I Took My Sabbatical Before John Piper Did

I had to set that straight; people were wondering if I was following Piper in a Sabbatical. I did not. I followed Jesus.

My Last 30 Days: A Review

My time off of blogging has been very beneficial to me. At first I had no idea what was going to happen, but as time passed, I think I began to realize the purpose for my time off. I’ll share with you what I learned (among other things).

I needed the break

I was spending a lot of time writing, not only here online, but also on a few other projects. The break was good.

I was able to implement a devotional time I had fallen away from, which I am very thankful for. Currently I am reading through TableTalk: The Devotional Magazine and the Bible daily. Thanks to Daniel C. Wilson for referring me to the free 3 month trial.

I was able to spend some really good time with my children. This was really neat. We played a lot. The more you give yourself to your children, the more they want you and the more you want to give.

If you have children, please, please, please do not neglect them for the sake of your career. You will never get that lost time back.

What I learned about my blog

That it was not needed.

When I began my blog sabbatical it was very difficult for me to pull away from my computer and not write.

I actually experienced some withdraw: I wanted to check my reader stats, comments, incoming links, and other activities related to blogging.

After a while of not writing, though, I began to not even want to write. I did not think that was going to happen, but it did.

Actually, I came to realize that my blog isn’t even necessary. I believe this is one of the big things God wanted to teach me—that my blog could not even exist and things would be fine.

My response to this sobering truth is that I am thankful that God allows it to exist. I am thankful to use this as a vehicle of sharing the truth of God and His love for people. There were times when I sort of went away from this privileged task, and through my time away God has shown me my error.

I was holding this blog with a tight grip. What I think I am supposed to do is hold it tightly with a loose grip. What I mean is that I ought to be thankful for the gift God has given through it, but be willing and open to God’s Spirit should He choose to speak a certain thing through it, or lead elsewhere.

This was a great teaching for me. Humbling, but great.

What’s next?

Just because I wasn’t writing on the blog does not mean I haven’t been working on anything. I have. It’s a book based on a series of articles I wrote, hosted by Demian Farnworth. This should be published soon in a paper back book. Thanks to God I already have a church who wants to purchase an order for their entire church.

I plan on writing more books. During my leave, I realized how much I would enjoy writing books. My goal is to set up a writing schedule for personal book writing. I have a couple I am working on, but who knows when I’ll finish them.

Also, I am going to continue writing here. I really enjoy sharing thoughts and interacting with others. I am amazed that I still had a consistent flow of readership while taking a 30-day leave.

Thank you so much for reading what I hash out from the clutter in the closet of my mind. I really appreciate you. All of you.

There’s a snap shot of what my past 30 days were like and what I’m doing as a result.

See you again soon.

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