December 1, 2019 "Selah", Rev. Dr. Howard - John Wesley 

Coming from someone who is currently working and laboring 7 days a week, this just convicted me to take time to rest and recharge myself. Thank you for your example Sir

Selah! Pastor Wesley your YT members will be here waiting for you. We aren’t going anywhere. I’m excited and I look forward to the well rested, fresh anointing, and all the amazing life changing sermons from you. I appreciate the gift that you are to me and the world. Take your time do you we love enough to understand you’re doing what’s best for you. We’re praying for you.

Dr. Wesley, your sermons have blessed my life regarding your honesty and transparency as a person! Continue to follow God as he restores and recharges you!

Pastor Wesley, God Bless YOU on YOUR sabbatical... and may He reveal to YOU the NEWEST things that even your eyes have not seen...nor have your ears have heard...the things that He has prepared for you, your family, The Alfred Street Baptist Church Family, and every ministerial place around the world! Go in the Name of Jesus...and allow God to fill your NEW horn with the freshest oil, and pour into you the ever flowing wine of the Spirit into the NEWEST wineskin. We bid you safe travels... Godspeed... and we’ll see ya’ when you return.... SELAH.🙏🏾❤️🤗

So glad he’s being transparent in humility. Congregations need to understand that their pastors need support & the opportunity to rest. Sir, be blessed & take the necessary time to step away to rest, rejuvenate, recover, renew, refresh, & get restored.

RU-vid congregation, we need to ensure we are praying regularly for him from now until he returns.

This gives me great confidence in so many things God has been talking to me about! I pray for you all in this "Selah"!!

This spoke to me. I've been in my own Selah for 2 months and hear God saying...stay right there....people always want to tell you that you need to be in Church, or you need to be running around until exhausted. Selah Selah Selah.... Enjoy your Sabbatical HJW.

I absolutely loved this sermon. As a PK, and family full of Pastors and Preachers, many people don't really, totally understand what these men and women go through. It hits all areas of there life. It's a calling and work that never stops. Their spouses, children and families go through it as well. ASBC will be in good hands and so will Pastor Wesley. He will come back renewed and refreshed! I LOVE his transparency and authenticity! Until Easter Pastor Wesley, I'll be looking forward to your return.

Thank you, Dr. Howard- John Wesley. God is with you. God will be with the members of the church.

God Bless for your honesty of just being human and not superman. We're praying that God renews His strength in you.

Not just pastors I believe Levites need a break too, those who serve nonstop with no break, most times no break during and between multiple services on sunday, learning music at home, rehearsals, bible study, funerals, weddings and all the extra auxiliary services churches come up with and if you miss a beat you're fired I believe all those who serve should be given the liberty to take a break

I FEEL THIS ON EVERY LEVEL!! Good bless him and his church. I pray that God cover them,and that they become stronger and wiser than ever. This is a POWERFUL and courageous act of obedience.

Thank you,thank you I truly needed this word on this day! Do what you need to do in Jesus name.

Praise God! Fill his cup Lord and allow him to selah during this season. Praying for you pastor.

BLESS YOU MAN OF GOD! I ALSO HAD TO GIVE MYSELF A REST! NOT FROM GOD BUT FOR ME! SOMEBODY NEED TO HEAR THIS! REST RELAX & REVIVE! COME BACK STRONGER & BETTER! BLESSINGS!

Praying for your complete restoration and renewal of your strength and God Bless your congregation during this time.

This is the first time that I've witnessed a pastor being so honest and vulnerable. I remember one sermon when he shared that he dealt with anxiety. Having anxiety myself, I know that it sometimes comes back when you do too much and you feel the same 'tiredness'. It's important to take care of yourself. I took 3 months leave from work for the same reason. God bless you pastor.

Awesome message. I’m not surprised by the negative comments though. They probably have never served in ministry let a lone as a Pastor of a church. Besides the demanding aspect of ministry there is always the spiritual warfare. Yet some church folks think you’re suppose to be on 24/7 with or without a family. They don’t know what a persons goes through just to deliver the Message. I commend him! So many push through knowing they are not in a good place. Could this have been a contributing factor for some of the pastors we have heard taking their life? I’m not saying it is but I know that was almost my story. I sat myself down because I was battling suicide. I got sick and tired of showing up to church pretending I was ok and then go home fighting to live. Even when I was transparent with senior leadership and the church I was still expected to show up pray, preach, teach, helping others with their problems and anything else needed. Yet I was drying. So what did I do, I went to God! I was gone for 2 1/2 months. During that time the I was able to focus on my healing and deliverance. Today I am stronger than ever. Depression and suicide has no place in me. Listening to and being concerned about what people say can have you jacked up. God doesn’t need to talk to us or get our permission for His servant take a sabbatical. I know God was with me so I support Dr. Wesley. Some churches idea of sabbatical is taken from Lev. 25:1-5 25 The Lord said to Moses at Mount Sinai, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the Lord. 3 For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. 4 But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. 5 Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest (NIV).

