Christian Reformed Church | - QuietWaters2010/08/01 · Quiet Waters Ministries 9185 East Kenyon...

INSIDEFrom Empty to Full

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Quiet Waters Ministries9185 East Kenyon Avenue, Suite 150Denver, CO 80237

QuietWaters

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M a y 2 0 1 1 , V o l u m e 1 6 , N u m b e r 1

QuietWaters C O M P A S S

R E N E W I N G C H R I S T I A N L E A D E R S

QuietWaters MinistriesThe comprehensive ministry to pastors, missionaries and other Christian leadersand their families.

QuietWaters Leadership Counseling IntensivesA one or two-week counseling program to create transformational change in theChristian leader conducted at our Colorado Retreat Center.

QuietWaters Leadership RetreatsFamily, marriage, and church leadership retreats with internationally recognizedspeakers to encourage and edify ministry couples and lay leaders.

QuietWaters Ministry Assistance Program—CareLineProfessional and confidential, 24/7 phone consulting for pastors and otherChristian leaders provided by contract to denominations and ministries.

Drinking Again fromGod’s Life-Giving Waters

The number of pastorsand missionaries comingto QuietWaters stressed

and burned out is alarming. Don’t getme wrong we want more pastors andmissionaries who are in need of ourprogram to come. The alarming part is the growing number and the intensity of their burn out.

One of the answers to reducing the amount of burnout they areexperiencing is sabbatical counselingthrough QuietWaters. More and morepastors are coming to us as a part oftheir sabbatical, and more and morechurches are providing the time andmoney for pastors to take a sabbatical.However, we are not seeing missionagencies provide in the same way. Inthis issue we are addressing the needfor sabbaticals and rest.

Often pastors ask me what they’regoing to do when they’re not in their counseling sessions during theLeadership Counseling Intensive. I jokingly respond that I’m going tointroduce them to a new concept forpastors—REST.

Jason Nelson addresses the subject ofrest from the perspective of havingbeen an addict, “intoxicated with thedrug of self-sufficiency.” He writes inhis article, “I discovered that I was likethe people of God in past generationswho were relying on human strengthand refusing to enter the rest of God.I didn’t want to be that way anymore.It was obvious that I needed to startliving the line ‘In repentance and restis your salvation, in quietness andtrust is your strength’ (Isaiah 30:15).”

Colin Vander Ploeg shares that, “I wasnot experiencing life to the full. I wasnearing exhaustion and burnout. Noone really noticed it at the time, exceptmy wife.” Then he tells you about hispersonal sabbatical experience and therole of the QuietWaters LeadershipCounseling Intensive in that.

Vander Ploeg says, “Have you ever triedto sleep well when you have a lot onyour mind? Well, over the next twoweeks, through this highly personaland deeply penetrating counseling, all I had in my heart, mind, emotions,and soul began to open up by theSpirit’s leading.”

Right after his QuietWaters time, hewrote, “Realizing that many pastorsseek this kind of place only after therehas been some major crisis in theirlives, I want to highly recommend toall pastors to be proactive about theirself-care, repair, and growth work. I wasnot in a major crisis but was burdenedand tired, running on empty. So Iadded QuietWaters to my sabbaticalplan. It was an invaluable investment inmy personal life and ministry, presentand future. There I found a completelysafe place to open up and unload. Icame away with a clearer understandingof myself as a follower of Jesus and asa servant among His people.”

He ended his comments with a directword to you: “What will the Lord dofor and in you in such a time andplace as this?”

In this issue we are providing ideasfor those in decision-making rolesand those interested in planning asabbatical. So take some restful timeas you read this issue of Compass. M

3QuietWaters Compass • May 2011

The QuietWaters Compass is publishedtwice annually as a free, educationalservice of QuietWaters Ministries of theBethesda Foundation, Inc. BethesdaFoundation, Inc. is a nonprofit organizationwhose mission is to renew, restore, andstrengthen Christian leaders and theirfamilies. Opinions expressed in thispublication are not necessarily those of theBethesda Foundation, Inc., its personnelor trustees. Material contained in thispublication is not intended as a substitutefor the professional assistance you canreceive from a pastor, counselor, or healthcare provider. Requests for permission toreprint articles should be directed to theeditor at the address below.

M a y 2 0 1 1 , V o l u m e 1 6 , N u m b e r 1

We welcome your contribution towardthe cost of this publication, as well asyour comments, questions, articles and suggestions.

Write to:The QuietWaters Compass9185 East Kenyon Avenue, Suite 150Denver, CO 80237

Phone: (303) 639-9066

E-mail: [email protected]

Internet Web Page:http://www.QWaters.org

© Copyright 2011 by the Bethesda Foundation, Inc.All rights reserved.

C O N T E N T S

2 QuietWaters Compass • May 2011

from the President Jim Schlot tman

Internet Web Page: www.QWaters.org

“He leads me beside quiet waters.”Psalm 23:2

For additional information, contactQuietWaters Ministries in one of thefollowing ways:

Toll Free: 1-866-5-WATERS

Fax: 303-300-6773

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.QWaters.org

For information about becoming amember of The Renewal Circle insupport of this ministry, please call 1-866-5-WATERS.

