Sabbatical: Home Away from Home

Living in a 75 square foot space and having a ball!

Sabbatical: River of Life

Rivers as the source of life is not something I came up with myself.  It is a theme that God presents throughout the entire Bible, from beginning to end.  Check this out!  This is why I am so looking forward to going on this Sabbatical in 3 weeks.

Sabbatical: Sabbatical Route

For all you navigators and geography buffs, here is a little info about the route we will be taking for our Sabbatical.

Sabbatical: What is it?

Hi friends, Laura, Jess, and I are planning a sabbatical for this summer.  I would like to share this experience with you by way of a video blog or vlog.  I will let you know right from the beginning that this is way out of my comfort zone, being the introvert that I am.  However, part of the reason to have a sabbatical is to find new ways to connect with God, family and friends.  So...here we go.  I hope you enjoy it and please share any thoughts with me as we go on this amazing adventure.  Thanks.

December 27, 2017

               My daughter Leslie turns 30 years old today.  That right, 30 years ago today I took Laura to the hospital in San Salvador, El Salvador.  That, in and of itself, was an act of faith for me.  The delivery was pretty normal except for the fact that the doctor who was going to do the delivery was smoking a cigarette in the delivery room as he was about to examine Laura.  And the other thing was that the doctor did not want me in the delivery room; but I refused to leave…who knows, he might have lit up again at any time!

                Leslie came into the world in the normal way and our first daughter was a true prize.  I began to dream about her future and when I did I could not get out of my mind a beautiful girl riding a horse with a long blond ponytail.  I still have that dream of Leslie, only it will not come true in this life.  Leslie developed seizures when she was just two months old.  We did not think anything of it first and neither did the neurologist we took her to in El Salvador.  We went to Costa Rica and had an electroencephalogram (EEG) done on her.  Three doctors looked at it and two said it was fine and one said there might be a problem.  We still were not satisfied.  Laura and Leslie went to Tulane Medical Center where my cousin, who taught at the medical school there, referred us to a pediatric neurologist.

                The results were not what we wanted to hear.  Leslie had a seizure disorder and we needed to stop the seizures which were damaging her brain.  Well, 30 years later, we have still not controlled the seizures.  However, Leslie’s health has been a controlling factor in our lives.  We have bought a house, purchased vans, determined vacations (or lack of them), changed jobs, changed career goals, and simply tried to change the future to be the best parents we could be for our dear Leslie.  It has all been worth it. Raising Leslie has been one of the most profound things that has ever happened to us.

                I am about to embark on a study of the book of Job at Trinity Church where I am the pastor.  I have been reading, wrestling, praying, and crying about suffering over the past couple of weeks.  Though God never created the world with suffering in it, I am finding that it is only through suffering that we learn to love God.  What a paradox.  God allows suffering to come into our life, which in turn teaches us to love him more.  Now this is not the regular response to suffering.  Often we turn in on ourselves and think that we must deserve whatever is happening to us.  Not true.  And just as often we turn on God and tell him he is not fair and we did not deserve whatever we are passing through.  Also not true.

                But instead of blaming self or God, we simply need to find the source of our life and happiness not in our health, possessions or family, but only in God.  And when we find God as the source of everything, then nothing can take our happiness or our life away from us.  Ultimately, suffering teaches us what really matters in life and in death.  And once we have learned that, our joy is secure in all circumstances.  That is the best thing we can learn in life -- too bad it often takes several bouts with suffering for us to begin to understand this.  But once we know and experience the potential of suffering, life becomes the joy that God wants it to be.