Many, many thanks for the wonderful Sabbatical Send-off you gave us last Sunday.  We are very grateful for the gifts, cards, and kind affirmation we received.  We love and appreciate you all, our Cypress Bible Church family.

Last May my son, two friends, and I took a 113 mile backpack trip through the Black Hills of South Dakota.  It was terrific fun.  We saw some wonderful country, had some great fellowship and brought home some fun stories.  The injuries were minor and the memories are good.

The hike was good but it was also challenging.  We were each carrying about 45 pounds.  In addition the trail had plenty of “ups and downs.”  More than once we covered 14 to 16 miles in a day.  Every afternoon about 3 PM we would find a sloping place in the sun, take off our packs, eat a couple of power bars, drink some Gatorade, and sleep in the sun for half an hour or more.  Those afternoon breaks were so renewing.  We got a little sleep and got rehydrated and got a little sugar in our systems.  This gave us the stamina to hike on in to camp without the dragging, slogging, painful trudge that can characterize the end of a backpacking day. 

Kathi and I remain very grateful for your gift of this three month rest.  In the gift we see the generosity of God and of you the family at Cypress Bible.  While we will not be sleeping in the sun for three months we do view this time as an opportunity for renewal—physical, emotional, relational and spiritual.  We have specific plans to pursue renewal in all these areas.  We are optimistic that the renewal will be substantial and that it will give us good personal reserves.

Our previous church generously gave us a sabbatical in the fall of 1998 and it was a time of significant rest and renewal for us.  We were badly worn down at that time.  We came back three and one half months later with substantial energy and hope.

While I am not as depleted today as I was on August 30, 1998 I am nonetheless tired and expecting great help from this next three months. 

In light of the magnitude of this gift I want to make my commitments clear to you:

  • I am committing to faithfulness in renewal activities during this time. 
  • I am committing to pray for CBC every day. 
  • I am committing to keep you posted on our renewal process and our travels via the blog at runningtothetape.wordpress.com.  (I will read any comments but not be responding.)

 

I am convinced that God will do great things in Kathi and me while we are gone.  It is also my deep belief that God will do great things in and through Cypress while we are gone.  “Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God Who gives the growth.”  (1 Cor 3:7)

My appeal is simply that you would remain fiercely loyal to Cypress Bible during these next months of my sabbatical—serving, attending, giving, and praying faithfully for the ministry here.

God bless you richly and we will see you, if God wills, on August 15th! 

We love you.

Dave and Kathi