Rescued by Restby Jason Nelson4 Alarming GrowthFrom Empty to Fullby Colin Vander Ploeg9

President/CEO: Jim Schlottman

Vice President for Counseling and Team Training: Dave Ragsdale

Vice President for Development:Debbie Farrar

Administrative Assistant: Stacie Johnson

Grant Writer/Special Projects: Ro Martin

Editor: Mary Ann Jeffreys

Cartoonist: Tim Walburg

Graphic Designer: Steve Riecks

Board of Trustees:Raymond Pittman, ChairmanKeith McDonald, M.D., Vice ChairmanJoe Gossack, Secretary/TreasurerSid CookBhaskar DasGlenn DykstraVince FesmireMelvin MedemaA. L. “Sid” OvertonHarold Seerveld, M.DBob WestenbroekMeindert Bosch, EmeritusEarl Lammers, Emeritus

Finance and Investment Committee:Joe Gossack, Secretary/Treasurer, ChairmanGene De Kruif, AdvisorVince FesmireRay PittmanTom Whitten

Counseling Team:

Leadership Counseling Intensive

David L. Ragsdale, M.A., LPCWerner K. Boos, PsyD., STM, MDivChristine Denlinger, MA, LPCHud McWilliams, M.A., Ed.S., Ed.D.Victoria Johnson, MSW, LCSWTom Varney, Th.M., D.Phil.

CareLine

Gordon Kieft, MDiv., M.A., LPCChristine Denlinger, M.A., LPCHud McWilliams, M.A., Ed.S., Ed.D.David L. Ragsdale, M.A., LPC

Prayer Team: (Local)Duane and Vi Sjaardema, LeaderRick BolonchukSid and Debbie CookDick KernsLipika DasPat GossackJan PittmanMarge RozendaalKathie ShandroJohn StephensonCarol TammingaIrma Zwart

Retreat Center Host Couples:Sid and Debbie CookRon and Ann FiskJohn and Linda GrandiaMike and Melanie LeavertonKeith and Lorna McDonaldGordon and Daphne McRostieDave and Karon NeffEd and Leila PhillipsRay and Jan PittmanDuane and Vi Sjaardema

Drinking Again from God’s Life-Giving Watersby Jim Schlottman

12

RESCUED BY REST


O nward with my crutches andmy boot. I had just finishedanother amazing experience

at Starbucks. On my way out of thestore I remembered how Starbucks is about the sensory and relationalencounter just as much as the coffee.The coffee was superb, a cinnamondolce cappuccino, with the perfectblend of espresso, steamed milk andfroth, laced with a thread of cinnamonand brown sugar. But the experiencewas even better. It was an hour ofinspiration. The inspiration was rootedin many things. Conversing about life with my friend Eric. Peering outthe front window at the city street.Hearing the crackling of steamingmilk for cappas and lattes. Sharingcommunity with a beautifully diversegroup of people. Smelling the aromaof coffee. Feeling the buzz of activityon a Friday night. Gazing at theabstract art called The Matrix. Theexperience was rich. More than thesethings, there was the emotional touchof healing, laughter, wonder, peaceand warmth.

This time I couldn’t leave withoutmarking the occasion somehow. After browsing at the vast array ofStarbucks’ products, it was obviousthe clear tumbler with the logo wasfor me. No doubt, I desperatelyneeded to eliminate my burden onthe environment from my unnecessaryconsumption of plastic water bottles.This was a moment of marking a goodtime, steeped with positive change.My Starbucks experience concludedat the cash register. And it ended

Eric and I exited the Starbucks ontoClinton Street feeling energized. Icouldn’t help but go on and on abouthow fabulous it was to be in the citythat spring night. I raved about theexcitement the city offered and theblessing of the wide range of people.Eric agreed. It seemed to us that beingaround strangers offered somethingtreasured compared to the familiarsurroundings of our rural town, eventhough nothing can top the intimacyof shared relationship with peopleyear after year. Perhaps my excitementwas overhyped because this was myfirst night out in 11 weeks. Just theday prior I was released from thecomplete rest my doctor had prescribedwhile I recovered from a surgicallyrepaired Achilles tendon that hadruptured in my right leg. No surprise,it was a basketball thing, but that’sanother story. I was in crutches and a boot, but I was free to move!

As I hobbled to Eric’s Jeep in thesecurity of his presence to pick me up if I fell, I took one last look at my surroundings, hoping to catch afinal glimpse of the excitement thenight offered. But instead I noticedsomething peculiar down the street.One young woman was helpinganother walk down the sidewalk.What was unusual was that thewoman being helped was completelyintoxicated. She could not stand upon her own. She swayed like a kite in the wind, back and forth, puttingenormous strain on her friend’s bodyas they tried to walk. I pointed it outto Eric, and we stopped to watch fora moment. The situation only got


by Jason Nelson

I could succumb to the temptation

and drink the cup of self-sufficiency

at any moment. That’s right, self-

sufficiency, not alcohol. Intoxication

can apply to more than alcohol or

drugs. The word intoxicate goes

back to the Latin word toxicum,

which means “poison.” We can

poison ourselves with pretty much

anything. Prior to November of

2005, I was poisoning myself with

the toxic belief that everything

depended on me.

abundantly. There was one moresurprise conversation with a group ofyoung people who were visiting withthe barista. They made sure I knewthe tumbler would keep my coffeereally hot, like no other tumbler theyhave seen. I made sure the baristaknew I was paying Starbucks to markettheir product. But I told her it wasworth the $10.95 to keep their uniquebusiness model going. “You knowyou’ve arrived when other people payfor your marketing,” I told MissBarista. We laughed together. Walkingout the front door, little did I knowthat something else would mark thisnight even more strikingly.

