We thought we’d share some of the resources that blessed us during our sabbatical as they may be a blessing to you too!

Peter’s Favourite Books from the Sabbatical:

The Unhurried Pastor, by Brian Croft and Ronnie Martin – This was an excellent book.  A great reminder that the Word, prayer, and contemplation are not luxuries in ministry . . . they are our job.  So we need to do whatever it takes to make a sustainable life and ministry possible.

The Emotionally Healthy Leader, by Peter Scazzero – This was a very helpful book addressing the importance of the inner life in a Christian leader.  I’d like to dip back into this book in the future for my sake, and for other leaders in the church.

50 People Every Christian Should Know, by Warren Wiersbe – I really enjoyed these 50 short biographies of “spiritual giants of the faith.”  Some of them were inspiring, others were challenging.  It was a pleasant and easy read in the early weeks of the sabbatical.

The Epic of Eden, by Sandra Richter – This is an introduction to the Old Testament.  A college textbook does not usually make for light reading, but it was surprisingly well-written and enjoyable.

Melanie’s Favourite Books from the Sabbatical:

Unshakeable, by Jason and Tori Benham – This is an engaging book on how to combat overwhelm and anxiety from a biblical perspective has impacted me so much. It was probably the best book I read on our sabbatical, and I have been putting things into practice from this book every day!

Humble Roots, by Hannah Anderson – A thought-provoking gentle read that unpacks the idea of humility using illustrations from God’s creation.  I learned so much.

Simply Tuesday, by Emily P. Freeman – The subtitle: Small-moment Living in a Fast-Moving World. Another very gentle and thought-provoking read related to embracing our humanness and trusting God.

You’ll Get Through This, by Max Lucado – This book is full of rich insights on dealing with suffering from the life of Joseph.

From Mecca to Christ, by Ahmed Joktan  – An amazing true story about a Muslim man finding Christ.  I couldn’t put it down!

Replenish, by Lance Witt – In short and engaging chapters, this book explains why pastors should prioritise cultivating a healthy soul and how to do it. I highly recommend this one for every Christian leader.

Marriage Books: (which we read together as a couple)

From Anger to Intimacy, by Gary Smalley and Ted Cunningham – We found this book really helpful in understanding our “hot buttons” in conflict, what is behind our anger (which is a secondary emotion) and then figuring out what to do with it.

Mars and Venus In Touch, by John Gray  – This little book of highlights from Gray’s famous book (Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus) proved to be very helpful to us.  Not a Christian book, but so helpful in increasing understanding of male and female differences.

Website:  Howwelove.com – We took the “Love Styles” marriage quiz and the results, plus other resources (some were free, some we paid for) have really revolutionised our understanding of each other.  We highly recommend this resource!

*How to Speak Life to Your Husband : When All You Want to Do is Yell at Him, by Ann Wilson  – To clarify, I don’t feel like yelling at Peter very often (!) but I do struggle in the area of speaking words of encouragement versus defaulting to negativity. This is an honest book that I found very convicting but also really inspiring. (* – I – Melanie –  read this book on my own.)

Books we loved reading out loud with the girls:

Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry – This is a moving story of a family in Denmark who helped Jews to safety during World War 2.

Kisses From Katie, by Katie Davis – A powerful true story of a young woman who went to serve the Lord in Africa and ended up adopting many children. So inspirational!

God’s Smuggler, by Brother Andrew – Another incredible true story of a Dutch man who secretly brought God’s Word behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War and eventually became the founder of the ministry Open Doors.

Children’s Books:

The Amazing Generation, by Jonathan Haidt and Catherine Price – An extremely eye-opening book that highlights the dangers of smartphones and social media.  It gives kids great ideas about how to have screen-free fun.  It’s aimed at pre-teens and has lots of graphics and fun elements.  But I would say it should be required reading for all parents (even if your children are small!) and all teenagers too!  Also check out the book (for adults) The Anxious Generation.

The What Katy Did series (5 books), by Susan Coolidge – Kaylah and I both read this series (written in the late 1880s) and really enjoyed it!

Places we Visited and loved:

The Great Smoky Mountains (in Tennessee and North Carolina)

Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum (in Mansfield, Missouri)

The Ark Encounter (in Williamstown, Kentucky)

The Creation Museum (in Petersburg, Kentucky)

Places we Stayed and Loved:

**Both of these places were in beautiful, peaceful surroundings hosted by wonderful, gracious people.

Broom Tree Refuge, near Mountain View, Arkansas (for people in ministry)

The Beginning of the Rest, near Chattanooga, Tennessee (for missionaries)

Sabbatical specific resources:

Sabbaticals: How To Take a Break from Ministry before Ministry Breaks You, by Rusty McKie – A short, engaging, biblical read on how to plan and carry out a restorative sabbatical.  We found it very helpful in planning our sabbatical.

