About this time last year I approached our church’s elders with a request. Could I and our other staff pastor, Jesse, take sabbaticals in 2019? We endured a few years of heavily intense ministry (see “Welcome Back, Stranger!”) and our spiritual, mental, and emotional reserves were depleted. The elders granted the request and provided a month-long sabbatical for Jesse in early 2019 and a three-month sabbatical for me from June through August. (Jesse is part time staff and I am full time, which...