The high level of activity,

busyness, responsibility and

stress I was experiencing in

ministry and life was crushing

me. My body hurt. But guess

what? Those things were not the

problem. The problem was an

internal situation of brokenness.

I was not trusting God and living

in his presence.

worse. The intoxicated young womanfell to the ground and lay flat on herback. Her friend scrambled to get hercellphone and appeared to be makinga call for help. At that point, wedecided we should step in.

By the time we got into the Jeep tocatch up with them, both were backon their feet and proceeded to take aturn and walk dangerously down thesidewalk of a major city street.Pulling up next to them, we rolleddown our window. Eric asked, “Ladies,do you need any help?” The coherentfriend emphatically said, “Yes! Willyou take us to Hillcrest?” “Yes, getin,” we responded. Maggie, the onewho was intoxicated, tried to resist,but her friend won out as they gotinto the Jeep. Maggie’s mumbling and weak body didn’t stand a chanceagainst her friend’s vehemence. I mustadmit, part of me was grateful for thefriend’s willingness to accept help in adesperate situation, but the other partof me wondered what we were gettingourselves into. I was prepared foranything. I kept the window rolleddown as a security blanket even thoughI was inwardly embarrassed of doing so.What was I thinking? I guess I likedthe idea of an easy escape. I fearedthat Maggie might start forcefullyresisting while we were driving. Orwhat if she vomited all over the Jeep,including us? There’s only one moreappalling substance than vomit! Worseyet, would she pass out as we drove,causing a detour to the ER? I thoughtI don’t want to revisit the horror of myinjury. These things raced throughmy mind. But what was I going to

and the other was not. Eventually wearrived at the dorm to find we weren’tthe only emergency in the area thatnight. There was a big red fire truckblasting its horn and flashing its lightsat the neighboring dorm. Thankfullyour situation was stabilizing. Maggie’sfriend got them out of the Jeep andsaid in a heartfelt way, “Thank youvery much.” Again, Eric as thespokesperson responded, “God blessyou.” We watched as they walkedtoward the dorm, grateful that Maggie’scollision with the tree on the way was not a car in the busy throughwaywhere we picked them up. She wavedher arms as if treading water to getout of the mess of branches. Theyfinally made it into the dorm. Ourpart was over. Yet I wondered WillMaggie go to bed? Will she rest inorder to come back to her true self?”Maggie may not have been able to understand her friend’s urging,“Maggie, when we get home you have to go to bed!” But I heard itloud and clear. “Maggie, when we get home you have to go to bed!”“Maggie, when we get home you have to go to bed!”

The urging of Maggie’s friend to get her to rest struck a chord with me because I was like Maggie once. I was intoxicated. As a matter of fact,I was intoxicated much of the time.But I am not intoxicated anymore. I am recovering. They say you neverfully recover. Instead, you’re alwaysrecovering. That is an accuratedescription of me. Recovering. Ihappen to be in a good place now,but I know I’m just one temptation

(Continued on page 6)

do with the open window, jump outor something? I was in crutches and a boot. I was in a vulnerable placemyself. So, I prayed.

As we traveled the approximately onemile distance down and back up thebig hill to the dorm, neither Eric norI said a word to the women, nor didthey say anything to us. We listenedto their conversation in the back seatthough. “Maggie, when we get homeyou have to go to bed!” exclaimed thefriend. To which Maggie insisted, “No!”This kind of back and forth went onfor three rounds. Other words wereexchanged between them that missedeach other because it was like twopeople speaking foreign languages. Thefriend would say, “This happenedbecause you drank too early withouteating anything.” To which Maggiewould reply, “No, I ate poop threetimes.” One person was coherent,

What I discovered about rest is quite simple: In God’s economy,rest equals his presence andliving in his presence.

I discovered that I was like the

people of God in past generations

who were relying on human

strength and refusing to enter the

rest of God. I didn’t want to be that

way anymore. It was obvious that

I needed to start living the line

“In repentance and rest is your

salvation, in quietness and trust

is your strength” (Isaiah 30:15).