Sabbatical video training course –  by Restory Labs

From Melanie: One of our big goals for our sabbatical was to spend lots of quality time as a couple and to really focus on working on our marriage.  We began the 3 months feeling 100% committed to our marriage (as we have been from day one!) and being thankful for the way we work together as a good team.  But both of us were feeling stuck and defeated in some areas of our relationship, despite our best attempts to work through them.

As Peter has said, a well-established marriage has well-established patterns!  And these usual ways of relating sometimes need to be examined, challenged and changed. We believe our marriage is the core of our family, and our family is the core of our ministry.  And we also know that Satan is prowling around looking for ways to destroy marriages and thus ministries. So, we felt our marriage was a strategic area to strengthen during the sabbatical.

Having lots of time was so important.  I am Peter’s biggest fan in ministry and have always been happy for him to be serving in the limelight and for me to be in the background.  But not having to share my husband for three whole months was such a gift!  Having this extended break made it easier for us to dive into difficult conversations knowing we had plenty of time for them.  We also had plenty of time for fun, light-hearted connection and romance too which were so enriching for us.

Peter and I took lots of long walks in beautiful surroundings and had lots of long conversations. This took some deliberate effort as we had our daughters with us – but they were very content to do their schoolwork or play or be outdoors themselves while we spent time together. It helped that we were in beautiful locations where we could take long walks within the vicinity of the houses we stayed in, knowing the girls were just fine.

We went to two different marriage retreats (made graciously possible by the girls staying with family).  We read multiple books and talked through them, and we found an online tool about “love styles” that was extremely helpful to us.  We laughed and just enjoyed being together. Were any of the retreats, books or tools the “magic” key that fixed everything? No. It is God who is our ultimate hope and it’s been Jesus who has been the “key,” working in His signature way that isn’t always definable.  But we can testify that God has answered many prayers and been at work in beautiful ways.

Was it all easy?  Absolutely not.  Was it all worth it?  Incredibly so!  Are we “sorted” now? Have we “arrived?” No way.  But our hearts feel more at rest.  Not because what we have is perfect, but because what we have is very valuable and very good.

We are feeling so much more connected as a couple.  Our hearts are softer and warmer toward each other.  We have a new joy, a renewed hope and a deeper gratitude for each other.  We have a better understanding of each other, our “hot buttons” in conflict, and why we often react to each other the way we do.  This has given us a greater compassion for each other which has in turn helped us to react to each other more graciously when conflict happens.

God has clearly been at work and we are so grateful.

A few of my takeaway points from the sabbatical:

• I’m realising the damage I can cause to Peter with my negative words. This is still a wrestle for me in my heart, but I feel like I’m moving towards letting go of control and speaking more words of encouragement and affirmation. I want to use my tongue as a tool of healing and blessing in his life.  Words build worlds!
• New or renewed desires: Be quick to listen! Slow to speak.  Slow to become angry.  Don’t judge or be too certain.  Give up my quest for justice and desire to be “right.”  Realise I might be wrong, or I might be missing something.  Identify MY part in a conflict and start there.
• God gave me Peter and He is at work. I want to receive Peter as God’s good gift to me without trying to change him.  (“Receiving” is different from “accepting” which just means “putting up” with!)  Differences, struggles and conflict are good opportunities for growth!
• It is crucial to identify our “hot buttons” in conflict and the lies behind them. Remember that Peter is probably not deliberately pushing my buttons!
• Respond to God rather than reacting to your spouse. Reject old scripts/ways of responding.  The trials that shape us usually have faces!  (ie they are people, often our spouse!)
• Focus on feelings, not issues when resolving conflict. Focus on being gentle and tender.
• Anticipate setbacks. Be patient with yourself and your spouse.  Appreciate every little step forward.
• What do we want to protect as couple as we return?  Margin – which will lead to . . . time together which will lead to . . . gentleness of our conversation which will lead to . . . fun which will lead to . . . closeness and warmth which will lead to . . . a healthy marriage as a solid centre for family and ministry

From Peter:  On one of the marriage retreats, one of the speakers addressed the pastors in the group.  “Coming away from your church this weekend to work on your marriage sends a better message to your church than any sermon.”  That is true, and we would love to see others enjoying ‘A Weekend To Remember’ as we did (a superb marriage retreat run by Family Life Ministries).

