Well friends, our sabbatical was a great success. In case you were unaware, I took an 11-week sabbatical from mid-May through July 31st this summer after serving as the Preaching Pastor at New Life for over 7 years. We had a wonderful summer making memories together as a family, visiting friends and extended family, and enjoying lots of rest – physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. I believe we all feel refreshed and excited to begin a new season of ministry with the people we love so dearly.
For those who are interested, we thought we’d post some pictures and share a little about our experiences. We are so grateful to our wonderful church family for loving us well and helping us to remain healthy in ministry for the long run. Enjoy!
Beautiful sunset over Lake Palestine while on an evening boat ride with the family and Mark and Vicki, Kendra’s parents.
Nothing better than a little tubing on a perfect summer day.
Love those calm evenings on the water. And love my sweet wifey.
Beautiful shot of downtown Nashville from the walking bridge over the Cumberland River.
With the family in front of the full-scale model of the Parthenon (Athena’s Temple) in Centennial Park.
Me and my sweet girl enjoying some live music at Centennial Park across from Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
Can’t go to Nashville without stopping to shop and eat at the famous Loveless Cafe. Finally got “Aunt B” (Kendra’s sweet sister, Brittney) in a photo, too.
Look who we found in Nashville: our dear friends and former New Life members, Dustin & Heather Wood – with little Reese and baby #2 on the way!
We met our dear friends from North Carolina, Will & Janette Bridenstine (along with their 3 kids), in East Tennessee for a week of fun and laughter. Here we are at the base of Margarette Falls after a long hike.
The boys and I decided to climb to the top of the falls. In hindsight, this was a very, very bad idea. There is actually a sign at the trailhead (which we did not see) that said, “Do not attempt to climb to the top of the falls. Serious injury or death may occur.” #oops
How you feel at 6 years old after you climbed to the top of Margarette Falls because your dad said, “What could possibly go wrong?”
After we returned from Tennessee, Kendra and I headed to Long Beach, CA for the annual Acts 29 Retreat. We had a great time on an afternoon whale-watching cruise in the Pacific. Here’s a great shot of one of the many blue whales we saw that day right before he dove under the water. Blue whales can be over 100 feet long, and it was truly majestic (and a little scary) to see them surface so close to our boat. We got to spend a lot of time relaxing on the beach. Here I am reading one of the many great books I read this summer – God and Churchill, a wonderful biography that focused on how Winston Churchill’s theology helped him lead England and the Allies to victory in WWII.
