Raven Time
The Old Testament character Elijah spent time away from this role as prophet to Israel and was feed by ravens.
Elijah left and did what the word of the Lord had told him. He went to live by the Cherith River, which is east of the Jordan River. Ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and in the evening.
(1 Kings 17:5f GOD'S WORD Translation)
After many years (more than 35) of lay leadership and occupied with service roles I find myself having my own raven time. This hasn't been a spur of the moment decision. Leading and serving as homegroup leader, treasurer, newsletter editor, interpreter, coffee maker and dozens of other activities it is hard to spend time beside the river. Yet here is where I find myself. No responsibilities to deal with, no prophetic word to give. Simply the opportunity to be and not to do.
On my desk are piles of unread books, not all of them Christian; some indeed are athetistic tracts, some techincal/professional, some fiction, some research (by others and for my own). There is now time to read them and discover in them the truths planted there or simply the enjoyment of God-given creativity.
On my (virtual) desktop are various files and programs that I have saved for later use. Well now there is time to use them. One such program is an offline blogging tool.
How long do I expect raven time to last? For Elijah he was away for a total of three years. After being alone with the ravens he spent time living with a family. I get to do both these things at the same time. But as with Elijah my own time away is looking like years rather than days, weeks, or months. Clergy can take sabbaticals around every seven years. They are given between three to six months. It seems I've saved all mine up to take in a single sabbatical of between 18 months to three years.
I have no idea what happens at the end of this time. All I am concerned about right now is resting and taking stock. And maybe a few more blog posts.
posted by Trevor Jenkins @ 9:15 am
