Episode description

The story picks up on January 5, 2004, the day Dad finished 22 1/2 years as minister to the Steele Avenue Church of Christ in Ashland, Ohio. When Dad woke up that morning, he was burned out, exhausted, not even able to think about what he would do with his life next. Even as the next mortgage payment bore down on Dad and Mom, they knew that rushing into a new job just to pay the bills would not be the best thing for them to do. Instead, they committed to make space and take time to heal, rest, and seek God all over again. Even though 2004 was a lean year, it turned out to be one of the best years of their lives and just what they needed to go back into church work in 2005. 

During their "sabbatical year", Dad and Mom drew heavy inspiration from their intense study of 'If You Want to Walk on Water, You Have to Get Out of the Boat' by John Ortberg. Click on the book title above to follow a link to buy or learn more about the book.

You can also check out Dad's book, 'We Are God's Masterpiece: Discovering How God Has Designed You for His Purpose' at this link. This book is a guide for congregational leaders and members to study together as they discover their spiritual gifts and how they work together to build up the church.