7QuietWaters Compass • May 20116 QuietWaters Compass • May 2011

Rescued by Rest (Continued from page 5)

self-sufficiency. I decided to go awayto the city to pray about what to do.It was there that I studied rest in God’sWord for the first time. I discoveredthat I was like the people of God inpast generations who were relying onhuman strength and refusing to enterthe rest of God. I didn’t want to bethat way anymore. It was obviousthat I needed to start living the line“In repentance and rest is yoursalvation, in quietness and trust is yourstrength” (Isaiah 30:15). I spent twodays in that city trying to understandhow this newfound rest applied to meand to what God was inviting me. At the end of my stay, I stopped at a Korean church and tucked myselfinto a discreet classroom while about20 people were having a prayerservice in the sanctuary. I asked Godthe question over which I had beenprocrastinating for two days because I was afraid of the answer. I askedGod point blank what he wanted me to do.

away from falling back. I couldsuccumb to the temptation and drink the cup of self-sufficiency at any moment. That’s right, self-sufficiency, not alcohol. Intoxicationcan apply to more than alcohol ordrugs. The word intoxicate goes backto the Latin word toxicum, whichmeans “poison.” We can poisonourselves with pretty much anything.Prior to November of 2005, I waspoisoning myself with the toxic beliefthat everything depended on me. As alife-long Christian, I am not sayingthat I didn’t believe in the Gospel ofgrace. I’m talking about my behaviors,not my beliefs. There’s a difference. I behaved as if everything dependedon me. Self-sufficiency instead of trust.I was like Maggie. I was intoxicated.The high level of activity, busyness,responsibility and stress I wasexperiencing in ministry and life was crushing me. My body hurt. But guess what? Those things werenot the problem. The problem was an internal situation of brokenness. I was not trusting God and living in his presence.

It’s stunning to me that my turningpoint from intoxication occurred in the same city as my brush withMaggie. When I was dangerouslyintoxicated with the drug of self-sufficiency, in prayer God whisperedto me and some friends that I wasgoing to be invited into somethingvery unique and different, but that itwould be good, and it would be notonly for me but also for others toreceive. I was to step into “rest.” Rest,what did that mean? The only thingGod revealed was that it was a broadrest, like repose, and its opposite was

The answer changed my life forever.Jason, I want you to take off the monthof November and rest. What? Are youkidding me, God? Rest for 30 days!And not work! I was raised by myparents that working is the way toeverything. If I was anything, I was a hard worker who thrived onoutworking everybody else. I didn’thave much talent, but I had the gutsto work hard. How could I not work?The brilliance of God came through inthat simple invitation because he metme at my point of greatest weakness.The crazy thing is, I said yes. Just likeI hope Maggie said yes to resting fromher intoxication, I said yes to restingfrom my intoxication. I entered 30days of rehab. The rehab was simple.Wake up every day, seek God and rest.It was God’s program, and I must say his shepherding was absolutelymasterful. My crisis point came justthree days into the rest. The firstthree days were relaxing, but then ithit me that this was not going to belike a long weekend. This was 30days! I was fuming mad that the Lordcouldn’t just fix me. He had allowedunrest to happen in my life. Whycouldn’t he just make it go away? I hada 2-hour gripe session with God, takingout my frustration on our vacuumcleaner, cleaning every corner of ourhome while crying out. After all, Ineeded something to do.

I got to the point where I had nothingelse to say. My soul was quieted. I satstill for the next hour in silence, waitingfor God to do something. I left theplace where I sat in silence and parkedmy truck at the edge of town. Myprayer changed from that of anentitled adult to a humble child. Iprayed, “Lord, I will enter your rest,


God’s love washed over me andtook away what I believe is thegreatest hindrance to rest. It is the epitome of self-sufficiency.Distrust. In place of distrust, Godplanted his peace and rest thatwould carry me throughout themonth. From this peace and rest,I found myself sitting for hours in God’s presence each day, incomplete silence but experiencingan over-whelming, tangible senseof his presence, like the forcefulflyover of the fighter jets. Godwas present and speaking, and I was receiving Spirit to spirit.

I entered 30 days of rehab. The rehab was simple. Wake up every day, seek God and rest.It was God’s program, and I must say his shepherding was absolutely masterful.

In John 10:10 Jesus says, “I havecome that they may have life, and have it to the full” (NIV).

In early spring of 2010, I was notexperiencing life to the full. I wasnearing exhaustion and burnout. No one really noticed it at the time,except my wife. By other people’sstandards I was doing well in ministry.I am a relatively capable preacher,pastor, and teacher, appreciated by our congregation. I was under no pressure to move on to anotherchurch nor was I under attack by anyparishioners. I was well supported inall kinds of ways. But I was creepingdownward, wondering if this was allthere is to my life. Something wasmissing for me. I did not, thankfullyand by God’s grace, have some bigministry meltdown or moral failure.In fact I shared what I was experiencingwith my leadership board so theywould know what was going on.

It was a very difficult year of dealingwith some serious pastoral-caresituations, along with the usualministry work that continued itsnormal unrelenting pace. At least that is how I was experiencing it.These situations impacted me in ways I did not understand.

What to do? I could have pretendedthat things were okay and that I justneeded my yearly vacation to unwindand get ready for another year. Icould have ignored the telltale signsof depleted personal energy andblamed it on others: their demands,their dysfunction, their lack ofunderstanding of all I was dealingwith. I could have started ponderinga change of ministry location, thoughthat would have been difficult for myfamily at our particular stage in life.Or I could have admitted that I was

in need of some help to unpack thetiring dynamics at work that wereweighing me down.

Thankfully the church I serve hadrecently instituted a policy on providingtheir pastors with a sabbatical. Iapplied for and received approval to take my accumulated time for a sabbatical: four months followed by one month of my usual familyvacation. In hindsight, I have to say,this sabbatical came just in time.

