Author: Addison Templeton

Good morning,

I have hit the last week of my sabbatical and I can honestly say I have never felt more relaxed in my life.  It’s amazing what happens when you slow down and enjoy life.  You begin to see how fast the world moves and you constantly get caught up in it if you are not careful (I have been reminded that this is exactly what the enemy wants in our lives).    It reminds me of a quote from Shawshank Redemption when Brooks gets out of jail and says, ” The world went and got itself in a big hurry”.   Brooks was so right in his assessment of the world.  Through this sabbatical and being able to sit back and evaluate the things around me, this is exactly how I feel.  It has made me reflect on the “fillers” in my life and try to find ways to get fulfilled and not just filled.

This week, I plan on reflecting on the habits and clarity that I have received over the past few weeks and try to solidify them. I plan to figure out how to put them in my daily routine.

-Addison

Howdy,

There’s been a lot going on since I last blogged.  It’s been all good things.  I’ve had time to exercise, read, spend time with my family, and build stuff!  The variety has been great for my sabbatical and have allowed to me to relax in many different ways.  Everyone loves lists so that’s what I’m going to do!

1. Last week I got to build a couple of things for our house. First, I built the toy box below for Tatum’s playroom.  She loves to organize her toys, books, and puzzles so I think it’ll be perfect for her.  It was incredibly relaxing building this.  My dad came over to help and I got to spend some quality time with him while building.  It doesn’t get any better than that!
2. Also, last week I got to play golf a couple of times with my father-in-law. This was also some good quality time with him.  The time was quality, the golf wasn’t.  It was fun to get to spend some time outside in the beautiful weather and try to hit a golf ball.
3. On Saturday and Sunday, Todd and I got to help a family put down some new floors and fix up and paint a bathroom. This was also a lot of fun to interact with the family while we got to help them out a little bit.  Pictures are below.
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5. One of the best things about the sabbatical is that I have had time to exercise consistently.  This has been much needed and great for my overall attitude.  I love to exercise, but just like a lot of people, sometimes it’s just hard to find time! It’s been nice to get up and get to exercise and not have to rush or have other things on your mind that keep you from getting a good workout.
6. I have been reading “Wild at Heart” by John Eldredge over the past week or so.  I read it once about 10 years ago, but it is a book that I think I need to re-read every year.  God continues to reveal areas of my heart that can have more focus and He continues to clarify what it means to have a warrior heart.
7. We took a mini vacation from Monday to Wednesday to the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine. This experience was valuable on many levels.  First, I love car rides with Charlee.  Car rides are the easiest place for us to find quality time together because both of the kids sleep most of the way. Next, I spent the majority of the next day hanging out with Tatum at the indoor waterpark at the Great Wolf Lodge.  She thought it was the greatest place on Earth.  She drug me down every waterslide, sprayed me with every water gun, jumped over every wave in the wave pool, and had just a few scoops of ice cream (don’t tell mommy!).  I love watching her play and learn to interact with other kids.  She is learning what it means to love other people in the form of letting them go first, not cut in line, and being happy for other people.  Our son, Cope, was also a trooper, he watched Tatum and all the other kids play in the water and was happy the whole time. Watching all of these areas, tugs at your heartstrings as a father and makes you want to slow down time!

Overall, I believe I have found my rhythm in my sabbatical.  I believe I have found relaxation and rejuvenation.  It’s been great to spend time with my family, enjoy some projects, exercise, and reading.

-Addison

Happy Wednesday,

Day 7 is here and it’s been a great day!  I am learning to enjoy the little things more and more every day! It’s nice to be able to wake up whenever, or at least until 7:15 when Tatum walks in and says, “Daddy, are you awake!” in a not so very soft voice.  What amazes me the more I get to spend time with her in the morning is her incredible joy for life.

We just walked in the door from riding scooters in the driveway for a little while and you would’ve thought it was the greatest experience ever for Tatum.  This got me thinking more about joy and happiness in my own life and it reminded me of the verse in Matthew 18 of when the Disciples asked Jesus “Who, then is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”

This is such a powerful image to me.  It makes me think of the importance of humility in all areas of my life.  Here are four points that the “teaching” section of my Bible pointed out to me about this passage:

1. Humility is need to enter the kingdom.
2. Humility is valued in the kingdom.
3. Humility is needed to receive God.
4. Humility is needed to fight sin.

Once again, (as if I should be surprised) God has reinforced a point to me through hanging out with my baby girl.  As my sabbatical progresses, I find myself focusing on the most important things in life.  I feel as if my mind has slowed down enough to contemplate and understand what God is trying to show me.  Below is a picture of Tatum enjoying her scooter.

-Addison

Good morning from day number 6!

Yesterday morning, I was making breakfast and Tatum, our 2 ½ year old, walks in and says to me, “It’s not Christmas, Why are you still here?” I said, good morning to you too sweetheart.  Normally, I am gone by the time that she wakes up and so she was very confused.   She hasn’t quite grasped the concept of sabbatical and to be honest, I am right there with her.  The past 5 days have been spent trying to give my mind to God to let him have control.  I would like to say that has been easy, but it hasn’t.  We serve a patient God that knows how to work on hardheadedness!  I have experienced more freedom and clarity each day of my sabbatical and know that it will continue.

I have been contemplating the question Tatum asked me yesterday of “Why are you still here?” and it has been a very convicting one.  I feel as if I subconsciously ask God this question quite often.  I tried to find clarity of what He was trying to teach me and He lead me to Psalm 121:8 which says, “The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”  I truly believe he is trying to teach me utter dependence on him in every decision I make.  As I type this, it sounds ridiculous that I wouldn’t put Him in every decision that I make, but I believe I get caught up in the fast pace of life and don’t include Him.  I believe God is working in me to take everything back to the basics and keep it simple, which is also ironic because I tell people to keep it simple all the time!

As I stated earlier, I am settling in to my sabbatical and clarity is coming as I begin to focus on my walk, my family, and serving others.  What an awesome company that we work for and what freedom this sabbatical experience is bringing!

-Addison

What an awesome send-off yesterday! I appreciate every single one of you attending and praying for me! It was a very powerful experience. I was feeling uneasy about my sabbatical and there was an immediate feeling of peace afterwards.  Thank you!

Now we are off to Day 1 and I am trying to figure out what this sabbatical thing is all about.  Below are some of the goals that I have for the next 30 days:

1. Rest and help my wife, Charlee, get rest. Her full-time job of raising a 2 ½ year old and 4 month old is probably more like 2 full time jobs! (She is just as excited as I am about this sabbatical).
2. Reading:
   1. Wild at Heart by John Eldridge
   2. Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal
   3. Daily Devotional with Charlee
3. Exercise 1 hour a day
4. Follow a Daniel Plan type eating plan
5. Spend quality time with my wife and kids! We plan on taking a couple of mini-vacations over the course of the next 30 days.
6. Work with some of our employees to help them fix, update, or complete anything that they need help with around their houses.

I am looking forward to what God has in store for me through this time!

-Addison