"We are travellers…not yet in our native land" – St. Augustine
Work is busy at the moment. In fact, “busy” doesn’t even come close to covering it. I don’t think I’ve ever been so stressed and overworked in all my career and it’s been like this since Easter.
As such, I’ll be taking a brief blogging sabbatical. Maybe see you in May?
At the end of last week I went on another silent retreat. I spent lots of time reading “The Practice of the Presence of God” by Brother Lawrence, a lay Carmelite brother. I’ve found it really beautiful. I would like to share with you a portion of Letter Seven:
…[God] requires no great matters of us; a little remembrance of Him from time to time, a little adoration. Sometimes to pray for His grace. Sometimes to offer Him your sufferings. And sometimes to return Him thanks for the favors He has given you, and still gives you, in the midst of your troubles. Console yourself with Him the oftenest you can… The least little remembrance will always be pleasing to Him.
You need not cry very loud. He is nearer to us than we are aware. And we do not always have to be in church to be with God. We may make an oratory of our heart so we can, from time to time, retire to converse with Him in meekness, humility, and love…
…You are nearly sixty-four, and I am almost eighty. Let us live and die with God. Sufferings will be sweet and pleasant while we are with Him. Without Him, the greatest pleasures will be a cruel punishment to us….
Gradually become accustomed to worship Him in this way; to beg His grace, to offer Him your heart from time to time; in the midst of your business, even every moment if you can. Do not always scrupulously confine yourself to certain rules or particular forms of devotion. Instead, act in faith with love and humility.
This afternoon I came across something which made me chuckle while I was out taking my afternoon stroll with Scott Hahn (Dr. Hahn couldn’t make it in person but was considerate enough to be present on my iPod).
I was walking through one of Seattle’s many lovely parks and I came across some children’s play equipment:
I noticed that the bars of the fence enclosing the area had names written on them. I assumed that these were the names of the donors who helped pay for the equipment. It was then that I noticed one particular entry:
The Thomas family appeared to have wanted a Bible verse included with their name. Their choice of verse made me chuckle. Can you guess what text is found in Luke 18:16?
A week ago I began my sabbatical. Following my spiritual director’s suggestion, I spent that first week away on retreat. I spent my time at a monastery, dedicating the next two months of discernment to the Lord.
The monastery I visited was a Benedictine monastery in Oregon. Having grown up around Benedictine monks, I felt very much at home. It was wonderful having the rhythm of my day guided by the monastic office, even if the (very loud) bell rang for Vigils at 5:30am each day!
It was really nice to have some time away and get a complete change of scenery. I got plenty of rest and spent most of my time reading and writing. It was so good to quiet the noise inside and to have an opportunity collect my thoughts.
I got back Sunday evening and yesterday I spent planning, working out the day-to-day routine of the months ahead…
In the mornings I’ll be going to Matins and Divine Liturgy and then I’ll repair to a coffee shop to work on the book for a couple of hours. I’ll try and go to a different coffee shop each day and I’m planning on keeping track of them on this map:
I’ll then come home and cook lunch. I do love cooking but normally I’m too rushed/lazy/impatient to do it. Therefore, during this sabbatical, I’m going to endeavor to expand my usual repertoire of dishes by following a recipe each day.
The afternoons will begin with an hour of exploring new technologies which will then be followed by a long walk through one of Seattle’s many beautiful parks. I’ll listen to a lecture on my iPod, but I’ll always spend the last half an hour in peaceful silence. When I get back I’ll spend some time reading the mountain of books I’ve assembled.
The evenings will be spent relaxing, working out and the odd Holy Hour.
This week, during my walks I will be listening to John – The Sacramental Gospel from St. Paul’s Center for Biblical Theology. The meals I will cook will include Spicy Salmon with Bok Choy, Chicken Curry, Salmon With Creamy Cucumber-Fennel Salad, Pasta With Turkey and Broccoli and Southwestern Beef Chili With Corn.
Today I’d like to share with you something I’m going to be working on during my sabbatical. For the longest time, my bucket list has contained an entry which reads “Write a book and get it published”. I think it’s finally time to cross off that entry…
I’ve been involved with different Bible Study groups, both in the USA and back in England, for about ten years. During this time, I’ve searched for a book to help guide me in leading these different groups. Unfortunately, that book doesn’t appear to exist! In the Protestant world, I’ve found books which help with basic Biblical exegesis and personal reading, but nothing substantial on leading a group study. In the Catholic world, there are even slimmer pickings. In light of this, over the next couple of months I’m going to be writing the book that I wish I had read a decade ago!
This book is going to lead the reader through the entire process of running a Bible Study, from beginning to end. My goal is to make this book extremely practical, coving all the nitty-gritty details of setting up and running a group. It will guide the reader through a typical Bible Study meeting, providing lots of handy hints as to how to nurture the discussion and avoid common pitfalls. In the appendices I hope to have all kinds of usual material, including a modified version of my commentary on Philippians. It is my hope that, even with no prior experience, once somebody has this book in his hands he will have everything he needs to start a successful Bible Study in his parish.
As a reader of Restless Pilgrim, this involves you! I will be blogging about the book over the coming months and asking for your feedback. This begins today! I’m currently trying to come up with a working title for this book. Please help me choose it by voting below:
I’d also like to choose a tag line or subtitle for the book:
I’m really excited about this and I’d love to hear your thoughts! What would you look for in a book like this? Is there a particular issue related to Bible study groups which you’d particularly like to see addressed?
Today’s is just going to be a very short post. This entry marks my 2,000th post here at RestlessPilgrim.net. I wanted to thank everyone who has read, commented and shared this blog. I’m always extremely humbled when I find out that people take time out of their lives to read what I have to say and I love receiving responses from people I’ve never met in person.
As well as being my 2,000th post, today marks the beginning of my two month sabbatical. I will be posting during this time, but it’s also going to be a period of discernment for the road ahead. I’d very much appreciate your prayers as I try and work all this out.
Lovely readers! I’d like your advice please!
At the end of this week things are going to change… My company just approved my request for a two-month sabbatical.
I’m going to use the time for three things. First and foremost, I’m going to use this time to discern the road ahead. Next, I’m going to take this opportunity to tick some things off my bucket list. Finally, I’m going to use the time to have a bit of a rest, a shabbat, if you will…
I’m currently planning how I’m going to structure those two months, and this is where I’d appreciate your input. I will be spending the first week of the sabbatical on retreat at a monastery at an undisclosed location in another part of the United States…
After that, what should I do? Or, put another way, if you had two months off work, how would you spend your time?