Tomorrow morning, I will not be in the pulpit or congregation at Calvary Community Church, as I have a few days off after my study break.  I am delighted that Dieudonne Tamfu, a student at The Bethlehem Institute, will bring the Word.  He will be preaching from Matthew 6:25-34 on the issue of anxiety ~ a timely topic in these days.

Chris Stone, our newly minted permanent director of worship and music, will be leading our time of singing together, with a full morning of excellent music planned.  Included will be a new song he and the band will be teaching us, Greater Than We Can Imagine, from the Sovereign Grace Music CD, Psalms.

I wish I could be there, because it looks like a GREAT morning.  I will be praying for all the saints at Calvary, that they might be ushered into the presence of God.

When I first came to Calvary Community Church as its new pastor for preaching, we arranged a number of regular retreats for my pastoral and spiritual health.  I learned of these by the example of my pastors while at Bethlehem Baptist Church.  The principle is this: You need time to retreat, study, pray, plan, and commune with God in a way that the regular day-by-day pressures of pastoral ministry will not allow.  Therefore, in my schedule I am to make room for a regular monthly day away, and two to three extended retreats per year.

These are incredibly helpful things, that is, if you actually do them.  Unfortunately, I have lacked the fortitude to make them a part of my schedule for about the last two years.  By God’s grace that changed this last week, and I went on my 2008 study break in January of 2009.  From Monday to Thursday I was out-of-town (it is good to get 2-3 hours away from your home base) to give myself to reading, writing, praying, meditating, and resting.

Now, when you depart, it is good to have some goals for how the time will be spent.  My main goal this retreat was to reconnect with my calling.  By that I mean I wanted to be reminded that God’s primary calling for me is to preach the Word, and to shepherd the flock.  That will only happen as I give myself to the Word and prayer (Acts 6:1-7) so that the Gospel of the kingdom of God will advance and increase.  So, what to study?  In addition to the primary book to study – The Bible – I brought with me:

- The Living Church: Convictions Of A Lifelong Pastor.  Reflections on ministry and the church by John Stott, who has been a pastor and preacher for decades.

- The New Guidebook for Pastors.

- Institutes of the Christian Religion, by John Calvin.  I am reading through both volumes in 2009, something I’ve been meaning to do for years.

- Financial Peace Revisited, by Dave Ramsey.  I brought this one for myself, and for those I serve.  Given the times we live in, it seems good to reflect on how to manage finances with a Biblical perspective.

- Peace Like a River.  This one was for pure pleasure (it came highly recommended), and was an incredibly rich read.  More posts on it in the near future.

I am grateful for elders who agreed when I first came that these would be a valuable part of my ministry at Calvary.  I am grateful for a flock and family that released me to go.  God richly blessed a focused time away, and I return with a newly energized passion to preach and serve.  Resolved: to not miss any more retreats in 2009 and the years to come!  Recommended: All pastors (and anyone really) should make retreats a part of the warp and woof of your life.

How do you pass on the Gospel from one generation to the NEXT?  If you are Joshua Harris and team, help by creating a conference with excellent speakers and great worship.  I’d love to hear about college students, singles, and young married couples from Calvary planning to take a road trip for NEXT.

From their website:

The idea behind Next was born when Joshua Harris, still in his twenties, wanted to expose other young men and women to older pastors and theologians who had profoundly affected his life. Josh started the New Attitude conference as a way to bring thousands of younger people and dozens of faithful pastors together to transfer the gospel faithfully from one generation to the next. In 2008 New Attitude ended and now Next is born–an even more focused way of helping see the gospel transferred and received faithfully.

The focus of the conference is the younger generation: college students, singles, and young married couples. But we don’t check ID at the door. Anyone who has a passion to see gospel truth passed on, regardless of age, is welcomed.