Time Out and Resilience

I admit it.. I left Pittsburgh on a cold morning last month and enjoyed a warm weekend on a South Carolina beach. Thinking. Pondering. Wondering. Celebrating.

The vast Atlantic was in front of me and though I found very few shells that day, I did find solace and respite. Praying the "Hours" is teaching me that life has a rhythm and that rhythm is experienced daily. It is this "sabbath" rhythm that calls us to rest, work, and rest again. By creating small "time outs" in my day, I am able to fill up my reservoir of health that gives me the "bounce back" resilience that life demands of pastoral leaders.

For the interim congregation, the interim time itself is a "time out." This is a time for reflection, soul searching before pastor searching, prayer and discernment. As a pastoral leader in a time of transition, creating the "time out" space can be the key to helping the people hear what God is calling them to be and to do.

Bob Anderson