Refueling at QuietWaters

A colleague warned me before I leftthat I would find I was far moreexhausted than I realized. He wascompletely right. Once I was releasedfrom all my pastoral duties, I letmyself feel how empty I actually was.


From Empty to Full


but you have to show me you arewith me.” After just a moment ofsilence, I heard a rumbling, howlingforce of wind behind me. I quicklyrecognized it was the sound of aircraft.I looked up, and three F-14 fighterjets flew right over me in plain sight.My heart melted. I knew the Father,Son and Holy Spirit were with me.Saying nothing, I simply wept. God’slove washed over me and took awaywhat I believe is the greatest hindranceto rest. It is the epitome of self-sufficiency. Distrust. In place ofdistrust, God planted his peace andrest that would carry me throughoutthe month. From this peace and rest,I found myself sitting for hours inGod’s presence each day, in completesilence but experiencing an over-whelming, tangible sense of hispresence, like the forceful flyover ofthe fighter jets. God was present andspeaking, and I was receiving Spirit tospirit. This would have been enough,but I wanted to understand rest inGod’s Word, so I read and studiedevery verse on rest. I found over 110uses of rest with a variety of 27 wordsto describe it. What I discovered aboutrest is quite simple: In God’s economy,rest equals his presence and living inhis presence.

For over five years now, I have soughtto live in God’s rest. In a way, it hasbeen one long honeymoon with God. The joy meter in my life hasbeen higher than I could have everimagined. This is not because theexternals changed in my life. In fact,the externals have worsened. Morebusy, more pressure, more stress,

more pain and more task. This is the Western world in which we nowlive. The challenges of leadership are skyrocketing. But remember, myjourney was never about the externals.It was about the internal. My internalschanged. I have a brand new engine,and it never wears out because it runson God’s presence and power and notmy own. I continue to uncover the grace of God as I live in rest. I am constantly surprised that myexpectations for myself, whatever theymight represent are always higherthan God’s expectations. God showsme that I am forever secure in himand that he will provide what I need.My part is to wait on him. I canenjoy his presence and be intimatewith him in the journey.

I have learned some things about restalong the way. There are specific thingswe must be and do to cooperate withthe rest of God. The first and most

important one is to enter God’s rest.Just enter it. It requires a consciousstep on our part. Then, God willshow the way. The book of Hebrewsin God’s Word says to make everyeffort to enter the rest. Perhaps atanother time or in another way, I can share some of the other tacticsof rest, but I’m still learning myself. I continue to wrestle with resting and to learn more than I thoughtpossible about rest. Recently, as Ipassed my five-year anniversary ofrehab, I needed a reminder of rest.God and I celebrated our restanniversary through a debilitatinginjury, the ruptured Achilles tendon I previously mentioned. It was ananswer to my prayers for renewal. So, God gave me crutches and a bootand an 11-week journey of rest justlike the eleventh month I experiencedfive years ago. On complete bodilyrest in my crutches and my boot, I slowed down and entered a deeprest again. My latest insight is that I need my crutches and my boot allthe time. Not for walking, but as areminder that I need to slow down,and I need weakness, in order to keepreceiving God’s rest. My crutches andmy boot are about to come off. Butwhat they represent will not. Onwardwith my crutches and my boot. M


Rescued by Rest (Continued from page 6)

I have learned some things about

rest along the way. There are

specific things we must be and

do to cooperate with the rest of

God. The first and most important

one is to enter God’s rest. Just

enter it. It requires a conscious

step on our part. Then, God will

show the way.

Executive Director of MinistryThird Reformed ChurchPella, Iowa

J a s o n N e l s o n

by Colin Vander Ploeg


I was losing my faith. I was simplylosing steam, feeling like I was spinningin place, weighed down by somethingI couldn’t identify. Through thecounseling process (which is just asmuch spiritual direction as it is formalcounseling), I moved from thinkingthat my fatigue was situational tounderstanding that my weariness wasmore deeply connected with someunhealthy and unhelpful ways I dealtwith things within myself. And so I was set on a path of healing andrenewal … or as Jesus put it, a pathof life “to the full.”

The QuietWaters LeadershipCounseling Intensive is so effectivebecause you have nothing else to dealwith during the two-weeks save yourreasons for being there. You are takencare of by a loving and nonintrusivehost couple. They uphold you in prayereven without knowing what you areworking on in counseling. All you aredealing with is held completely andprofessionally confidential. Hospitalityis gracious and timely. The spaciousfacilities in which you stay are sobeautifully crafted that they supportrestfulness and reflection. There istime and space to listen to the Spiritin His Word and in your own soul,no matter how tired your spiritualears may be.

Space to Grow on a New Path

Near the end of my two weeks atQuietWaters, I gave my counselortwo descriptions of how I sensed Ihad moved personally through mytime there. One was a picture of me

By the Lord’s urgings, I had bookedthe QuietWaters Ministries two-weekLeadership Counseling Intensive inParker, Colorado. Upon arrival I waswelcomed by the host couple, and thenext day I met with my assignedcounselor for the first time. After ourintroductory meeting, his advice tome was “Get some rest.”

