Sabbatical Sentiment by Bryan Craig
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
2 Corinthians 13:14
My dear Influencers community, THANK YOU to all of you who prayed for me during my Sabbatical. I wanted to give you a brief report of my time and this experience for it was so valuable for my soul. 2 Corinthians 3:14 (The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all) came to me at the beginning of my time, as it was printed on a strip of paper and fell out of my old reading Bible that I had not used in a while and became my heart’s desire. The love of God, the grace of Jesus and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Sounds like “abiding,” doesn’t it? I experienced all these things during my month…love, grace, fellowship…and much more.
Let me say that I have never been off work for 2 weeks since I started working 36 years ago, let alone a whole month. I’m truly thankful to the Global Board and all of you who allowed me this time of rest, refreshment, refocus, reset. Some dear friends of mine allowed me to use their beautiful mountain home in Winter Park for the month of July, which proved to be a wonderful “fortress of solitude” for me. Strangely, we had not planned to go to Colorado until around 7/10, but we considered doing a beach trip or something else with the family before then, but for some reason, it never felt right, so we decided to stick around home for the first week to celebrate the 4th of July.
Well, on July 7, I went to visit my father-in-law, John, who has been in declining health for the past 2 years and was in a nursing home since falling and breaking his hip. John and I worked in a small business together for 5 years after I married his daughter, Missy, and we’ve had many adventures together. We had a one-on-one time together that morning. Though he had been suffering from dementia, as well, this particular morning, he seemed fairly clear. We talked about their financial affairs and taking care of his wife, my mother-in-law, and then, I found myself asking him the question we always ask in Influencers, “How’s your soul?” He lowered his head and shook it, as if to say, “Not good.”
In this sacred moment, I found myself talking to John about his sins being totally forgiven and removed from him “as far as the east is from the west.” I told him that the only thing left to do is to forgive himself. I told him he was free from guilt and shame and condemnation. He didn’t say anything but seemed to hear me loud and clear. I wheeled him back in the building, told him I loved him, and said goodbye. I felt a heart of compassion for John, especially that morning. I called my mother-in-law that morning, trying to figure out if there was any way we could bring him home, so he didn’t have to spend his last days in the nursing home. She shared my burden for this, but we didn’t know if that was possible. Later that night, John died, much to our surprise. God knew I needed to be home during the first part of this month.
So, my Sabbatical began as I contemplated death and life, and as I was called to be a priest to my family. It brought back my Dad’s death 3-1/2 years ago, as I reflected on losing two of my key father figures. It was a somber, reflective time.
Then, Missy and I escaped to the mountains. We had no plans, and time ticked slowly. Every morning was like an extended time of prayer for me. A dear brother gave me a book, “Living Life Backward” by David Gibson, which is a book about Ecclesiastes, which proved to be very prescriptive for my soul. I also found myself reading another book, “Unbound” by Neal Lozano. This was a book about how our sin nature allows evil spirits to have strongholds in our lives, even as Christians, and how to be set free from those through Repentance, Forgiveness, Renouncing, Authority and Blessing. It was a powerful book, and one of the most Biblical, balanced teaching on deliverance I have ever seen.
Missy was with me for a week and enjoyed the beautiful Rocky Mountains with me, and then, she left. I was alone for the second week, which was, at first, very intimidating for me. But this was a key time. As I referenced, “Fortress of Solitude”, I’m a big Superman fan, and I love the part of the original movie where Clark finds the green crystal and goes to the ice fortress for a special time with his Father, getting prepared for his life and mission. I also love Star Wars, and I recalled the scene in Empire Strikes Back where Luke is getting Jedi training with Yoda and goes into the cave, facing his fears, and realizes that his worst enemy is himself. He learns that to find “The Force,” he must let go of control and become the warrior he was made to be.
This may sound a bit dramatic, but I am a bit dramatic- maybe that’s why God gave me four daughters…I can handle drama. As I was totally unplugged from the world, not checking emails, not really talking to anyone, I understood, maybe for the first time, the verse, “Be still and know that I’m God.” Psalm 46:10. Also, one of my mentors, who is like a Yoda, told me that it’s good to be bored…then, you can hear from God. He was right.
God loved me, Jesus showed me His grace and I fellowshipped with the Holy Spirit. I was taken on a journey into my past. First, it was scene after scene of my sin, discovering areas where I had let evil in or perhaps, made agreements with the devil that I was no good. Then, it was as if my life flashed before my eyes, reminding me of all the blessings in my life, all the times that Jesus was there. If you know me, you know my all-time favorite movie is “It’s a Wonderful Life.” George always thought his life’s purpose was out there on the horizon, until an angel finally helped him realize his purpose was right in front of him, and that he already had a wonderful life. God did this for me, too.
Also, I might add that during this time, I saw the news about the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, Biden being forced out of the presidential race, the protests of Israel and defacing of our beautiful capitol city, the hatred and division and dysfunction in our country on full display. It was a reality check and a reminder of the darkness and that Satan, “the prince of this world,” is having his way on many fronts.
I came away from my time in the wilderness more impassioned than ever to serve the Lord and with faith that He alone holds the keys to freedom. A part of me died during the Sabbatical, the part that was insecure and fearful and didn’t feel worthy and also the part that wanted to control everything with my perfect plans. I believe the Lord wants me to stop living in the past, and to stop living in the future, but to live in the NOW, the present. Isn’t this what abiding is all about?
A few key verses penetrated me during this time, but none more than this one:
“Godliness with contentment is great gain.” 1 Timothy 6:6
I think Contentment is what I’ve been looking for most of my life, but I was looking for it in the wrong places. Contentment is akin to “Personal Abandonment and Absolute Trust.” And it comes through letting go of my thoughts, my plans, my expectations and living only to glorify Him, not myself.
So, I come home to my ministry, my family, with a fresh perspective, new eyes, and a restful peace. I’m so thankful for my life and for this ministry we call Influencers. I should mention that God allowed me some time to put some finishing touches on a book I’ve been writing for a few years, called “The Story of Influencers.” Rocky asked me to write this from my perspective, and as I recounted all of God’s fingerprints on this ministry since 2001, it was invigorating and encouraging and exciting. I reaffirmed my belief that God created Influencers and called us to bring Light to this dark world.
So many people, even Christians, like me, are striving and searching and struggling to find meaning in this world…they are on a treasure hunt, but they are looking in the wrong places. As Rocky said early on, the Treasure of the Universe is Christ and He wants to be found, to set us free, to give us a wonderful life.