Every summer I do a “summer sabbatical” where I take a few weeks off from preaching. It’s not that I can’t be growing while I’m preaching week in and week out. But my sabbatical is a season where I step back and seek God for something fresh. It’s not about what God can do through me. It’s about what God can do in me. It’s my way of recalibrating and making sure I’m keeping in step with the Spirit. For what it’s worth, I’ve quoted Galatians 5:25 incessantly in recent weeks. “It says, “Let us keep in step with the Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is taking long srides right now but I’m trying to keep in step.

I’ve noticed a few things during this sabbatical. First, my heart feels super-sensitive right now. It was a little embarrassing but I practically cried my way through the 9:30 service @ Union yesterday. I cried when Parker read Scripture and Summer sang. I cried when I talked about the dream I had where the Lord said, “You have to do more.” I cried during worship. My sabbatical is a time where God re-sensitizes me to the things I’ve become de-sensitized to.

It’s also been healthy for me to just sit and listen for a few weeks. I felt full after the message on Sunday. In fact, I likened it to my meal at Maggianos while I was in Denver. After a Maggiano’s salad, Chicken Saltimboca, and Tiramasu I was stuffed. That’s how I felt after church. I was stuffed I felt so full of God.

I could hardly contain the excitement during worship either. I felt like I was being raptured in the Spirit. I felt like jumping or doing the running man There is nothing like being in God’s presence and worshipping Him.