To be honest, the idea of coming away from the busy schedule of normal life for three whole months felt slightly daunting.  I absolutely love my wife, but that doesn’t make every moment together easy and enjoyable.  Three months together, without any ministry responsibilities, meant that we had time to invest and no reason to postpone any conversation.  As Melanie said, that was not always easy.  But it was good.  We were able to pray about areas where we felt stuck in patterns of conflict or tension.  One book mentioned that when there is anger rising up in a relationship, you can either stuff it, spew it, or study it.  We had the time to prayerfully study those moments where we were feeling angry, or upset, or disappointed, or hurt.

The opportunity to invest time and energy in our marriage like this was a real blessing.  We have learned a lot about ourselves and each other.  Understanding a difficulty is not the same as solving it, but it is hugely helpful.  There have definitely been moments where we were both confused at how the other person was reacting.  Why is she so…?  What can’t he just…?  And where there is confusion, there can easily be misunderstanding, hurt, and unhelpful jumping to conclusions.  She just wants to…!  He obviously doesn’t…!  One of the gifts God gave us during these months was a greater understanding of each other.  As I said above, understanding a difficulty is not the same as solving it, but it is hugely helpful.  Knowing why our spouse might be reacting the way they are helps us to lean in and lovingly help, rather than pulling away in hurt or frustration.

The vast majority of marriages are challenging because they involve two sinners.  On top of that, we tend to be married to the person we value the most and therefore their opinions, reactions, comments, tone and expressions carry greater weight than anyone else.  And in the normal rhythms of life, we tend to be with that most important person when we are most tired and worn down.  It should be no wonder that marriage can be challenging.  And yet, with God’s Spirit at work in both spouses, and with liberal amounts of forgiveness, grace, apologies and care, it is possible to keep on growing closer as the years pass!

A well-established marriage will tend to have well-established patterns, of course.  But with God’s help, a well-established marriage can grow deeper, closer and better than ever.  I am really thankful for the investment we have been able to make in these months, and I am looking forward to continuing to grow in our marriage in the decades still to come!

A few of my takeaways points: (to add to some of Melanie’s which apply to both of us):

• There is power in really listening and hearing. I don’t need to counter or correct what Melanie is expressing, but I do need to hear her.  There is healing power for her in being able to express her feelings and be heard.
• I am naturally inclined to avoid tension and so will naturally give an upset Melanie what I would want if I were upset – space. I need to remember to give her what she needs – an interested and listening ear, loving care and support.
• It is easy to communicate at the level of cliches, facts and opinions, but harder to get to the level of feelings and transparency. It’s harder to get there, but it is necessary for closeness.  It can be harder because of busy schedules, or because of some temperaments, or both, but it’s worth fighting for this level of communication.
• At the Weekend to Remember a speaker used an illustration of a relay race where a team member dropped the baton at a changeover. The coaches screamed at the runner to pick it up and keep going, that they were still in the race.  They did and ended up winning the relay.  “Everyone here will feel like they’ve dropped the baton already,” the speaker said, “but you are still in the race – pick it up and keep going!”  So true, and so worth it.

Marriage is one of God’s most precious gifts.  The most precious things we possess are the things worth protecting, investing in, cherishing and fighting for.  No matter what state your marriage is in, choose to lean in and invest in it, even if it’s hard or it means reaching out for help.  God is for you and for your marriage! With him there is always hope!

At the beginning of the sabbatical, I realised I had been living with overwhelm and exhaustion as ever-present companions.  I was battling through a season of depression.  I felt a constant deep-seated tension inside, along with a cynicism that had sown seeds of hopelessness that tangled around my heart.  I was walking with God closely, but I still felt distant from Him.  I was struggling to sense His presence, see His love and involvement in my daily life.

The sabbatical was immensely healing for me.  I am not the same person I was at the start of it.  While I still struggle (and probably always will) with the same tendencies toward overwhelm, anxiety, depression and wanting to control, I have seen God gently unclench my fists and help me begin to surrender control to him in a new way.  He’s lifted the burden of drivenness and helped me to feel the relief that comes from trusting him moment by moment.  He’s taught me to receive His love and care, to see His intimate involvement in my life.  (see my previous post, a story: An Earring and the Love of God)

I feel like the sabbatical was one big exhale of breath.  The rest, the removal of pressure, the time in creation, all the good books and good food, the time with my family and time with the Lord has been a soothing balm to my soul.  And not only that, but these gifts have also eased the cynicism I was feeling – the constant expectation of negative things – and replaced it with a deep sense of how loved I am by the Lord, that I am one of His favourites and that He delights to generously bless me.  I’m learning very slowly. . .  but I’m learning to let things take the time they take, to pay attention to my desires, to let go of “shoulds” and to rest in God’s heart of generosity towards me.  I feel like a toddler taking faltering steps but I know my Father is watching with a smile of delight and love.