Selah.. Rev Wesley.God bless you during this time of reflection.

A lot of preaches need this boldness!! Being able to communicate to real no matter what people say!!!!!! I’ve been on a sabbatical myself.

🙏🏽🙏🏽Prayers for strength and peace for this shepherd. Also, prayers for this congregation’s obedience. May God renew his strength and mind. Selah...my, my, my...

Take a rest dear brother...pause, rest, chill....be blessed

Praying for your strength 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿

I believe that this is necessary. Pastors are as human as you and I. Often we get so busy, we lose sight of what and why we do what we do. Being "so busy" can make us truly lose our way. And we need to take time to come back to our first TRUE love, that is our God.

bless you, pastor, for YOUR courage, honesty, transparency i hope a throng of pastors/congregations follow you into sweet sabbatical enjoy your time away! 🤗

I am going to miss you. God has spoken to me through you in ways you’ll never understand. Go and rest Ps HJW. May you come back well rested, renewed and rejuvenated. I hope in this time you’re gonna travel. Should you end up in South Africa, i’ll take you out for coffee 😃. God Bless You.

Amen.. Get some rest Pastor. May God continue to bless you ! You deserve it!

Praying for you. Thank you for teaching the Biblical principles of sabbatical.

God bless you you are a true leader inspiring through the spirit

thank you for your honesty. blessings to you, your family, and your church!

This is an awesome word by this man of God!! Be blessed

Beautiful 🙏🏽

Praying for you and your strength

thank you pastor

I have been pastoring for almost 25 years in the same church. I know exactly what you’re saying! But I think a lot of people would say “I’m tired too. Where is my sabbatical? Where is my cabin in the woods? Where is my chance to take a break from the responsibilities of life so I can travel?Why are we treating the pastor like he works harder and gets more tired than other people when we all work hard and we all get tired?” Not saying I agree with those voices, pastoral leadership is a special kind of stressful, but there are a lot of folks who don’t see it that way.

I'm taking a rest this very weekend, need to be like my heavenly father

1. Since the comments for "I'll Be Back" were turned off, I'll comment here. 2. Pastor, I applaud this decision and wish the best for your family and ministry. 3. In "I'll Be Back," the mention of the SDA church caught me by surprise. Within minutes I learned that there are multiple SDA churches in the area that provided a foundation for the comment against arguing about worship. 4. True, Sabbath does not mean worship. It means rest. From that view, the sermon makes sense. The most important part wasn't addressed in full and understandably so. This sermon wasn't about the Sabbath command and its standing for the Christian. The sermon solidified the decision to take a break and the planning that took place. After listening to multiple sermons from him, I believe him to be well-read and capable of clearly communicating God's word to others. The Sabbath is a day of rest. It is also a day of holy convocation, see Lev. 23:3. Studying the Sabbath from Genesis to Revelation will be beneficial to every believer of Jesus Christ.

I've never heard this. Because down south seems like all the preachers want is money. and to have this on my mine has me wondering do I need to Selah from my congregation and review my spirit with whom I love.,God, thanks for this wonderful message Selah Pastor selah.

Is 3 months enough?

Selah

Alfred Street Baptist Church, thank you for not deleting my comments. I appreciate it!

Selah autocorrect changed the spelling. 🙏🏽God bless you

SELAH!

💕💕💕

I haven’t watched the entire video, because I had this overwhelming need to look up what Salah meant for myself. I am studying hebrew and I know there are two letters in the hebrew alehbet that make the S sound. I see ש (shin) more than I see ס (samech) so I immediately thought to spell selah שלה which is wrong and I figured it may have been because ש means to tears or to shred, and because Pastor said selah is said not to have a precise meaning, I immediately know that that word has something to do with God, and in the context, ש does not fit. ס Means to turn slowly or to aid or to support. The lamed is to lead or move forward, to study or teach and the heh is to behold or reveal. So the word together means. So this word is loaded, and God reveals the meaning through the actually letters he used to construct the term. Sometimes you cannot use another language to interpret, you have to just be familiar with that language or be subject to interpretation. Much like reading the Bible. Only those who have a relationship with God, who seek to learn and even possibly to teach it, will have revealed to them the breath of life in each scripture. Those who are skeptics or do not wish to seek God will not understand the meaning of scripture, because they are only using their knowledge to understand what God wants to get across int he meaning of the words, unable to translate spiritual dialect from a worldly interpretation.

