Every summer I do a "summer sabbatical" where I take a few weeks off from preaching. It's not that I can't be growing while I'm preaching week in and week out. But my sabbatical is a season where I step back and seek God for something fresh. It's not about what God can do through me. It's about what God can do in me. It's my way of recalibrating and making sure I'm keeping in step with the Spirit. For what it's worth, I've quoted Galatians 5:25 incessantly in recent weeks. "It says, "Let us keep in step with the Spirit." The Holy Spirit is taking long srides right now :) but I'm trying to keep in step.
I've noticed a few things during this sabbatical. First, my heart feels super-sensitive right now. It was a little embarrassing but I practically cried my way through the 9:30 service @ Union yesterday. I cried when Parker read Scripture and Summer sang. I cried when I talked about the dream I had where the Lord said, "You have to do more." I cried during worship. My sabbatical is a time where God re-sensitizes me to the things I've become de-sensitized to.
It's also been healthy for me to just sit and listen for a few weeks. I felt full after the message on Sunday. In fact, I likened it to my meal at Maggianos while I was in Denver. After a Maggiano's salad, Chicken Saltimboca, and Tiramasu I was stuffed. That's how I felt after church. I was stuffed :) I felt so full of God.
I could hardly contain the excitement during worship either. I felt like I was being raptured in the Spirit. I felt like jumping or doing the running man :) There is nothing like being in God's presence and worshipping Him.
I've noticed a few things during this sabbatical. First, my heart feels super-sensitive right now. It was a little embarrassing but I practically cried my way through the 9:30 service @ Union yesterday. I cried when Parker read Scripture and Summer sang. I cried when I talked about the dream I had where the Lord said, "You have to do more." I cried during worship. My sabbatical is a time where God re-sensitizes me to the things I've become de-sensitized to.
It's also been healthy for me to just sit and listen for a few weeks. I felt full after the message on Sunday. In fact, I likened it to my meal at Maggianos while I was in Denver. After a Maggiano's salad, Chicken Saltimboca, and Tiramasu I was stuffed. That's how I felt after church. I was stuffed :) I felt so full of God.
I could hardly contain the excitement during worship either. I felt like I was being raptured in the Spirit. I felt like jumping or doing the running man :) There is nothing like being in God's presence and worshipping Him.
2 Comments:
i know the Spirit is always with us, and well, i don't need to hear from someone else that the Spirit was present in order to know that...
but as i shared in the email, there was something big going on in the theater at the 9:30- and to hear you blog about it and know how i felt at the same time, is just a really cool testament that the Spirit was extra active yesterday morning...
anyone else catch it?
whew-
love that
*hasler
God is up to something at NCC "JH". It's really cool to see that I am not the only one that has been getting excited in the services at church. Pastor Mark-don't be surprised if some of us start to jump and do the running man in service. :) Being in the presence of God is perhaps the most invigorating, exciting, life changing experience/feeling ever.....I can't get enough!! I believe a mighty move of God will come to our city and church if we keep praying like it depends on God and working like it depends on us.
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