It's nearly here. Something I've been planning, praying about and preparing for over a year. On Thursday I will head off to America and Canada on my sabbatical from Ballygrainey. To say that I am experiencing mixed emotions would be an understatement. I will be away from Paula, Ewan and Andrew for the next five weeks - the longest I've ever been parted from the boys and the longest Paula and I have been apart since she was studying in Scotland while I was at Union College. They will be joining me after five weeks for a time of holiday in America.
I will be away from my church family in Ballygrainey and will miss them very much over the next two months but I know they will be in safe pastoral and preaching hands.
On the other hand I am looking forward to catching up with the Burton family in Selma, Alabama - a family who in just four years have become incredibly dear to our hearts and a deep encouragement in ministry. I am looking forward to meeting up with church leaders in Birmingham and Atlanta. I am looking forward to visiting a different part of the South, echoing with the memories of the Civil Rights era. Selma was the place where the battle for voting rights for African-Americans reached its peak in 1965. It is a place where I hope I can learn not just about discipleship (the focus of my trip) but also about the reconciliation which is a vital part of discipleship in both America and Northern Ireland.
I am looking forward to visiting Vancouver and spending time reading and attending classes in the summer programme at Regent College. Everybody I talk to tells me Vancouver is a beautiful city. I'm looking forward to seeing if they're right! While I'm there I'm attending classes on discipleship in a cultural age and preaching the parables as well as discussing ideas with other students from all over the world.
I also hope to take time to for rest, refreshment and especially renewal of my personal walk with Christ. My daily devotions while I'm away will be largely in the Psalms and Luke-Acts as I learn afresh what discipleship looks like in every experience of life and how it leads us to mission.
I will be blogging my experiences from time to time as well as keeping people up to date on Facebook. I'd love you to be part of the journey with me. I am, like Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit, naturally averse to adventure but this is an adventure to which I am very much looking forward. It is an adventure which, like all adventures, should change me as a minister and as a Christian. Pray for me, Paula, Ewan and Andrew during our time of separation. Pray for Ballygrainey that they will look forward to having a refreshed and renewed minister returning to them and sharing a fresh vision (without a transatlantic accent, I promise!)
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