Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Sabbatical Introduction

As of the first of May, I'm starting a sabbatical from my normal duties as a Pastor of Children and Family Ministries at Grace Point. During the months of May, June and July, I won't be running a children's ministry. Rather I'll be doing special projects on two different issues: one family related and one on church staff structure.

For the family ministry project, I'll be read and researching on the question of "What should parents do to help their children succeed in life?" Of course, I'll be looking at this from several angles. First, I'll be studying the scriptures to see how God views success. Next, I'll review literature to discover what works and what doesn't work regarding raising spiritually, academically and financially successful children. This information will be analyzed against the theology of success to create a guide for parents who want the most for their children.

Also, I'll be reporting in on a family trip I'm taking in June and July. The trip will include 5000 miles of driving across about 2/3rds of the country. We are visiting friend, family and many beautiful locations. A week at a ranch in Colorado is among the exciting things that we have to look forward to.

I'm going to use this space to publish weekly findings on both projects. Please feel free to check back regularly. I hope all the information is helpful to you and your family plus some fun reflections on a long trip.