SELAH PASTOR!!!

Beautiful sermon!! Can i get a Shirt😊

21:39

Surprise if he returns

Funny thing... I had assumed that he already was vegan/vegetarian and exercised regularly. This isn't the first time his doctor warned him.

“Most people don’t know, but the Bible was translated from Hebrew to Greek to Latin to English. Now, the word JE in Latin means EARTH, and the word SUS means PIG. This means that JESUS in Latin translates to EARTH PIG. In Greek Jesus is Iesous Pronounced “hey-soos” and can be found in the Hebrew writings! SOOS is a legitimate Hebrew word! In Hebrew it means “HORSE” (Strong’s #5483). Now, can a HORSE save you?”

Plant based is not always best. Research as you rest. You deserve the rest.

False teaching that sounds so good to the flesh.

This had to be one of the most difficult sermons he's preached. I admire and respect his courage. Too many times, officers of the church find ourselves here but don't take a break... or don't take a long enough break... then become broken. I pray restoration for his spirit, rest for his soul, clarity for his assignment, and a greater anointing!!! SELAH!!!!!!!!

"Wrestling with God" Feels distant from God. Empty. Thank God he is this honest. Not surrendered. Thank God he's doing this. The enemy can't use him if he's aware. Selah, Pastor.

'Why is the Devil your role model?'......lordamercy...

Great message and relevant. In addition, I am a pastor's wife, also in leadership, so we need a sabbatical as well. I am pulled in all sorts of directions and still have to be a wife, mother, go to work, finish school, etc. And, be there for people. I am running on empty. So, thank you for the reminder. Praying that you will encounter God in a mighty way and come back full.

You got to take a sabbatical. Members and the Pastor can and will get burnt out. Pastors should give his members a break who commit themselves to the ministry daily. You got to rest

My local pastor takes a rest for 2-3 weeks a few times per year. Because he takes that time, he doesn't fall into exhaustion.

If any of you have been listening to pastor Wesley preach and teach in the last year or so you could see this coming. The content of his messages largely pointed to man lost and struggling. Good for him for stepping up and admitting he needs to step down for awhile.

Wise Decision...Very wise!!!

This message has me thinking. I will take better care of my body also. Thank you for pouring into my life. Get some rest! I will be here when you get back.

respect to him for being honest + real flawed human like the rest of us

This is such a cutting edge Pastor and People. A role model for other congregations to emulate. I suspect Pastor HJW will return from his sabbatical refreshed and he will find a more mature parish to lead. All will benefit from this selah! I marvel at the water walking faith Pastor HJW exudes!

Pastor Wesley, I will be praying for and with you during your sabbatical. Rest and self-care is so important. We cannot take care of anything or anyone else if we don't care for ourselves. I learned the hard way: obesity, heart attack, open heart surgery and abandonment. As Whitley was told to repeat to herself in an episode of "A Different World" may you take time to... "Rest, Relax and Release!" Much love.

Selah Pastor HJW, I'll be here when you come back

What a great demonstration of leadership and I appreciate your communication of your needs and I support you in this sabbatical. SELAH💖

Rev. Wesley, you've blessed us so much through the internet. We're praying for this time for you!

A very honest and honorable message. To me, the fact that he's willing to take a step back as a means to prevent the enemy from stepping in is the type of christlike behavior we need in the church in the first place. ...This is exactly what Jesus did for us the "two nights" before the third day. I pray that this man comes back stronger than ever!!

Rev. John Wesley what a heavy word. I really enjoyed it. God bless you sir.

Man this speaks to me!! Not only does this this weight fall on Pastors but also the congregation. I know exactly how he feels. Serving the Lord is great but there is also a price. I'm not promoting a deterrence from God but you yourself have got to know when you need a break from the church atmosphere for a moment. This doesn't mean, you cease from seeking the Lord period. You may just need to spend time with God on a one on one basis. To grow in wisdom, stature and to clearly seek God for a more clear intimidate time with him to solidify your relationship with him. I been involved in church since I was 11 and been in plenty of ministries through my Christian walk. I been feeling this way for the past 2 years. Though I been pushing and pressing, I am getting weary. i feel drained. It might be time that I myself may need to take a break from the church atmosphere. ONLY FOR A MOMENT! I believe all Christians should. But be careful that you don't stay away too long. I have seen people who took a break and never came back. To the point where the devil manipulated or have them second guess the Christian faith. I don't see that happening to me. This spirit inside me is too strong for me stay away for good. Some of the Key things he said that stood out: “I believe in boundaries, and some of my personal life is none of your business,” he said to shouts of “Amen.” “I want to read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation without trying to write a sermon,” he said. “I want to travel and go sit in the back of somebody's church and hear the word of God and not be worried about what time we got to get out for the next crowd.” “When I started, I was working seven days a week. A member of the church at the time - an older lady - said, ‘Why do you work every day?’ I said, ‘The devil doesn’t take a day off.’ She said, ‘Why is the devil your role model?’ ” he said. “Jesus models that we need to rest.”