There were so many moments when I sensed the nearness of God, and many of them have occurred in His creation.  The beauty of the world around me, its vastness, its simplicity yet intricacy, its colour, its rich variety, – it all filled my soul.  All of it – from frosty winter woods to the green of exploding spring – showed me the power and love and wisdom of God. Over and over, I’ve felt God has held out to me abundant and beautiful gifts.  Honestly, it’s felt like it’s been almost too much to take in.  These gifts have not only been through His creation, but also through the kindness of His people, specific answers to prayer, His clear protection from danger and through His Word.  The Psalms of Ascent have been a particular blessing to me as I’ve memorised some of them.  So many of the verses felt so relevant and even like a description of our sabbatical, like markers of things God was showing me.  There have also been a few books that God used to speak to me. **See below for titles** His voice has been gentle but very clear.  You are a creature.  Surrender to me as your Creator.  Accept your limits and humble yourself before me.  Release control.  And trust me as your Shepherd who is with you always.  I’m learning to allow things to take the time they take.  I’m seeing that my ambitions and driven nature push me to try to fit way too many good things into a day or a week.  God has been teaching me to slow down, to plan less, to be content with how a day has turned out.  I am a slow learner but maybe that’s part of the lesson.  Growth happens slowly and maybe that’s OK.

I’m so grateful for the gift of time.  Three whole months with no agendas or pressures!  It felt like it took me awhile to relax into it, but at some point, the awareness that we had many weeks ahead to be on sabbatical felt so good, like such a relief.  I was given permission to slow down, do things I wanted to do, listen to my heart, rather than being so consumed with “shoulds.”  The quiet and space enabled to be able to hear God’s voice more clearly. I was able to start to learn to let go of control (of little and big things), to look to God for his plans for our days, and to let my heart rest in his sovereignty and love for me.  I feel like He gently began teaching me a new way of being – a more surrendered, moment-by-moment dependence on him.  I have in no way arrived in these areas, but the Lord has been gently leading me, and I feel like my heart posture is really different than before the sabbatical.  This time was incredibly special, and I realise now how hungry my heart was for it.  What a joy it has been to let my heavenly Father gently teach me how to live under His easy yoke.

**We hope to share a post on: “Resources that Blessed Us” which will include books we read on our sabbatical, but for now let me share the titles of the books that impacted me the most in the areas of surrendering control, humility, and living under Christ’s easy yoke.

Unshakeable – by Jason and Tori Benham

Humble Roots – by Hannah Anderson

Simply Tuesday – by Emily P. Freeman

Written by Melanie in April during our sabbatical . . . a story of the nearness and love of God:

Two days ago, I realised I’d lost an earring. I retraced the steps I’d taken since I’d put on a hoodie, assuming I’d knocked the earring loose as it went over my head. The missing earring was nowhere to be found and a search of the places I’d sat reading outside earlier also turned up nothing. This pair of earrings was a Christmas gift from my daughter and were shaped like world maps, a reminder to me of God’s heart for the nations. They were small representations both of my daughter’s thoughtfulness and one of my life passions.  They were small but significant.

Historically, I have been really good at reacting badly when I lose things and wallowing in anger and frustration. I think it’s that feeling of helplessness, of being totally out of control, of my carefully ordered world falling apart.

On this sabbatical, God has been gently working with me, teaching me to surrender control, to trust his loving sovereignty, to turn to Him first before trying to fix things. I have certainly not arrived, but I am slowly learning. So I prayed about the earring, let it go, and pretty much forgot about it.

This morning Peter and I were walking through the giant grassy field toward the house where we are staying. And when I say the field is giant, I mean giant. Like acres and acres and the grass is currently waving long. We were talking away and at one point I stopped and turned around. Though I was very much NOT paying attention to where I was stepping, something in my subconscious mind told me I’d seen something tiny and silver sparkle in the sun.  Stooping down, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was my missing earring. My eyes immediately filled with tears and they are filling up again now as I am writing.

The God of the universe who flung stars and planets into existence with His Word, the God who holds every molecule together every moment of every day, the holy God who sits on his throne with millions of angels falling in worship before him . . . that God sees me. His heart is for me.  He cares for me. He delights to answer my small prayers, prayed from my small heart about small things in my small little corner of this massive world. There in a small piece of a grassy field was my small earring sparkling in the sunshine, singing out of God’s big, big love for me. And not just his love, but his personal care, his intimate knowledge of my life, my heart, my desires. He’s a Father who delights in generously giving to his beloved children, not because we deserve it, but because he delights to love us.

