Our Sabbatical Journey: Insights on the Road Back to Life

Friends, I”m excited to share that both Gwen and I will be blogging soon about our Sabbatical Journey. As many of you know, we’ve unplugged, gone under the radar and not worked at Potter’s Inn for five months. Fifteen years of pioneering Potter’s Inn; giving and giving; caring for the souls of so very many leaders across the world left us tired, worn out and weary. Let me just spill the beans… our sabbatical has exceeded our hopes and expectations in every way. Despite witnessing our grandson dying and consumed with grief in our sabbatical time; despite the marriage of our third son, Cameron-and the addition of Lindsey whom we love already; despite knowing the fragility of raising our support and the thinness of finances at Potter’s Inn-we felt called and compelled to take the time we’ve written about; taught about; coached so many folks across the world to do what we had NEVER done for ourselves—-we took a Sabbatical.

Both Gwen and I will be sharing our insights, lessons, take-a-ways and on-going questions and nagging fears about re-entry. I’m excited because Gwen has finally said “Yes” to documenting her own journey and pulling back the curtain-so to speak so you can witness her own journey and in her own words. I’ll be sharing my road back to health in losing 60 pounds and watching my blood pressure drop significantly. I’ll be sharing what I did and how I did it. It’s been the biggest paradigm shift I’ve ever made thus far in my life. With the help of my medical doctor, now turned coach, friend and colleague in our teaching at Potter’s Inn, we will both be blogging about the maze of un-doing habits, thinking and addictions and having our minds transformed about how we are now looking at food. I’m afraid for decades, I lived to eat—and now I am eating to live!

Living in a world where we live 24/7 being “on”, wired to the max and always available, we will both share why we stopped doing “social media” and insights we gained from our technology fast. The blog will be rich with insights we WANT to share and it is our hope that our own journey might benefit you in some, life giving way.

Spiritually, renewal has come. A stream has come to the desert and we are rejoicing. We’ll be sharing the significant books we’ve read that have nursed us to life and sustained us with courage for the next leg of our journey.

In late May, Gwen and I will be doing our own “Re-entry Retreat” with a wise sage who will guide us to re-enter our life and work with all we’ve learned in these good yet hard months.

You’ll need to subscribe to the blog as it will be a DAILY update from Monday-Friday and will be replacing the Food for the Soul Daily Devotion for the month of June and perhaps a bit beyond. We’ll see how it goes; how you’re enjoying it and what your feedback is for us. So please do leave us comments.

If you are subscribed and are already receiving FOOD For The Soul-the daily devotional I send out of my writings, no need to worry. You’ll receive a link each Monday-Friday which will direct you to the blog.

Take a moment and ask some friends to join you on our Sabbatical Journey and consider our journey as a place to have your discussions about your longings, desires and yearnings in your heart for your own life.

This new way of sharing through this blog will begin mid-May. Be on the look for it and share it on your own streams of Social Media! We’d be so grateful.

Every blessing,

Steve and Gwen

Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.

  • Dustin J. Hibbard

    Steve and Gwen. I’m so glad you have had this journey through Sabbatical. It was the right decision for you and our team is so glad to follow your example.

    • myinsidejob

      That’s funny Dustin!, Yes, I hope all the staff of Potter’s Inn, other businesses, churches and missions can practice healthy sabbatical rhythms. I believe you’re up for the next one in, well, in several years. Right?

  • Henry Armstrong

    Have been following Potter’s Inn for years, it seems. Thank you for blessing me. Looking forward to more insights.

    • Stephen W. Smith

      Thank you Henry for your support in reading and journeying with us. Hope to meet you one day soon!

    • myinsidejob

      Henry, thanks for your comment. I appreciate your companionship! Come visit the retreat!

  • Cynthia

    How great that you will now be able to bring what you’ve learned to the table!

    • Stephen W. Smith

      Cynthia, thanks for your note. Yes, I hope we can bring some of our insights to the table. Appreciate your journeying with us.

    • myinsidejob

      We’d love all the feedback at the table! Let’s learn together!

  • Barbara Overgaard

    Steve and Gwen - looking forward to hearing from your hearts (hmmm. “hear” and “heart” sound very similar…) AND to seeing you again, as you gently make your entry back from this most wonderful time.

    • Stephen W. Smith

      Barb, great insight on hear and heart. I like that. Hope our paths can cross soon!

    • myinsidejob

      Barb, so good to hear from you here. Thank you and you’ve made a great insight on hear and heart.

  • Rebecca Eims-Hinebaugh

    Steve & Gwen, Your presence is felt in the Inn, can’t wait for your presence to walk among us again.

    • Stephen W. Smith

      Dear Rebecca, eager to reunite and link arms for the next stretch of the journey.

  • Gardner Family

    I am praying for you both and am looking forward to your re-entry blog. You both are precious to us!
    ~Bill

    • Stephen W. Smith

      Hope you’ll come up and visit the Inn and us in the summer. Why not?

  • Dreamcatcher

    I’m looking so forward to reading your blogs! Welcome back!

  • Blake Smith

    Welcome back! Looking forward to the readings. I sense a book from Mom in the future!

  • Joe Chambers

    Looking forward to the journey.

    • myinsidejob

      Joe, how wonderful to now know that you will truly be a companion on this journey and that there will be more together times. I’m very excited that you are moving here and can’t wait to do some hiking together. Every blessing!

      • Joe Chambers

        “I come into the peace of wild things…I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.” ~Wendell Berry