Amy's Sabbatical Week 1

Here we are in week one of the sabbatical. It has been both wonderful and strange. On the first day of my sabbatical I felt a bit unmoored. While it was wonderful to not have any specific schedule or time constraints, it was also very strange. I found myself asking, "Who am I when I am not a pastor? Who am I when I am not working?" That is all a part of the discovery....

Bear taking a break from our walk up Crazy Canyon

So during this first week I have been going on long walks with my dog, Bear, up Crazy Canyon. Walks where I can just meander around and lose track of the time. In between the rain drops I have also been weeding the garden. The weeds come out quite nicely in this soft wet ground. And when the rains have been falling hard, I have been reading. My first book is one loaned to me by John Garrity ( a member of UCC) titled "With or Without God; Why the way we live is more important than what we believe," by Gretta Vosper. Gretta is a pastor ordained in the United Church of Canada and is the founder and director of the Canadian Center for Progressive Christianity.

Here's a Quote:

"The world is seriously in need of clarity around what values will help us create a sustainalbe future and what values will compromise aour ability to get there. In the early church, the values of love, forgiveness, and compassion drove the work and lives of those known as Christians. This is a legacy of the church, and it must once again become the agenda by which it chooses to live. Not what we belive. Not our isntitutional survival. Our focus must be waht we can do to challenge, edify and support individuals as they seek to live virtuous and responsible lives. It is vitally important that we stop fumbling the ball; that is, if it's not too late."

There's some food for thought... Gretta is advocating moving away from all the institutional stuff that tends to divide us as churches and focus on the values that unit us.

More to come....

Take care and remember the sabbath and keep it holy!