My heart has been slow to accept this. So often, I fear the worst, expect the worst, struggle to believe that God really loves me and wants to bless me. I’ve been asking him on this sabbatical to teach me to trust his heart for me, to release the tight, controlling grip I often have on my life, to transform my ways of thinking and being. And I’ve seen him begin to do this. Not in a harsh or forceful way. But with constant gentle reminders, like finding my lost earring. He has been reminding me that he is intimately involved in my life. He has been reminding me that he loves me, deeply and completely.  He has been reminding me, like Katie Davis says in her book, that I am one of his favourites.

Over and over, he has blessed me with moments of joy where my soul has been overwhelmed with the beauty of creation, the preciousness of my family, the pleasure of rest, the joy of laughter.

One of these moments happened last week as we drove toward our destination here in Tennessee. We have been in many beautiful places on this sabbatical which have filled my soul immensely – sunshine and woods, ponds and sunsets. But as we drove out of the Nashville metro area, we began to climb into the mountains.  Mountains! Mountains all around us, blanketed in a lush, spring, green covering.  Words feel totally inadequate to describe the way the intense beauty of that sweeping scene overwhelmed my soul. Peter and I marvelled together. “Wow,” I said, “Of all the many places we’ve been, this has got to be the most beautiful.”

God, I whispered in my heart, you’ve already blessed me abundantly on this trip. But you knew. You knew! You knew how much I love the mountains. Thank you so much for this gift. As my eyes filled with tears, my heart filled with a profound sense of being seen, known and loved. Though my mind asks, “How can it be?” my soul affirms, “Surely, O God, I am one of your favourites.”

I did not know what to expect with a sabbatical.  We hadn’t ever had an extended break from ministry.  It has been over twenty-one years since we left Hillsboro and moved to West Wickham to start full-time ministry in the UK.  Even before that, there were several years of juggling study, paid work and ministry.  So what would a 12-week break feel like?  Would I get frustrated at not being able to preach?  Would I regret my commitment not to work on a book during this time?  Actually, not at all.  In fact, had no idea how much I would benefit from the break.

Here are several ways I found the sabbatical refreshing and enriching:

1. Rest is good for the soul. I would not say that I am very good at resting.  I tend to feel quite driven and I can find days off a bit frustrating at times.  But this was not a few hours or a couple of days, it was 12-weeks.  And I have to admit that I benefitted from the rest more than I had anticipated.  Sleeping without an alarm clock.  Enjoying many walks in the wintery woods of Arkansas, around the neighbourhood in Oklahoma, and in the wooded trails of Tennessee in the spring – it was such a blessing.  I was able to read lots of good books, to journal, and to pray.  Then there were family times too: times to play games, laugh together, make memories, have extended conversations.
2. Slowing down allows you to see God at work. Instead of rushing from one thing to the next, I had time to ponder God’s kindness to us.  The places we stayed, the churches we visited, the kindness shown to us by people who did not know us, as well as the encouragement and support of our home church and prayer partners . . . we got to see God at work in so many little details.  Before visiting a certain church, I wrote in my journal how I’d love to meet the pastor whose podcast I enjoy every week.  The next entry, hours later, began, “Wow!…”  God had orchestrated an amazing interaction with him.  The following month, we changed our plans to arrive in Oklahoma a day earlier than planned.  The next day, as we sat in a safe room with a tornado-laden storm passing nearby, we thanked God that He knew we needed to be there that night, rather than driving through a dangerous storm.  I also hank God that he protected me when I choked on my birthday meal at a remote restaurant near Chattanooga.  In the end we clocked up five thousand miles driven safely, and countless reasons to praise God along the way.  God is probably showing us countless kindnesses all the time, but this time of rest allowed us to see these more clearly.
3. Prayer is a privilege.  The personal highlight of the sabbatical for me was a shift in my experience of prayer.  Before the sabbatical I was probably a bit scattered in my prayer life, inconsistent and certainly too business-like.  While walking in the Arkansas woods near the cabin where we were staying, that changed.  Praying through Scripture to enjoy the gospel personally, and being blown away by Revelation 1 that day, and worshipping God in response . . . I genuinely started to look forward to the next day when I could go on a walk with Jesus again.  To come into His presence prayerfully, with gratitude, with the truths of Scripture, with intercession, and with praise, that really is a privilege I fell in love with afresh.
4. My ministry does not define my identity.  I know this is true.  I could have preached or written a compelling case for this truth before we went away.  However, knowing something and experiencing something is not always the same.  For 12 weeks I was not a preacher, a pastor, an elder, a missionary, a prof, an author, or any other type of vocational minister of the Gospel.  I was a husband, a dad, a driver, an agent of dishwashing.  And spiritually?  I was a child of God, a member of the bride of Christ, a part of the body of Christ, a branch in Christ’s vine, and a sheep in His flock.  And in this identity, I was loved by God.  I know I am highly dispensable in ministry.  I know God doesn’t need me.  And for these 12 weeks, I had a clearer sight of the truth I preach: God loves us because we are in Christ, because we are His, not because of what we do for Him.

