Not long after I returned from my sabbatical I was given the opportunity to tell my church family about it. This article first appeared in our church's newsletter, The Bell, Snyder Memorial Baptist Church, Fayetteville, NC, the first week of September 2022.
As June was passing into July my sabbatical started with a personal retreat at a rustic cabin on a mountain outside of Bryson City, NC. I received very specific instructions on how to navigate the winding 1/2 mile gravel climb from the paved road to the cabin: Step 1) Put the vehicle in a low gear, Step 2) Turn off the traction control (I had to look that up in the vehicle manual!), and Step 3) Maintain a constant speed of 10mph (They weren’t joking!). And to find cell signal, cable TV, or wifi it was a 20min drive back down the mountain and into town. The amenities it did have, however (as well as those it lacked), were precisely what I needed: a rocking chair on the front porch with a view of the setting sun painting the distant trees golden, a nearby brook gurgling it’s way down the mountainside, wild-growing blackberries along the drive, a turkey tempted into the yard with some dry corn, solitude, and a coffee pot. With a journal, my Bible, an assortment of books, some groceries, and a healthy respect for getting up and down the mountain, time slowed down or sped up or disappeared altogether and was mostly accounted in terms of hunger or curiosity or the end of a chapter, the path of the sun, or how long it took the lizard, content and still in the sunlight, to realize it was not alone.
One evening, before it darkened completely, the fireflies had begun their flickering light ballet. I was out to watch and noticed a small spider making its web beneath the covered porch in the space where roof beam met log support post. I thought at first it must be finished until I noticed it had only just begun to create the framework of what would become a spiral web. Once all the spokes were in place, it tightened up the center with a few revolutions before moving to the outer edge and, strand by strand, spoke to spoke, it wound its way delicately and meticulously back to the center where, job complete, it rested, and waited. I stood transfixed for 50 minutes watching a spider spin her web. This experience became emblematic of my summer.
Sabbatical created for me margin. And in that space outside the lines of routine and busyness, moments both mundane and wonderful reminded me of the power and presence of God. Backpacking with Davis, writing and recording a song with Sophie, spending time with Kelly, visiting my brothers and parents, talking shop with other worship leaders, successfully repairing my trimmer and my mower all by myself (miracles in their own right if you know me) - this summer was about reconnecting with the rhythm and heartbeat of God, and I’m truly grateful. And I want to share it with you. To that end I’ve created a blog, www.gilesandkelly.wixsite.com/inthemargins , and I invite you to join me there where I’ll continue sharing about what God has been teaching me “in the margins.” The first post is already up. Love y’all! It’s good to be back. Giles
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