"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures..."

On the sixth day of creation God made humankind. Male and female were they made, in God's image. While we know God made us "fearfully and wonderfully" and proclaimed us to be good, we do have limits and we do have needs. One of those needs is the need for rest. And so God gave us a gift - in the form of a command: "observe the sabbath". The summer of 2010 will be for me and my family a unique opportunity to observe this command and receive the many gifts it will surely bring. I am grateful first to God and also to the Session, congregation, and staff of First Presbyterian Church for providing this opportunity and for covering duties in my absence. I hope to use this blog as a kind of journal to chronicle my experiences throughout this sabbatical. It will also provide you the chance to check in on me from time to time. Keep me and mine in your prayers as you and yours will be in mine. Pray that God will bless our time apart this summer that it would prepare us for the next season of ministry up ahead. Though God is "making me to lie down" this summer, which takes me away from many of you, please remember and know how pleased I am to be on the Journey with you. -MRB