Sabbatical Insight #1

I should probably share some of the things I learned while on sabbatical.

Prayer

My prayer life struggled while I was away. The reason? I wasn't preaching regularly. I've discovered that having to prepare a sermon each week drives me to pray in ways that school work does not. If I'm pushing my way through a book, then pushing my way through a six page response to that book, I just don't feel the same urgency to pray as when I'm getting ready to bare my soul in front of a mix of friends, family, and strangers.

What happens if my written response to a book isn't so great? I get a lower grade? Will it follow me on my permanent transcript?

I'm not sure what drives you to your knees (I don't usually pray on my knees because it just hurts. My prayers start going like this: "God, you are so wonderful. Thank you for the blessings that you've given . . . ouch. . . mmmh. . . maybe if I shift my weight then . . . ooohhh, that's better... now where was I, God? Oh! You are so good to me that my . . . oh no . . . now my ankles are falling asleep").

Any way, as I was saying, I'm not sure what drives you to pray. During my sabbatical I realized that for me the Damocles' Sword that is the weekly sermon is a huge incentive.
If your prayer life is lame right now, maybe you need a bigger purpose, one that is too big for you, your intellect, and your strength. A little desperation goes a long way when it comes to praying. One of my favorite sayings on prayer comes from Anne Lamott. She says she only knows two prayers: "Please, please, please" and "Thank you, thank you, thank you."