A Summer Sabbatical could be as simple as setting aside one day each week for catching up on the reading you've been putting off, or it could mean taking a few weeks to start some special new project you've been dreaming about. Since you'll be taking your sabbatical without a lot of forethought and planning, you may want to simply use the time for requesting and planning a more "formal" sabbatical later on.

Here are ten simple Summer Sabbaticals you could do almost immediately. Each has the opportunity for learning, restoration, personal growth, or just plain fun!

1. Tackle unread books. Count the number of weeks you feel you have as "down time." Then, find that number of unread books on your shelf. Prioritize 'em, stack 'em up, and get started. Shoot for one per week, but don't beat yourself up if you only make it through the first one.
2. Become a worship wanderer. Visit worship services in other towns or in other congregations within your own town. If you can't be away from your own congregation on Sundays, find mid-week or Saturday services to attend. Keep a journal with your reflections from the services.
3. Volunteer. Call up the volunteer center in your area and choose a volunteer project in your area that you could do. Try to choose one that is significantly different from the types of volunteer work or church mission work you normally do. Pick one day or night a week for this purpose.
4. Create something. Grab some art supplies and get creative. Fire up your laptop and start writing your memoir. Go dig up some dirt and put in a new flower garden next to your house. Most importantly, have fun!
5. Take a long bike ride. Many states have multi-day bike rides, and often you can join them for just a day. They're great for getting in shape, seeing the countryside, clearing your head, and meeting lots of interesting people. If you choose one toward the end of the summer, you'll have plenty of time for training. Start your search for one here. 
6. Discover local produce. Get to know a local farmer. Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). Shop at the farmer's market. Volunteer to help at a community garden. Cook with local ingredients a couple of nights per week. The options are endless...and potentially delicious!
7. Rediscover your hobby. Have you neglected one of your passions for far too long? Get reacquainted with a pastime that brings you joy!
8. Take a pilgrimage. Go and visit a camp you spent a lot of time at as a kid. Take a road trip to see a significant historical site you've been yearning to see. Find an outdoor labyrinth in your areaand spend time there. Find out where a favorite author will be speaking and go hear him or her do a reading.
9. Schedule get-togethers. Refuse to cook a single meal for an entire week, and instead find 21 people whose company you enjoy to go out with you. Plan a neighborhood potluck. Choose one friend who also wants to do a Summer Sabbatical project, and meet him or her for coffee once a week to talk about your projects.
10. Research Sabbatical options. Find a life coach who can help you with your "real" sabbatical. Search for Sabbatical grants you could apply for. Poke around the web to look for sabbatical ideasfor a while and just see what piques your interest!

A confession: This is roughly my 21st year of ministry, and I basically have never taken or been encouraged to take a sabbatical. It's time for that to change. Currently, I have six books that I've been wanting to write (a children's story, a youth ministry book, two novels, and two ministry-related books for adults) and the time has come to choose one of them and really get going on it. So, I'll be suspending these emails for the summer to provide me with some extra time for writing. I'll be continuing to occasionally recommend some links via Facebook or Twitter, and I'm sure I'll still do a bit of blogging here as well, but for the most part you won't hear from me a whole lot in the next couple of months.

I hope you'll also commit to making a Summer Sabbatical a priority. Sometimes, as some wise person (Leonard Sweet, I believe) once said, it's necessary to "come apart so you don't come apart." If you have a creative Summer Sabbatical idea to share, please add a comment below.

~ by Tim Gossett

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