Have you ever tried to sleep wellwhen you have a lot on your mind?Well, over the next two weeks, throughthis highly personal and deeplypenetrating counseling, all I had inmy heart, mind, emotions, and soulbegan to open up by the Spirit’sleading. It did not take long for meto move past the events of ministrythat I was so sure were the cause ofmy exhaustion to deeper issues of mylife tied in part to past experiences andin part to my present way of relatingwith others. It was a humbling andhealing process in a completely safeplace. The journey was at a pace thatfit me and yet did not let me avoiddealing with the “stuff ” of my life. I began to experience real rest as I engaged feelings and patterns ofthinking and being of which I hadonly been vaguely aware.

My two weeks at QuietWaters for aLeadership Counseling Intensive was not only a great place to start asabbatical but a watershed time forme in my personal life and ministry.What I realize now is that I hadslowly, over the previous dozen yearsof ministry, been losing my vision formy life with the Lord. It wasn’t that

From Empty to Full (Continued from page 9)

Near the end of my two weeks at

QuietWaters, I gave my counselor

two descriptions of how I sensed I

had moved personally through my

time there. One was a picture of

me arriving as a potted plant.

My roots were packed tightly in

a container. I received rain and

sunshine from the Lord’s hand

but could grow no further than the

walls of the container. Through my

sabbatical time at QuietWaters,

I felt as if I had been taken out

of the pot and God had gently yet

purposefully planted me in a new

garden of His choosing. At first

my roots were still tightly packed

together, but now they were

beginning to stretch out into the

surrounding soil. The same sun

and rain still nourished me, but

now there was space to grow.

arriving as a potted plant. My rootswere packed tightly in a container. I received rain and sunshine from the Lord’s hand but could grow nofurther than the walls of the container.Through my sabbatical time atQuietWaters, I felt as if I had beentaken out of the pot and God hadgently yet purposefully planted me ina new garden of His choosing. At firstmy roots were still tightly packedtogether, but now they were beginningto stretch out into the surroundingsoil. The same sun and rain stillnourished me, but now there wasspace to grow.

The second image was that of metravelling along and facing my nearburnout as a fork in the road of myjourney in life. Through my sabbatical,and particularly through the two-weekLeadership Counseling Intensive, theLord lifted me off the left path, mydefault path, and placed me a fewsteps along the right path. I could stillsee the other path heading off to theleft, but now I was taking small stepsdown the right path, a new path.Once back to work, by the Spirit’sprompting, I enrolled in a localprogram called Freedom Session andhave spent the last year continuingdown this road.

These two images still picture wellwhat has changed for me in ministryand in life since my sabbatical. I havebeen amazed at how a renewed visionfor my life is forming as I continue to follow Jesus toward His promisedfullness of life. As I look back at mysabbatical, I can honestly say that this gift from the Lord, through my


church council and congregation, of time and space to look insidemyself was life changing. It changedmy journey. I am growing again inways I did not envision prior to thesabbatical. Members of my counciland congregation affirm to me thatsomething is different. Even a coupleof members who were not in favor ofmy sabbatical (they saw it as a longvacation and nothing else) came tome a few months after my return totell me that perhaps they had beenmistaken and that the sabbatical waswell worth it! That made me smile to my Lord.

Since that time I have encouragedcolleagues to invest in their ministries,in their relationships, and in their ownhearts and souls through QuietWaters.It is an investment that pays dividends

for years to come. If you are planninga sabbatical, I highly recommendcontacting QuietWaters to explorethe possibilities of entering into aguided journey of rest, reflection, and restoration. Ask the Lord Jesus if this is a step He wants you to take.And listen to the people around you and to your own heart. Perhapsthe Spirit is leading you beside quiet waters. M

Pastor

Living Hope Christian Reformed Church

Abbotsford, BC, Canada

C o l i n V a n d e r P l o e g


Do you still think you are too busy?If so I’d recommend reading Peterson’swhole book.

How do I do a sabbatical? How do I drink again from God’s life-giving waters?

ministry. During a season of personalrenewal, study, and reflection pastoralleaders embrace the gifts of time andSabbath for their lives and ministries.As they are renewed and strengthened,so are their families, and so is the Church.”3

As one person who oversees retreats andsabbaticals said: “I believe that pastorswould do well to be encouraged tosee a Mentor or a Counselor for the ‘15,000 mile service’, during their sabbaticals.”

However, one farmer made thecomment that he couldn’t understandwhy his pastor should get this extravacation. He had second thoughtswhen I mentioned that God grantshim a sabbatical every winter, rightafter harvest.

I’ve had pastors tell me that they were too busy to take a sabbatical.Eugene H. Peterson in his book “TheContemplative Pastor: Returning tothe Art of Spiritual Direction” has an answer to those “busy” pastors.“But if I vainly crowd my day withconspicuous activity or let others fillmy day with imperious demands, I don’t have time to do my properwork, the work to which I have beencalled. How can I lead people intothe quiet place beside the still watersif I am in perpetual motion? How canI persuade a person to live by faithand not by works if I have to jugglemy schedule constantly to makeeverything fit into place?”4

Sabbaticals should not be anafterthought or a response to anemergency. They should be carefullyplanned so as to have maximumbenefit. However, over fifty (50)percent of the pastors who come to QuietWaters as part of theirsabbatical are here to address a crisis in their ministry.

