In her stunning book, Leaving Church, Barbara Brown Taylor writes of her dedication to parish ministry. "Sixty-hour work weeks were normal, hovering close to eighty during the holidays. I felt like taking time off was a betrayal of divine trust. The demands of parish ministry cut me off from the resources that enabled me to do parish ministry. At night, I pecked God on the cheek the same way I pecked my husband, drying up inside for want of making love. One of the things that almost killed me was becoming a professional holy person."
I can relate. In fact, one of the reasons I wanted -- needed -- a break from parish ministry was this feeling of "drying up inside."
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