As of today I’m officially on my annual Study Month. Over this month, I will work away from my church office. Some of the time I will be in my home office…much of the time I will be on the road meeting with great pastors and leaders around the country. I will go to services at effective and advancing churches in various states. I will even spend a week (as I have for 19 years) at Gethsemane monastery doing my best to sit before the Lord in focused silence and prayer.

The primary purpose of my time of study each year is very clear. I want to see, hear, observe, understand, learn, know and experience everything God has for me. I want to pull back from my normal routine so I can gain a wider perspective. I want to be exposed to what others are learning and unlearning. I want to make sure I am giving Jesus the best opportunity to wreck me so that He can in turn rebuild me as He sees fit.

I do not take a study month just to become a better pastor…I take this window of time to grow as son of the most high God. The goal of my life is to become more and more like Jesus, and I find that I do that best with some set aside periods of time to be alone with Him. To talk and to listen…to confess and to worship…to read and to stretch.

Let me tell you a little secret…I don’t much like study month very much. I am extremely extroverted and I will miss everyone back at Quest. I would prefer to stay at church, worship in community, keep a steady routine, and not miss all that goes on at our active, astonishing church. I take Study Month because God calls me to it…the board sends me on it…and I look a little bit more like Him when I come back from it. So today I am on my way…to a quieter, more deliberate, focused season with Jesus.

So what about you? Do you have your own version of a study month? It doesn’t have to look like mine. It doesn’t need to be weeks long. But where is the place where you get alone with Him? When do you pull away from your routine to allow Him to time and space to wreck and rebuild you? Could be a certain morning next week. It might be your commute or your vacation. Perhaps an afternoon at the Gorge or the pool. Give it some thought. I challenge you this summer to carve out a little space…meet Jesus there & invite Him to show you or tell you anything He has for you. You may well walk away looking more like Him than when you walked in.

Pray for me over the next 21 days. Know that I will be praying for you. (I have plenty of time.)

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 9th, 2009 at 9:39 PM and is filed under Study Month. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.