From a fellow pastor, thank you for this reminder and these dear and holy words. Thank you brother.

Take a sabbatical every year Pastor. You deserve that. When you return, allow someone else to preach once a month. You pour out every Sunday. You deserve this. Take care of yourself. We are praying for you.

Powerful message. And will be praying for you Pastor Wesley. Love the shirt. And where can I get one from

Glory to God for this man of God.🙌🏾 One of my favorite RU-vid Pastors. 💛✨

THAT IS WHY SOME PASTORS TAKE EVERY MONDAY OFF AND TURN THEIR PHONE OFF

I hope the church family received this message b/c this is a good pastor to know and acknowledge that he needs a break!. Not many pastors will this transparent .. Glory to God. Selah.. We all need to know when its time for us to take a break. This message blessed me.

Who knew, but God, that a universal Selah was coming? A prophetic word, Pastor, and even more powerful watching for the second time. Thank you.

I salute you Pastor Wesley for taking a sabbatical! I've always said pastoring is the hardest, most unappreciated position! Pastors are spiritual doctors--on call 24/7! Will be praying for you and all Pastors. May other pastors follow your lead and get some rest!

Awesome. People think us as preachers are super-human but at times it can be stressful. Get some rest Pastor.

I love this man of God! I applaud him for facing the FEAR of the unknown. Such a beautiful message. Selah. From Dallas TX

Love the transparency!! God bless him !!

May God bless you through your rest sir. I wish many Pastors in Chicago took sabbaticals. Self care is so necessary

Pastor may you find the Selah that you seek during your sabbatical. God bless you on your journey, the Lord is waiting to commune with you on a deeper level.

even God rested . Pastors need rest too.

Praise God for this awesome man

Wishing Pastor Wesley the sweetest selah known to man. He definitely deserves it... plus that means we get to hear more from all the associate pastors who are equally talented and anointed!

Pastor... I'm in a season of life caring for a variety of family concerns and I heard the word to take some time myself. I'm over 60 and health numbers are nothing to play with...but hearing that you are submitting to God calling you to selah is a blessing to your ministry and the people you touch. Too many of our black pastors are dropping dead or falling to sinful or distasteful behaviors because they just won't stop! Praying for you, your family and the ASBC. They all will be fine because you've placed them in your care... I just hope 3 months is enough...that's quite a list you have...smile peace, restoration and love to you...

It's God's church....but yes Pastor, people will 'wait' for YOU to return...let's hope they get the message.

This is absolutely beautiful! Thank you Pastor for your transparency.

Praying for ya Pastor Wesley a great example of preaching from the heart courage and humility. In my opinion true preaching tends to recondition your heart draws you nearer to God causes you to desire to operate like the love God has and when dealing with all the hate backstabbing promises from others unfulfilled and feeling un-appreciated it can have you waiting to exhale in need of some deep Selah I also serve as a Pastor for 20 years I feel ya blessing Pastor Wesley enjoy your sabbatical.

Selah! I am not a pastor or preacher, but I understand that deep tiredness and it is your body and spirit telling you to rest. We want him bringing the Word for many more years. Rest and recharge pastor.

I commend you for your truth Takes courage to bare one's soul You have inspired me Sir Praying you get renew and refresh and God fills you up with a new energy in Him to continue your assignments in His kingdom. God Bless you and your family Sir, always in all ways. Salute

My Lord I needed this 🙏🏾 🙌🏾

Pastors are human. It will be well with the church.. God bless

This is so Powerful!!

God bless you Pastor...

Pastoring is not a job, it's a calling

Praise God for you Pastor Wesley!!! I have been following your ministry since you were in Massachusetts at St. John's. You came out here to California to run a 3 day revival at my sorors church (for 3 consecutive years) And you ain't missed a beat since. I look forward to the amazing things God will continue to do in your life. Selah my brother!