Commenting on clergy’s approach to planning a sabbatical, Dr. FrankNieman, former dean of the Schoolof Applied Theology in Oakland,California observed that, “what theysay they want isn’t what they need, andwhat helps one doesn’t help another.”5

To begin your planning you need toidentify the basic objectives of yoursabbatical before planning what todo. In all aspects of life, form followsfunction. I’ve identified six objectivesof a successful sabbatical.

• Cultivate your relationship withGod so that your life is intimatewith God. Remember that Godloved you so much he gave Hisson. How much more intimate can you get?

• Cultivate your prayer lifedeliberately, with discipline andintentionality. Some may thinkthey have a prayer life when theypray from the pulpit or at a hospitalbedside. Prayer is being in adeepening conversation with Godas He reveals Himself to you.


In the Lilly Endowmentannouncement about their 2011National Clergy Renewal Program,

they state that the program seeks tostrengthen Christian congregations byproviding an opportunity for pastorsto step away briefly from the persistentobligations of daily parish life and toengage in a period of renewal andreflection. Renewal periods are notvacations, but times for intentionalexploration and reflection, for drinkingagain from God’s life-giving waters,for regaining enthusiasm and creativityfor ministry.1

These renewal periods—sabbaticals—are a time away. “At daybreak Jesuswent out to a solitary place” (Luke4:42 NIV). That is just one of severalverses showing that even Jesus neededtime away and pastors are findingthat including QuietWaters as part of their sabbatical gives them thatprecious time.

Why should I take a sabbatical andwhy should my congregation give mea sabbatical? How can I take the timeaway from work? How do you dosabbatical? Those are the questionsI’m asked when pastors call aboutincluding our Leadership CounselingIntensive in their sabbatical plans. So let’s begin with the why.

In May 2010, Duke Universityconducted a study titled the ClergyHealth Initiative that surveyed 1,726Methodist ministers in North Carolina.They compared these clergy withtheir neighbors. In the study, the

ministers reported significantly higherrates of arthritis, diabetes, high bloodpressure and asthma. Obesity was ten(10) percent more prevalent in theclergy group.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church inAmerica reported that in their survey,sixty-nine (69) percent of its ministersreported being overweight, sixty-four(64) percent reported having highblood pressure and thirteen (13)percent were taking antidepressants.

Couple that with a 2005 survey ofclergy by the Board of Pensions of thePresbyterian Church that took specialnote of a quadrupling in the numberof people leaving the professionduring the first five years of ministry,compared with the 1970s.2

The cost involved in the search andemployment of a pastor far outstripsthe cost of a sabbatical—as they say,pay me now or pay me later. So thereare ample reasons why congregationsshould not only permit sabbaticals,but they should be encouraging theirpastors to take sabbaticals.

As a pastor you know the biblicalbasis for sabbatical comes in partfrom Exodus. “For six years you areto sow your fields and harvest thecrops, but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused”(Exodus 23:10—11a NIV).

More and more, denominations areencouraging their churches to providesabbatical time to their pastors. TheLilly Endowment through theirNational Clergy Renewal Program,The Louisville Institute through theirsabbatical Grant for Pastoral LeadersProgram, and others provide fundingfor pastors to take sabbaticals.

“Pastors need a chance to step outand step back from the pace andpressures of ministry. We believe thatwhen clergy have opportunity forlearning, growth, and recreation theyalso learn the habits and practices thatsustain them in and for meaningful

Drinking Again from

“Pastors need a chance to step

out and step back from the pace

and pressures of ministry. We

believe that when clergy have

opportunity for learning, growth,

and recreation they also learn

the habits and practices that

sustain them in and for meaningful

ministry. During a season of

personal renewal, study, and

reflection pastoral leaders

embrace the gifts of time and

Sabbath for their lives and

ministries. As they are renewed

and strengthened, so are their

families, and so is the Church.”3

by Jim Schlottman

God’s Life-Giving WatersRenewal periods are not vacations,

but times for intentional exploration

and reflection, for drinking again

from God’s life-giving waters, for

regaining enthusiasm and creativity

for ministry.1


• Cultivate your ability to speak theWord of God that is Scripture.That cultivation requires time inthe Word. As Eugene Petersonsays, “to speak the Word of Godinvolves immersion in biblicalstudies. You need reflective hoursover the pages of Scripture as wellas personal struggles with themeaning of Scripture. This is theonly way you can speak God’sWord with authority.” Petersongoes on to say that this kind ofpreaching is a creative act thatrequires quietness and solitude,concentration and intensity. Thoseare provided by taking a sabbaticaland also a Sabbath.

• Cultivate your ability to reallylisten to God. The true outgrowthof learning to listen to God is yourability to listen to others.

• Cultivate your leisure time—LearnLeisure. “Leisure is a quality ofspirit, not a quantity of time.”(Peterson)

• Cultivate rest. Rest is not sleeping,but rest in God is simply, “Be still,and know that I am God” Psalm46:10 (NIV). The benefits of restare expressed well by Isaiah, “Inrepentance and rest is your salvation,in quietness and trust is yourstrength,” (Isaiah 30:15 (NIV).

Lis Van Harten, Director of SustainingPastoral Excellence and SustainingCongregational Excellence for theChristian Reformed Church in NorthAmerica, suggests, “Having significantamounts of time to ‘do nothing/whatever the pastor wants to do’ is life-giving and should be part of a sabbatical.”

