1. PRAYING AND WORSHIPPING GOD WITH MY CHURCH FAMILY.

I missed hearing the grateful prayers of thanksgiving and praise. I missed hearing the humble prayers of confession and repentance. I missed hearing the faith-filled prayers of petition and supplication. I missed hearing all of our voices joined together singing to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. There is absolutely no substitution for gathering with the body of Christ to pray and worship him together. I can’t wait till this Sunday to do it again!

2. PREACHING THE BIBLE.

Though I am thankful for the break, I missed preaching God’s Word. I missed the preparation. I missed the insights that the Holy Spirit reveals. I missed putting together my Keynote presentations! I missed being led to say things while preaching that only the Holy Spirit of God could’ve led me to say because I had no intention of saying them. I missed calling people to respond to the preached word of God. I am absolutely humbled by God’s call on my life to proclaim his Word, and I can’t wait till this weekend when I get to do it again!

3. LEADING OUR LEADERSHIP TEAMS.

I missed leading us to praise God for his blessings. I missed leading us to trust God. I missed leading us to confront and confess sin. I missed leading us to have tough conversations. I missed leading us to come up with creative solutions to problems. I missed leading us to grow in our love for each other. I missed leading us to take bold steps of faith. I missed leading us to create awesome Sunday worship services. I missed casting vision. I missed leading the humble servants of Christ who I am privileged to serve alongside. I can’t wait till two Sundays from now when our pastoral team/wives will get together, and I get to lead them again!

4. DISCIPLING MEN.

I missed the one-on-one discipleship relationships that I’m privileged to be a part of. I missed the meals together. I missed reading the word together. I missed praying together. I missed asking the tough questions. I missed encouraging and celebrating steps of obedience. I missed applying grace and truth to sin. I missed the joy that comes from investing life into life, and I can’t wait till I return to engage in these discipleship relationships again!

5. DESIGNING GRAPHICS/MARKETING/BRANDING MATERIAL!

Though someone else should probably be doing it, I missed it! I missed finding new fonts. I missed finding just the right image and mixing it with just the right typeface to communicate just the right feeling and emotion. I missed using my creativity to serve the body of Christ! (I just finished designing the branding for our six-year anniversary, and though it’s not anything spectacular, putting it together was something I thoroughly enjoyed!)

The truth is, though I enjoyed every bit of my sabbatical, I am anxious and excited to get back to doing the things I was uniquely wired to do day in and day out! I am so blessed to have a job that requires the use of my passions and my skills. God is worthy of my praise for his kindness in calling me to and positioning me in this type of work at THEMOVEMENT.CHURCH.

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN.

Whether you have your “dream job” or not, take a moment to thank and praise God for the parts of your job that you are thankful for. Thank him for the opportunities you do have to use your unique gifts. Feel free to share them in the comments below. I’d love to know!