“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. – Marcel Proust
Today, Paul and I begin 13 weeks of sabbatical!
In August 2017, our congregation, First Baptist Church of Ann Arbor, was selected as one of 146 congregations from across the nation to receive a National Clergy Renewal Program Grant. This competitive grant program, funded by the Lilly Endowment Clergy Renewal Programs at Christian Theological Seminary, allows congregations to support their pastors with the gift of extended time away from their ministerial duties and responsibilities.
After 18+ years in ministry together at FBCA2, Paul and I are excited to enter into this intentional time of rest and renewal. We will be on sabbatical June 3 through September 3, using our time to engage with great works of art and reflect on the role of the visual in nurturing authentic spiritual experience. The theme of our renewal program is Seeing the Word: The Gospel through the Visual Arts, and we are seeking to discover new insights for the renewal of our spirits and of our ministry by exploring the intersections of art, spirituality, theology, relationships, and travel. Later this month, we will travel with our teenage sons to Europe, spending the next 45 days in England, Amsterdam, France, Austria, and Italy visiting art museums, cathedrals, churches, other sites where works of religious art can be experienced, and other cultural and geographic sites that we think will nourish our sense of wonder and spiritual reflection.
We have set up this blog for those who would like to follow along with our travels, our learnings, and our musings. We look forward to seeing the sacred in new ways – and to sharing it with you!
Seeing the Sacred 
How wonderful for all of you. How do we follow?
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Hi Lynn! If you go to the bottom righthand corner of the website, there should be a button that says “Follow” – if you click that, it will give you a place to enter your email address. Then you’ll get an email every time we post a blog entry.
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Go you!
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Looking forward to following along with your dream Sabbatical!!
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Cannot wait to see where you are going!
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I’ll keep you and your family in my prayers during this intentional time of renewal. The senior pastor here (FBC Lawrence, KS) just began a summer sabbatical, emphasizing photography and spiritual growth/sight. He’s talked a great deal and “seeing with the eyes of the heart.” Blessings as you begin this journey.
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God bless you on this journey. So thoughtful of you to share with all of us.
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So delighted that you get to take this journey. Many blessings.
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Great quote from Proust!
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SO glad you are finally able to go on this wonderful journey! I’m looking forward to enjoying it with you through your site! Have a WONDERFUL time enjoying the sights, insights and each other! Love to you all!! ❤️
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Hi Stacey and Paul,
Recently I am recovering from a nasty infection that sucked me into self-preoccupation. Serene Jones’ book “Call It Grace” drew me back into theologizing about social & political issues. So I wonder how the Art world intersects these current issues.
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