Beth Stephens
sabbatical review
Questions I started with:
Sabbath Rest:
What would it be like to practice Sabbath Rest in my daily life?
Where is God calling me to rest and trust in His power?
How does soul exhaustion impact faith?
Wellness Evaluation:
What is reasonable wellness?
Where am I blind to my unhealth?
How could I grow in personal wellness?
Strategic Planning:
How has God gifted me as a person?
Where is God calling Trinity and me?
What does leadership stewardship look like here?
How I spent
the time:
Sabbath Rest:
Seven days in the mountains at the Franciscan Renewal Center. AMAZING time of quiet rest, reflecting on Christ’s invitation to follow Him, even into the desert. I followed up with a day-long retreat at the Sophia Center and an overnight at Hollis Retreat Center. We have great facilities here in Kansas City!
Wellness:
I renewed my gym membership and committed to a grace-filled perspective of movement and strength-building. My counselor and I explored my general wellness. We worked to identify some wellness values centered on emotional health as well as physical.
Strategic Planning:
I met with an executive coach who is trained in Gallup’s StrengthFinders. We worked to discover ways I can lean into the strengths God has give to me and in this position to serve God and love His people well.
What I Learned
about God
Sabbath Rest:
I met with an executive coach who is trained in Gallup’s StrengthFinders. We worked to discover ways I can lean into the strengths God has give to me and in this position to serve God and love His people well.
Wellness:
There are seasons of strength, abundance, and smiles. There are seasons of weakness, scarcity, and tears. God goes with us in every season. His love, faithfulness, and joy are there no matter what season.
Strategic Planning:
God has uniquely gifted Trinity and myself with strengths to serve Him and love people well as a community following Jesus.
Take
aways
what do I
want to keep
with me?
Thankfulness to be part of a community pursuing Christ and the Priesthood of All Believers.
May God continue to help me manage my identity as a BELOVED child of God who needs forgiveness, rest, and quiet.
May I use my strengths uniquely in this position as I seek to serve the youth, their families, and God well. As I do, may I also identify the people God has prepared to partner with me in ministry.
just the beginning:
January 31st was the last day of my sabbatical. Join me in a renewed commitment as a “community following Jesus.” May we be found a place where we encourage one another to rest. Rest from the expectations of others. Rest from the loudness of our own fear. Rest in the arms of Christ who welcomes our messy, broken, beloved selves.
Christ goes with us here.
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Colossians 3:12-14
short-term
applications
prioritizing engaging
groups and leaders
multiply our energy and time to serve the youth and families even more.
continue learning
ask me what I have been reading lately!
prioritizing joy in ministry
absorbing the joy it is to be back with my faith community.
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging. (Psalm 46:1)
