Ellison
to Write Something Other Than a Grammar Book Click here to return to the Church Innovations web site. Although there may be some disagreement over whether it is evidence of dogged persistence or of just not knowing when to quit, I have been sitting at a desk or traveling for Church Innovations (and before that, Grayling Institute, and before that Lutheran Leadership Institute) for 17 years. I have never found myself idle, and my list of ongoing tasks numbers somewhere between 25 and 30. But this month a dozen of those items are moving onto other people’s lists and the rest are going on hold. From April 1 to July 1, I have applied for and been accepted into a Pastor-Theologian in Residence membership at the Center of Theological Inquiry at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey. I am going there to write a short theological novel (or maybe three stories) for children and their parents (think “Narnia” but strikingly more Lutheran). So when you send an e-mail to me at Church Innovations, you’ll get a reply that I’m not here. I’ll probably be on the 2.8 mile walk between my NJ digs and my office at Luce Hall. I plan to walk a lot. And I plan to stay very focused. But I will miss everyone and actually would love to hear from you during this sabbatical. Since phones do work in New Jersey and Caroline will have my office number, call. And if I am a little slow to return your call or check my personal e-mail, don’t be dismayed. It means I’m working, focusing, maybe even greeting no one on the road. I will need prayers to accomplish the work I have been called to do and so generously supported in doing by my friends, family, and CI colleagues. If you can go to God on my behalf, I would appreciate it. So here’s
to absence. Peace, Pat Taylor Ellison |
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