Searching for lost coins, lost sheep, and lost children seems to be the Gospel’s reminder that sometimes we become inattentive and neglect the people, places, and events that matter most to God and to each of us.  After twenty-five years of ministry, I recognize I sometimes lose focus, overlook the obvious, and neglect what is directly in front of me.  The vision blurs, the mission becomes unfocused, and relationships once at the center of my attention become peripheral. 

Photography and poetry have been helpful companions to nudge my inattentiveness and point out what – and whom – I’ve passed by. When busy-ness and carelessness reduce the Word to wordiness, poetry points to the spaces between the words where I’m most likely to see what’s worth saying.  Photography’s wisdom also helps me frame and focus the familiar in a way that offers a different point of view, an unexpected glimpse of beauty, or an otherwise overlooked epiphany concealed in the shadows.   Photography and poetry have been passions for as long as I can remember.  I have cassette tapes of my grandparents and me reciting (or making up) poems.  I’ve been taking pictures since the days of flashcubes (remember those?).  I’ll never make a living at either but both have enriched my life.  Looking through a lens and listening to a poem have kept me focused and imaginatively engaged with God and others during the best and worst times of my life.   

Thanks to a generous grant from Lilly Endowment and the careful planning of this congregation’s leadership, I have the opportunity to rekindle my photographic and poetic interests through a Clergy Renewal Leave from April 12th – August 9th of this year.  Nancy and I will travel to North Carolina, Barcelona, and Wyoming for rest and renewal while I learn from teachers and mentors who have agreed to share with me their wisdom and experience in these arts.

While we’re away, activities are planned for you and other North members and neighbors to explore or expand your interests in poetry and photography.  We’ll be taking photos of our church and neighborhood as a way of sharing stories with one another.  If you have a favorite poem or have written a few lines yourself, you’ll be invited to share those with others.  We’re not out to make professional poets or photographers of one another.  We simply hope to enjoy a time of renewing our own lives by focusing on who and what matters most. 

As time apart from the congregation allows me to cultivate new skills in reading and writing poetry and in photography, I anticipate this time and these skills will renew my relationships with family and friends as well as refresh and refocus my ministry for another season of pastoral ministry.  I hope you’ll also enjoy some of that same refreshment and renewal.  

Lisa Schubert will serve as our Lead Pastor during my absence.  Other teams and individuals will assist while I’m away.  A brochure describing this renewal leave and responding to your questions will be available in early March. 

Turning fifty in 2010 seems less significant to me at the moment than the fact that in the same year I will have devoted half of those fifty years to ordained ministry.  As I look back, some of the most important lessons and moments have become a bit blurred.  Some of the important, life-giving people and possibilities have been pushed to the edges by the urgent.  Some pastoral practices are lost or out of the picture completely.  I’m very grateful to you and this congregation for this extraordinary gift that will provide renewal, refreshment, and refocus as I prepare for our journey together in years ahead.

Shalom,