Breakfast with Jurgen Moltmann
My good friend Aram–who has also been my pastor for 15 years–just returned from a three month sabbatical.
Among other things during the sabbatical, he and his wife had time at the beach, time at a monastery in Snowmass, Colorado, and time at a conference in Chicago where the emminent German theologian Jurgen Moltmann was speaking.
As it happened one morning, Aram was having breakfast where he was staying at the Holiday Inn. Lo and behold, there was Jurgen Moltmann, apparently eating the food of mere mortals, and apparently lodging at this same fine establishment.
Not only did Aram get to have breakfast with Moltmann (the theo-paparrazi report Jurgen ate trans-fat free bratwurst, german potato salad, german chocolate cake, and Starbuck’s Sumatra with cream) but they had a stimulating conversation and still had time for this photo op (above).
Overall Aram reports that the sabbatical was an amazing and profitable time that combined rest and renewal, play, and a fair amount of intellectual and spiritual growth leading to some much needed re-alignment.
Question: Have you ever had a sabbatical? How did that experience affect your spiritually and professionally? Do you wish you could have a sabbatical? What stands in the way?