Life is strange.
Tonight I was perusing a photo album Debbie has created which includes a few pictures and captions from all of the camping trips our family has made dating back to the beginning of our time here in the state of Washington (2003). As a father, seeing the faces of my children who are now twice the size they were when the book began evokes within me an overwhelming sentimentality. It is amazing just how much seven years can change our children. And it is equally amazing to think just how much change seven more years will bring. Life is strange.
I must confess, this sabbatical has produced a number of "life is strange" moments for me. Just a few weeks ago I was worshipping in the church I grew up in-Canby Christian Church. And just a few days ago, we took our kids and our nephew, Dawson, to a swimming hole in Canby, Oregon I used to enjoy as a kid. Except for the nicely graveled parking lot that has replaced the makeshift parking on the side of the road, it is just about the same as when I was young. But it is strange to think how much my life has changed since those summer days so long ago.
Other "life is strange" moments which hit me on this trip include driving past the same spot just north of Roseburg, Oregon where my sister, my brother, and I survived an accident in which the car we were in rolled countless times. Talk about divine protection. Then there was driving through the little city of Cambria, California where Debb and I honeymooned almost 18 years ago. One look at the wedding photo in my office reveals just how much I have changed.
All of these "life is strange" moments have had an effect on me. And the timing of these moments, during my sabbatical following more than seven years of ministry at Renton Bible Church, only serves to heighten the significance of these little moments. Debb mentioned that, as of a few weeks ago, we have now lived in Renton longer than we have lived in any other place as a married couple.
Of course, the strangeness of life is not only a reality to be seen from our individual lives. It is also a powerful reality when one looks at how different life has been over the course of history. The most recent book I have been reading is entitled The History of Christian Thought. It traces Christian history from one of the first disciples following the apostolic era, Justin Martyr, to today. Talk about "life is strange." How odd it is to imagine some of the different eras Christ's followers have been through-from persecution in early Rome, to the schism between Rome and Constantinople in the middle ages, to the powerful re-awakening of a Gospel-centered faith during the reformation.
However, no matter how different life may seem, whether looking over the centuries of world history, or simply looking over the years of my life, some things remain the same. And one significant thing which remains unchanged is what life is all about: loving and serving God, loving and serving those who are made in His image, and living a life that brings glory to His name and makes an eternal impact for His kingdom. Though my sabbatical has meant many things to me, one of the most significant results has been a refocused sense of why I am here, personally, and why I am called to pastoral ministry. This was made even more clear this past week as Debb and I were given time to contemplate such truths at Shepherd's Rest, a pastoral retreat home in Battle Ground, Washington. What a gift this time was. As I shared with the other pastoral couples, my prayer is now for God's leading in the conclusion of this sabbatical that I may know how best to share these life lessons with our body. I look forward to seeing how God will lead in the conclusion of this sabbatical and as I begin to re-engage in ministry in just one week.
In Him, Pastor Dan