The Oasis - June 26, 2024

      My sabbatical begins next week, and as much as I will miss the work and all of you this summer, I’m looking forward to the opportunity to spend some time seeking God. I hope no one is under the illusion in this day and age that ministers—be they pastors or priests, rabbis or imams—are the pinnacle of holiness, and that our relationship with God is perfect and perpetually profound. Just like anyone, ministers are making our way through this life on our own faith journeys, and the ways we connect with and relate to God are as ever-evolving and ever-changing as anyone else’s. Ministers are constantly seeking to enrich the faith journey of those they serve, and must take special care not to neglect their own faith lives even as they enhance others’. That is why a time of sabbatical is so valuable: it provides fertile ground for a minister to not only recharge and refresh, but also to deepen their own connection to God to
spend time with God in all the ways we encourage others to do.

      So while I’m away this summer, I encourage you to take time to seek God too.

                                                    “Praying,” by Mary Oliver

                                                           It doesn’t have to be
                                                         the blue iris, it could be
                                                    weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
                                                               small stones; just
                                                         pay attention, then patch
                                                a few words together and don’t try
                                                 to make them elaborate, this isn’t
                                                        a contest but the doorway
                                                 into thanks, and a silence in which
                                                          another voice may speak.