The Mini Sabbatical: A Field Guide

Many Pastors and Professors take sabbaticals, but can the layperson take one too? What are the benefits of a sabbatical, and frankly, what does one do on a sabbatical? The goal of a sabbatical may be rest and restoration along with spiritual growth and renewal, or to reflect on the past years of a career while thinking about where the next season might lead. There are many resources on preparing for a sabbatical and others for reintegrating into normal life, but few explaining how to “do” a sabbatical. While there are no hard-set rules for sabbaticals, this field guide gives some ideas on how to use the time intentionally and experience rest and restoration without further burnout or wasting time. Anyone can benefit from a sabbatical. Teachers, students, or folks in between jobs may be able to naturally fit in a sabbatical, but there are no boundaries from anyone taking one for a short length of time.The Mini Sabbatical: A Field Guide offers insight into what to expect during a sabbatical along with ideas on how to use sabbatical time intentionally. It then transitions into a journaling section with prayer retreats and reflection questions relevant to sabbatical. The guide is not meant to be read straight through, but rather, used as a reference with different sections available as guidelines to the reader. The reader has the option to take or leave each section as works best for the individual.