What's it like to be on sabbatical? Well, here's a typical day for me:
05:45a Get up.
06:00a Out the door for a early bike ride in Cambridgshire. There are great bike paths all over England—and a ride makes for great exercise, a time for early morning prayer, and a chance to take in beauty.
07:30a Return to the cottage for a hot shower.
08:00a Repair to a local coffee shop near King’s College to have a coffee while reading the Scriptures and writing in my journal.
09:00a Hop on the bike for a 5 minute ride over to Westminster College and the Henry Martyn Centre. I’m reading widely—Jonathan Edwards, C. S. Lewis, history of missions (I'm learning about the East Africa Revival), Reformation history, global trends and changes in missions—while surrounded by thousands of the best books on missions and evangelism.
01:00p Lunch break (this is when the British take lunch). I enjoy a nice walk around Cambridge and watch punters on the Cam (see photo). This is the time that I like to dream about the things I want Calvary Church to do in the next 25 years. I’m dreaming really big—I can’t help myself. I also do a little more journaling.
02:00p Back to the Henry Martyn Centre or over to the University of Cambridge Library, where there are 8 million books on the shelves. If I read one book a day, I’ll get through them in about 22,000 years! Should keep me busy.
04:30p Another coffee shop visit for a small latte and a moment with a fun book (usually a novel). Many libraries here close at 4:30p because studying is considered your work. I love it.
05:30p Attend an evening prayer service at a local church. There are about 40 to choose from but my favorite is King’s College.
06:30p Dinner at a pub, local restaurant, or at our cottage at Tyndale House
08:00p Watch the news. Check out some “football” (soccer)—right now I’m watching England play Ukraine. Fall asleep with a novel.
Then I do it all over again....and I’m loving it. I'll blog later about some of the things I'm learning from my studies and travels.
