I've just come back from a "study leave". That's what we call a time when ministers can get away from the issues that we deal with on a daily or weekly basis, and have some time to reflect, to read, to pray, and to refresh ourselves spiritually so that we can better serve our congregations.
At least, that's the idea.
I've just taken two weeks of study leave. And, I confess, I didn't study. At least, not formally. My husband and I took a trip to Israel--just the two of us. We--well, I--wanted to see the Holy Land, the religious "sights", and we wanted to do it on our own, with flexibility regarding schedule, but with local expertise. The two of us, with a guide. Experiencing. Learning. Incorporating. Gaining Insight.
At least, that was the idea.
I was going to post notes to this blog as we went, sharing my days, entering my impressions, imparting information, all in real time.
At least, that was the idea.
And like a lot of ideas, it quickly became one whose time had not come. As we travelled, I experienced such a profusion of sights, reactions, experiences that they all started to blur. The best I could do was to jot down notes in a journal as we went, hoping to be able to connect them with memories later. I bought books at different places, thinking that I would afterwards read them, look at the photos, and "all would become clear".
Not really.
But I'm still going to post some of what I saw, and some of what I thought about.
And, SPOILER ALERT, some of this material will undoubtedly work its way into future sermons--so if you attend worship here at FIRST PRES, someday, sometime, this material may resurface. But perhaps somehow there may be value, even if its re-cycled ruminations.
At least, that's the idea.
