My 1 Year Sabbatical Goals

Yes I know Sabbatical and Goals don't seem to go together. As paradoxical as that may sound there is a good reason for having goals for a sabbath. As obvious as it sounds, a year is a long time to just sit there. But there are other reasons as well:

• You do not want to end up doing things that you should not be doing. I do not want to end up running around like a chicken with my head cut off and in the same tired and stressed place. I can avoid this by having boundaries and avoiding the activities that would disqualify this time as a sabbath
  

• You want to end up doing the things that you want to be doing. I want to take time during this year to follow my heart and let me passions emerge to the surface after being buried for so many years. Already my passion for music and art has come back with a vengeance.
  

• Sabbath does not=inertia. From ancient times to now the Sabbath had a purpose. The weekly sabbath was a day to honor God and rest from work. Yes even resting from work is a goal.

So my boundaries for this sabbath are simple: no long term commitments to make money and no long term commitments to full time ministry. To put it simply I will not take on a second job, start a business, or work as a pastor of any kind. Really simple. If someone asks me to speak or preach or write something then that is fine but I do not want to enter into any role that has constant deadlines that are connected to my income.

My goals for this sabbath are as follows:

• Participate in a workout program
• Practice a contemplative spiritual discipline (breath prayer)
• Hike a section of the Appalachian trail
• Practice a spiritual discipline with my wife Yvette
• Volunteer as social media director for New Identity magazine
• Write in blog and work on my book in order to improve my writing and learn the craft.

So those are my "goals" for this year of sabbath. What goals would you have for a year long sabbath?