What am I going to do?

I'm the kind of person who hates taking a sick day, who returns phone calls on my day off, and who keeps in touch with the office during vacation. Come to think of it, it's difficult for me to keep the Sabbath. I can't imagine doing nothing for eight weeks.

That suggests the first order of business: recovering my imagination. What would it look like to sit still? To do "nothing"? To receive rather than produce? As John Calvin said of Sabbath, "On one day out of seven we rest from our work, so that God can work within us." Can I imagine this -- not merely for one day out of seven, but for two months out of twelve?

As conceived, this sabbatical will be more about process than product. I'm aiming to rest, of course, and to unplug from a relentless routine. But there are words and concepts already emerging as important -- such as "rhythm" and "receptivity." And they are stirring up questions that I must contend with.

Regarding rhythm: where is the "off" switch? When it is important to idle in neutral before putting it in gear?

Regarding receptivity: if all we do is produce, when and how do we receive? How do we tap into the Source in ways that replenish us?

In the middle of this sabbatical process, the one essential piece of content will be the psalms. I'm going to drench myself in the prayers of Israel. That's what I am going to "do." The psalms will shape me and enlarge my imagination.