Sabbatical 2012: To read more slowly, think more slowly, pray more slowly

We spent July in France. The task was to read no theology and to switch off the 'duty' mode of my study; the outcome was much richer and spontaneous theological reflection, though that's a pretentious phrase for what Christians do almost as naturally as breathing. During the month, we walked 120 miles in the Auvergne and the Alpes Vanoise, fell in love with Saint-Félicien cheese and photographed wildflowers that were so beautiful they often made our hearts ache.

In August we walked a 50 year old up Snowdon, just having returned from the Alps. Such a doddle :). Then I started to write an overview Certificate level distance-learning course on ‘Church History from the High Middle Ages to the present’ for our old College in Johannesburg. In the middle of the month, we spent a week on the Nile celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary, and would like to recommend Harry’s No Hassle ASDA Price shop in Luxor! One of the many surprising features of this holiday was seeing the many Coptic remains carved out of the old Middle Kingdom temples, including the picture here.

September saw me back in the saddle: I took part in Ridley Hall's staff residential and led the Fresh Expressions national team retreat and chaplained the national pioneer conference ‘Breakout’. During the month, I began my writing projects in earnest:

• An article on Conversations with Wilfred Owen: The Pity’s in the Poetry [now published in Anvil Volume 28.3] 
• A lecture to the research students and staff at Oxford Centre for Mission Studies on ‘Who am I?’ Some Missiological Implications of Theological Anthropology. This will be published in their journal sometime this year.
• A seminar on The Theology of Edward Elgar’s ‘The Kingdom’ for the Diocese of Norwich's lay training programme. 

In the first six weeks of ‘term’, I wrote and wrote, ran and ran [262 miles August – mid-November], got involved in the Durham-Lesotho link, led a men’s retreat in Brussels [and want to do more on men’s spirituality], spoke on ‘Believing in a God who heals’ for the Diocesan Healing Advisory Group, and then came South Africa. I visit every year to examine the degree that we set up as Mission Partners. This time, I did that, but we also spent an amazing five days in Kruger Park and two wonderful weeks camping in a very wet Drakensberg.

What did the sabbatical accomplish? Rest and refreshment; spiritual challenge and the opportunity to run and pray more often; but above all, the chance to study without a timetable, syllabus or agenda. For that, I am very grateful to Andrew Norman and the Ridley Hall community.