Outside of Work, What Do You Genuinely Look Forward to Each Week?
Outside of Work, What Do You Genuinely Look Forward to Each Week?
Great question. Two things come to mind immediately.
Eight and a half years ago I went on my first sabbatical. I'd been in ministry twenty years, and the church decided it was time to give me a month off. I was excited — thirty days with no services, no phone calls, no texts, no emails. It was my first time since I became a pastor that I didn't have to be ready for any of those interruptions.. My team back at the church covered all of that -- They crushed it! Handled everything without me. It shocked me to not be "on call" 24/7. When the phone rings from the church, it's usually because someone needs something from you. That month broke that constant tension and it reminded me how much I love pastoring people through their walk with God.
One question we always ask someone coming back from sabbatical is: "What did you do that fuels and refreshes you?" The hope is that if you can answer that over thirty days, you can build it into a weekly rhythm. For me, the answer was simple — start the day with Bible reading, then a workout, then a prayer walk. That became my daily rhythm on sabbatical and it still is today. Every day except Sunday. I still read my Bible on Sundays. I just skip the workout and the walk. Let me break each piece down.
First, Bible reading.
Yes, I know — "You're a pastor, of course you'd say that." But this isn't a pastor thing. It's a Christian-first thing. Back when I was newly married to Kristin, working the UPS preload shift that started at 4am, I still got up early enough to read my passage for the day. Not because I was a pastor — I wasn't yet. It was because I was a Christian. And here's what still amazes me: whatever I read in the morning shows up in my conversations throughout the day. Maybe it's fresh in my mind. Maybe the principles just fit real life that well. Either way, it grounds me — in my relationship with God and in the simple truths that carry me through the day.
Then, the workout.
This is the shift from spiritual to physical. I want something hard. Something that makes me lose my breath and dig deep to finish. Here's one of my goals in life: I want to be able to do whatever my great-grandchildren ask me to do. I used to chase that with my kids. Now I'm chasing it with my grandkids. I'm fifty-nine with a thirteen-year-old grandson and eight more kiddos behind him. . If I do the work today, I get to enjoy the fun tomorrow.
People ask if I still compete — races, triathlons, softball, pickleball, golf. I can. But honestly, I love the solitude of the workout more. It's just me against one stubborn, wily competitor: myself. Every time I train, I beat the lazy version of me. And I love that win.
Finally, the prayer walk.
I started this about four years ago, and it's changed a lot in the last year. Used to be I'd just run through my list of things to tell God. Now I have a rhythm — Honor God, a church segment and a personal segment. I always start by magnifying God. "Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name." I want to put Him in His proper place first — my God, my Lord, my Savior, my Counselor, my Advocate. Honor Him first.
Then I surrender. Everything. Heart, mind, words, actions. Once I've surrendered it all, I invite the Holy Spirit into my day by praying Isaiah 11:2 over myself. I want the same anointing Jesus carried, the one the prophet described. From there I pray whatever God puts on my heart as a pastor — things people have asked me to carry, situations at the church I want Him to move in. And I close by praying over myself, my wife, my family. That is where I want God to hear from my heart, and what I'm asking Him to do for us.
So why not Sunday?
Honestly, no real reason. I just like the quiet of a Sunday morning before I face a building full of people. I can handle Saturday night services just fine. We've run them almost my whole time at GFC. But Sunday, 6:30am to 7:45am — that's when I read the news, eat breakfast, and get ready for whatever God has for me that day. Funny enough, it's the one morning a week I actually take that time. Every other day I skip it to get to my first appointment, because that's when I'm most productive.
So here's my question back to you — the same one I started with: What do you genuinely look forward to each week?
Have fun with it.
#JustAddWater #EmpoweringShepherd #PastorLife #DailyRhythm #FaithAndFitness #PrayerWalk #StartYourDayRight
