On New Year’s Day 2026, I reached the ten-days-to-go on my countdown to sabbatical. I have been praying, preparing, and planning for this time of ministerial leave since 2022. This season of personal renewal will officially begin on Monday, January 12, when Carrie and I board a plane bound for Buenos Aires, Argentina, where we’ll be living with about 50 Pepperdine students for three and a half months. We plan to return on Sunday, May 3, just ahead of the Pepperdine Bible Lectures. This sabbatical will provide a season in which I will be away from my weekly ministerial duties with time to become a student again, to refresh my spiritual calling, to reflect more deeply, to pray more unhurriedly, to travel more widely and read more deeply, and to think afresh.
Some of my general plans for the ministerial leave include the following:
January. Orientation classes in Casa Holden in Buenos Aires; a week of intensive Spanish; leading a spiritual retreat for the students with Carrie; celebrating our 38th anniversary with a trip to Montevideo, Uruguay.
February. Trip to Patagonia, the most popular tourist destination in Argentina, to see the Perito Moreno Glacier and Glaciers National Park and to enjoy white water rafting in El Chalten, whose iconic peaks serve as the company logo of Patagonia. Trip to Ushuaia, the southernmost community in South America, where we’ll visit colonies of Magellanic, Gentoo and King penguins as well as Tierra del Fuego National Park. Weekend trip to the spectacular Iguazu Falls.
March. Educational field trip to Bariloche, the district in Northern Patagonia known for crystal blue-green lakes, alpine architecture, and chocolate! Nestled at the foot of the Andes Mountains, Bariloche is a paradise for the nature enthusiast; we’ll also interact with the indigenous Mapuche people. Visit in Buenos Aires with daughter Michaela. Weekend trip to Santiago, Chile.
April. Weekend trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with Carrie’s sister and daughter. End-of-term trip to Cuzco, Peru, to do a four day backpacking excursion on the historic Inca Trail, seeing raw natural beauty and Incan ruins before arriving at the stunning Machu Picchu Incan citadel in the Peruvian Andes.
In addition to the above “big-ticket” travel plans, I also plan to pursue the following enriching activities: visiting a wide variety of worship services and cathedrals in Buenos Aires; reading widely and continuing to learn across multiple disciplines; engaging with the extensive cultural offerings of Buenos Aires, including the Plaza de Mayo, Casa Rosada, Teatro Colón, and Recoleta Cemetery; walking and jogging through the parks and plazas, especially Bosques de Palermo; taking advantage of the city’s many rooftop restaurants and cafes; seeing a soccer game(!); serving the students as a house parent, spiritual life mentor, and role model as well as sharing in weekly house worship times.
After nearly thirty-five years of preaching, this ministerial leave will provide a season for me to be silent, listen deeply, and be still before the Lord. I invite you to pray for me that my silence will be fruitful. I am grateful for the kind support which our elders, fellow ministers, and many of you have shared with me. I invite you also to be praying for what God will do in all of you this winter. May we all continue to encourage one another to love and good deeds for the sake of God’s Kingdom.
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