I could write much more – the lessons learned in marriage, the blessings of visiting over a dozen churches, or the special memories made with my girls and with the whole family during our family reunion week.  But hopefully this gives you a glimpse into the ways God blessed me during this sabbatical.  Thank you so much for your prayers and support during these months!

We are safely back home in the UK after our 3-month sabbatical.  Words seem very feeble to describe what an incredibly rich, life-giving, valuable time this has been for us.  We plan to share some of our deeper reflections about how God has worked in our hearts in an upcoming series of posts. For now, we’d like to share some facts about where and how we spent these three precious months – and of course we’ll include some photos!  The bottom line is, we have come home with hearts full of gratitude.  And we are now big proponents of sabbaticals!  God has been so good – we are not the same people as we were before.

Where? – We spent nearly 2 weeks in Dallas with Aliyah and Michael and then spent nearly a month in Arkansas before moving on to Oklahoma for several weeks.  We had a few days of transition and travel in Missouri and Kentucky before spending 3.5 weeks in Tennessee. Before flying home from Chicago, we spent a long weekend with Joel and Mariah.  We drove over 5000 miles through 12 states.  This may sound exhausting, but it wasn’t, as we stayed a long time at our main locations and had only 6 or 7 road trip days in the 3 months.  The travelling was actually enjoyable and we were able to see many parts of the USA that we hadn’t seen before. God’s creation is truly amazing!

Who? – We had time with family at the start of the sabbatical (in Dallas with Aliyah and Michael) and the middle (a reunion week in Oklahoma with all of our children and their families) and the end (a long weekend in Chicago with Joel and Mariah).  The rest of the time, it was just the four of us.  Peter and I were able to attend two marriage weekends and we had a whole week alone together as a couple which was such a gift.

**More photos at the bottom of this post**

What did we do? – We stayed in some truly beautiful locations and so we spent as much time outdoors in God’s creation as we could! Some of the highlights were amazing sunsets, long walks in the woods, lovely ponds and mountains.  We saw some wonderful wildlife – including deer, wild turkey, geese, many other birds and also elk and bison in a special reserve area in Kentucky.  We even caught a glimpse of two black bears!  God blessed us with a lot of sunshine even in the winter months.  We experienced a huge variety of temperatures (from -5 C to 34 C!)  We read LOTS of wonderful books (individually, as a couple and as a family).  We played games, ate good food, took our time doing everything and laughed a lot.  We took a few day trips to interesting places (The Great Smoky Mountains and the Ark Encounter were highlights!) and enjoyed the culture of the southern US states.  Peter and I had a lot of good time to connect as a couple, both serious conversations and fun.  We both journaled a lot, and had plenty of unhurried time to read the Bible and pray and journal.  The girls crocheted, sewed, played outdoors, made boats to sail on the ponds out of recycling material, baked, kept journals and went horseback riding.  (Yes, and they did some schoolwork too!)  We had many, many God moments – where we really experienced His presence and his love.  If you prayed for us, thank you so much. He has answered abundantly.  More on this in upcoming posts!  For now, we’ll share a few more photos at the end of this post to give you a taste of the beauty and joy we experienced.

Memory making moments? (Scary, funny and enjoyable!)

On the way home from a Rend Collective concert we were privileged to attend, we hit a skunk on a dark, lonely road in Arkansas. It was a smelly situation, but we were very glad it wasn’t a deer! We were also thankful to just miss hitting a deer in Tennessee.

We ended up in a safe room in Oklahoma the night after we arrived because of a tornado. It really sounded like the house was going to blow down but God kept us safe! We had no idea that changing our plans to drive to Oklahoma the previous day meant we were not travelling during the tornado (but God knew!).

During high winds in Kentucky, a large construction barrel blew across the freeway and Peter was able to swerve to miss hitting it head-on – another kindness from the Lord.