A common way to approach renewalleave is to divide it into three blocks.One person labeled his blocks Rest(which included sleeping late,exercising, yard work, reading forpleasure, visiting friends, family time and work with a counselor;Renewal (focused study); andRebirth (travel, more focusedreading, plans for return).6

Many of the pastors that come toQuietWaters come because they arefacing a crisis in their marriage orministry. I wish pastors would makethe decision to come for an Intensiveas a way to prevent a crisis. Oftenwhen I’m listening to a pastor sharethe crisis, I think to myself, “Whydidn’t you come to me a year ago,before you had to experience so much pain?”

In our video about QuietWatersMinistries, Pastor Steve Vander Molensays, “I see QuietWaters as a ministryto help us to dig deep wells in dryplaces and of course the well is Godand His Holy Spirit working withinus, but QuietWaters I think is awonderful tool used by God invarious ways to help us receiverefreshment from the wells that Godprovides for us and in sometimes verychallenging ministry.” Vander Molenis saying in another way what theLilly Endowment describes as “drinkingagain from God’s life-giving waters.”

In summary:

Why is a sabbatical necessary?

• Ministers reported significantlyhigher rates of arthritis, diabetes,high blood pressure and asthma.

• Obesity among pastors is ten (10)percent more prevalent in clergy.

• Sixty-nine (69) percent of ministersreported being overweight

• Sixty-four (64) percent of ministersreported having high blood pressure.

• Thirteen (13) percent of ministersare taking antidepressants.

• The number of ministers leavingthe profession during the first fiveyears of ministry has quadrupled.

• The cost involved in the searchand employment of a pastor faroutstrips the cost of a sabbatical.

• How can ministers lead people intothe quiet place beside the still watersif they are in perpetual motion?

• How can ministers persuade aperson to live by faith and not byworks if they have to juggle theirschedules constantly to makeeverything fit into place?”

God’s Life-Giving Waters (Continued from page 13)

What are the objectives of a sabbatical?

• Cultivate your relationship with God.

• Cultivate your prayer life.

• Cultivate your ability to speak the Word of God.

• Cultivate your ability to listen.

• Cultivate your leisure time.

• Cultivate rest.

What is a sabbatical?

• A stepping away briefly from thepersistent obligations of dailyparish life.

• It is engaging in a period ofrenewal and reflection.

• It includes times for intentionalexploration and reflection.

• It is for regaining enthusiasm andcreativity for ministry.

• It involves any extended absence in the career.

• It is to fulfill some goal, e.g.,writing a book or travelingextensively for research.

• It provides a chance to step outand step back from the pace andpressures of ministry.

• It provides clergy the opportunityfor learning, growth, and recreationas they learn the habits and practicesthat sustain them in and formeaningful ministry.

• It is a season of personal renewal,study, and reflection.

• It helps clergy become renewedand strengthened so that theirfamilies and the Church arerenewed and strengthened.

• It is complete freedom to do nothing.

• It is an extended period of time forrenewal, enrichment, study,spiritual growth, travel, skilldevelopment, research, andexperimentation.

• It is a time to dig deep wells in dryplaces and of course the well is God.

• It permits the minister to receiverefreshment from the wells thatGod provides.

• It allows ministers to be proactiveabout their self-care, repair, andgrowth work.

• It is an invaluable investment inpersonal and ministry, present and future.

• It provides a clearer understandingof self as a follower of Jesus and asa servant among His people.

• It is a time away from distractionsand pressures of ministry.

• It is a time to receive newdirections and horizons.

When are you going to be drinkingagain from God’s life-giving waters? M

Many of the pastors that come to

QuietWaters come because they

are facing a crisis in their marriage

or ministry. I wish pastors would

make the decision to come for an

Intensive as a way to prevent a

crisis. Often when I’m listening to

a pastor share the crisis, I think

to myself, “Why didn’t you come

to me a year ago, before you had

to experience so much pain?”

Foundations that fund sabbaticals for pastors:

Lilly Endowment Inc.

Louisville Institute

The Henry Luce Foundation, Inc.

Sparta Community Foundationc/o Grand Rapids CommunityFoundation

Trinity Wall Street(formerly Trinity Church)

Wheat Ridge Ministries

President/CEOQuietWaters Ministries

J i m S c h l o t t m a n

Notes:1 Lilly Endowment announcement about their 2011 National Clergy Renewal Program

http://www.clergyrenewal.org.2 The New York Times, Taking a Break From the Lord’s Work, by Paul Vitello,

published: August 1, 2010.3 The Louisville Institute, Sabbatical Grant for Pastoral Leaders

http://www.louisville-institute.org/Grants/programs/sgpldetail.aspx.4 Eugene H. Peterson The Contemplative Pastor: Returning to the Art of Spiritual Direction,

Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company, October 19935 A. Richard Bullock and Richard J. Bruesehoff, clergy renewal, The Alban Guide to Sabbatical

Planning, An Alban Institute Publication 2000, page 18.6 A. Richard Bullock and Richard J. Bruesehoff, clergy renewal, The Alban Guide to Sabbatical

Planning, An Alban Institute Publication 2000, page 19.

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