubilee. In Luke 4:18–19, we read that Jesus, very early in his ministry returned to his hometown of Nazareth, whereContinue reading “Jubilee failure and success in the ministry of Jesus – Jubilee, Part 4”
The anti-capitalist heart of God – Jubilee, Part 3
Is capitalism good or bad? If you search online, you’ll see that it’s a hot debate. It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the rest. Whether or not that statement is true (eg. democracy actually many excellent benefits), could we say something similar about capitalist economics. IsContinue reading “The anti-capitalist heart of God – Jubilee, Part 3”
The Walking Purchase (aka how indigenous peoples were cheated out of land that became Pennsylvania) and the Third Sabbath – Jubilee, Part 2
Have you heard of the Pennsylvania Walking Purchase? I have lived in Pennsylvania nearly my entire life, and I took PA History in high school. I do not remember hearing about the Walking Purchase before this week, when a question came to mind, “How was Pennsylvania land obtained by the English?” I searched that questionContinue reading “The Walking Purchase (aka how indigenous peoples were cheated out of land that became Pennsylvania) and the Third Sabbath – Jubilee, Part 2”
A fitting inscription on the Liberty Bell, but from a “strange” book of the Bible – Jubilee, Part 1
Have you ever visited the Liberty Bell? I have visited the Liberty Bell at least a couple times, but I could not have told you until this week that the bell has an inscription. The thing that I remember the most about the bell is that it was cast by bell makers named Pass andContinue reading “A fitting inscription on the Liberty Bell, but from a “strange” book of the Bible – Jubilee, Part 1″
Engaging Scripture 