On the more humorous side, we accidentally walked into two weddings! (ask us if you want to know the stories!)

We had lots of interesting, funny and also some meaningful experiences at various churches.  And at two of them Peter ended up connecting with the pastors in a really special way! (Again, please ask for the stories if you are interested!)

We attended an Easter morning service at an arena in Chattanooga, and we ended up standing in front of thousands of people and receiving a gift as we had come from the furthest away!

It’s been great to be home but it’s definitely felt like a big transition.  We are still readjusting to normal life and catching up on emails and messages so thank you for your patience if you are waiting to hear from us.  Peter is also getting ready to leave for the European Leadership Forum on the 15th where he will be teaching in the Bible teachers and preachers network.  Thank you so much for your prayers for him and for all of us as we  adjust back to our life and ministry here in the UK.

Here are a few more photos:

Watch this space for more posts where we will share some of our reflections on our sabbatical and the ways that God has worked in our hearts.

God bless you as you continue into 2026! We’ll be in touch again after our sabbatical. Please do let us know if you’d like to receive our itinerary and prayer requests.

We have had a very busy but wonderfully blessed summer, full of events and milestones for our family. Here are some bullet points of what’s been happening. At long last, at the bottom of this post, we will share some photos of Aliyah and Michael’s wedding which was such a joyous time!

• The five of us went to the Josiah Venture missionary care conference at the end of April and we loved it! Peter spoke from John’s gospel and we all enjoyed connecting with many wonderful missionaries (and kids) serving in Eastern Europe.

If you would like to hear Peter’s messages from the conference, click here. And here is an interview Peter did for the Josiah Ventures Stories podcast on ministry life and biblical preaching.

• Aliyah graduated from Moody with her degree in biblical studies on 17 May and then she and Mariah and Michael flew to the UK and the pre-wedding preparations started in earnest.

• We had MANY visitors with us during the pre and post wedding weeks. We had quite a few days of 40+ people eating with us in our home which was an organisational challenge (!) but such a privilege. Mariah and Hannah were my right hand women. It was a very sweet few weeks – we only wished we would’ve had more time with each of the precious friends and family that filled our home. In June and July we enjoyed more days with friends who visited from the USA.
• The day after the wedding, Kaylah got baptised! What a joy for her to share this day with all the friends and family who were still in town. We had an amazing evening at our home afterwards – a special cake made for her by a friend, Kaylah and her friends learning and performing a dance in our driveway and an impromptu worship time which filled our neighbourhood with a joyful noise!

• The weekend after Aliyah and Michael’s wedding, our niece Rebecca married Kenny in Norwich. The girls were bridesmaids and Peter did the sermon. It was a lovely day!

• Trinity Chippenham held our biggest youth weekend away yet (end of June – Peter spoke) and largest ever whole church weekend away (middle of July during a heat wave!). Both were really encouraging times! Peter managed to finish the speaking at the youth weekend before succumbing to the tummy bug that ripped through our family that following week – no fun, but it thankfully somehow stayed contained within our family despite the many people who we were around! The same weekend as our whole church went away, Noah graduated from his course at Union School of Theology. We’re so proud of him!

• Aliyah and Michael stayed here for a few days after their honeymoon in Montenegro before they moved to their home together in Dallas. I celebrated my birthday with the best gift – having our whole family here together. We had a special night of worship along with some dear friends from TC. (The photo at the top of this page was taken that night!)

• Joel graduated from high school on the 5th of July! We had a small celebration as a family that included a photo slideshow, messages of encouragement and advice from some men in his life and a biscoff cake made by Hannah. We are so proud of him. He leaves one week from today for Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. We will miss him very much! Mariah took the senior photos below while the two of them were in Albania visiting missionary friends.

• It was a joy having Mariah here with us this summer. She was so helpful and brought so much joy and enthusiasm to our family! She went back to Moody mid-July in order to work a lot of hours at her job in security at the school which she loves. We were sad to see her go but we are so thankful at how she seems to be thriving in the Lord, in her studies and job too.

• In the midst of all the events this summer, we’ve been continuing to serve the Lord at Trinity Chippenham and beyond. Peter went to the European Leadership Forum in May, he’s been preaching through Galatians on Sundays at TC, we’ve continued to help lead our life group and continued with various types of personal/pastoral ministry.
• At the end of July, the younger girls and I finally finished our school year (we had to take a lot of breaks this year due to travelling and the wedding). I continue to be thankful for the privilege of educating and discipling our children.
• We leave for France a week from tomorrow where we’ll attend the Christian Workers Conference (a break for those full-time ministry), in Annecy. Then we’ll have another week on our own in another part of France. We are definitely feeling in need of a rest so please pray it’s a refreshing and restorative time for us.

