Shalom...Ciad... Aloha...TTYL...

It is hard to believe that the time has really arrived. It was three years ago that Peggy and I went to a planning session from the Lilly Endowment concerning a Pastor's Sabbatical. It was Two years ago that we began dreaming of what we would do with fourteen weeks of rest. It was 18 months ago that the congregation voted to give us a Sabbatical in the summer of 2013. It was fourteen months ago

that we sent in a grant request to the Lilly Endowment. And on June 23, 2012 we received word that we were one of twenty two pastor's families in the state of Indiana who received a Sabbath Rest. Now, for the last year, we have prayed, planned, and pondered what this summer would hold. It really never sunk in until the tickets for Rome came in the mail two weeks ago. But a deeper sense of reality struck when we saw the sign in front of the church this week. On May 26, Peggy and I will leave the comfort of our church family for a fourteen week experience of a lifetime.

It is hard for me to describe the emotion that I am feeling at this moment. I really don't know why I have been so emotional. Day after day my eyes fill with tears and a ball forms in my throat. I have a hard time with words and have found myself quiet even in the presence of my family. Peggy said that it is because I don't have any control for the next fourteen weeks around here. (Probably some truth to that for a control freak like me.) Maybe it is the the incredible blessing and honor of receiving such a prestigious award. Lord knows that I don't feel worthy of such a great blessing. Maybe it is the
fear that things will go just fine for fourteen weeks around here and you all will know that I am not really needed. (Which is why I wanted to do this in the first place. I wanted the church to know that they will get along just fine without me. And I wanted to know that I trained up a church that will move forward if God called me away at some point in time.)  But maybe, more than anything else, it is the fear of what God is going to show me about myself this summer. It is easy to hide behind the mask of being a pastor. It is easy to share religious jargon with others. It is easy to think about the spiritual life of others and not be as concerned as I should be about my own spiritual life. For fourteen weeks, I must face my own demons. For fourteen weeks, I must look at my relationship with Christ. For fourteen weeks, I need to see where I stand with my Lord. For fourteen weeks, I will stand in the presence of Jesus and allow him to reveal to me what I need to see. And frankly my friends, that scares me.

So, the tent is up out back, the hog has been butchered, and the date of my departure has come. Know that in the coming weeks and months, I will miss you all greatly.  My pastor's heart wants me to stay but my desire to be a better minister for Christ pushes me to go. Throughout the coming months, I will be posting here quite often. There will be pictures and stories that many of you will want to see and hear. I will show you the places where I will be praying for each of you by name. I will share with you what the Lord is teaching me. And I will give you some of the fun stuff as well. So visit this site often this summer and see what God is doing. And when you see what's up, say a prayer for us. And know that we will be doing the same for you. Love you all, Pastor Aaron