The big highlight of the summer was Aliyah and Michael’s wedding!  Here is the video in case anyone would still like to watch it. The wedding was an absolute joy – so Christ-honouring and meaningful and also fun.  The weeks surrounding it were also wonderful. We were overwhelmed and humbled to see how so many friends supported us in a myriad of ways – accommodating the many visitors from overseas, helping to provide food pre and post wedding, helping with flowers, food, decorating, etc for the wedding . . . the list could go on! I think those weeks were the biggest organisational situation I have ever been part of and it was amazing to receive so much help and support.

If you’ve read this far, let us bless you with a few more photos of our sweet grandson Owen, who will turn one next week. We adore him and enjoy every minute we get to spend with him and Hannah and Noah.

Thank you so much for reading this and praying for our family! We are truly grateful for your prayers and support as we serve the Lord in the UK and beyond. As always, please let us know how we can pray for you too.

Our trip to the USA was extremely busy, but full of blessings and answered prayers! Thank you so much for praying for us while we were travelling. We know that God used your prayers to strengthen us in the midst of the non-stop schedule.  Here are some stats: 47 days, 4 flights, 1 train ride, 2 snowstorms, 39x Peter speaking (including 2 Cor Deo intensives, one youth retreat, two seminars, 1 chapel service, 1 church podcast, 1 radio show, 1 advent series of videos pre-recorded, 3 adult Sunday School classes), 5 churches visited, 9x packing our bags, dozens of prayer partners and friend connections, two daughters visited! Whew!

God so graciously sustained us through these seven weeks. The highlights for us were spending time with precious friends and family. And being able to serve and love people in various settings – both in homes and in churches.  We all really enjoyed the wintery weather too, especially the snow which we don’t often get in the UK!

We have many photos to share  . . . this will be a long post! We hope you enjoy seeing a little glimpse of our trip! Although we were very, very busy with ministry, we were so blessed to also have time with family.  The majority of the photos are focused on family times and the beauty of creation as it wasn’t always appropriate tor easy to take them in settings with prayer partners and ministry moments.

(NOTE: the photo above is our reunion in Missouri with Aliyah and Mariah as they came down to help at the youth weekend at Wildwood Church).

 

 

Wow, if you got this far, well done! I know this was a super long post, but we wanted to give you a flavour of our trip and share a few highlights. We are back full swing into normal life here in Chippenham. We’d appreciate prayer for ongoing ministry at Trinity Chippenham including the challenges that are coming with growth. We are praying especially about leadership development as well as God’s provision for finances for the building we are looking at buying. As a family, we are also taking a 5 day trip to the Czech Republic at the end of April where Peter will be speaking at a Josiah Venture missionary conference. It is a privilege to serve Jesus and we need His grace and wisdom so much every day. Thank you for praying for us!

Happy New Year to all of you! We have had a wonderful time being all together as a family these past weeks. It’s been a very full house and a really special time! (See the bottom of this post for more photos)

Hannah, Noah and Owen flew to the USA yesterday to see Noah’s family. We will miss them so much as between our two trips we won’t see them for two months.

It’s been sweet having Michael (Aliyah’s fiance) with us for the past week. He leaves on Friday to go back to Dallas where he is studying.

The rest of us leave for the USA next week.These days before we leave are going to be very busy for us. Please would you pray for health and strength (during this season of many illnesses) and sleep (which has been very challenging for Melanie recently).  We’d also appreciate prayer for focus and efficiency as we prepare many details for our trip and for God’s help as we make preparations to make sure things are covered at Trinity Chippenham while we are away.  Humanly speaking, it feels impossible to get it all done, but we are trusting in Him to help us.

Also, two big church related requests: the full-time Trinity Chippenham elders are preparing to interview applicants for a new role at Trinity Chippenham – personal assistant to the elders. Our church is growing and the elders are in great need of help with practical matters so they can focus on pastoral ministry. Please pray for wisdom for them to choose the right person and that whoever is hired can immediately begin to help reduce the workload that the elders carry. Secondly, we are excited to share that we’ve found a potential building as a new home for our church. It’s still early stages, but the building search team will present what we know so far to the church on the 12th of January. Please pray for wisdom as they communicate to our church family and for God to open doors for us to move ahead if it’s His will for us.

Thank you for praying for us and Lord willing, we will see you some of you soon! Here are a few photos from the past weeks.