Since I started writing for GetReligion nearly 10 years ago, I’ve cranked out probably 1,500 posts for this journalism-focused website.

Now, I have about 10 or 11 posts left before I transition to a new role with Religion Unplugged starting Jan. 1. If GR’s downsizing is news to you, be sure to check out tmatt’s post from Wednesday on his appointment as a senior fellow at Ole Miss’ Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics and the plans for GR moving forward.

The impending changes have made me a bit nostalgic. When I started at GR, my fellow contributors included Mollie Hemingway, now a conservative media star frequently retweeted by the president of the United States, and Sarah Pulliam Bailey, now an award-winning religion writer for the Washington Post. (Both are incredible human beings, by the way, just like all the contributors I’ve had an opportunity to know at GR.)

At GR, my role has been to analyze mainstream news coverage of religion and offer constructive tips for improvement. That has been tricky to do where Bailey is concerned because (1) she is a friend and former colleague and (2) she is a pro’s pro who doesn’t leave much room for criticism.

I’ve always wished we had a better way here at GR to just say: Hey, here is this really cool piece of religion journalism, and you ought to take the time to read it.

Actually, that’s what I’m about to say about Bailey’s piece this week on a Washington, D.C.-area pastor who confessed he’s tired and plans to take a sabbatical.

Yes, I could have said that way up top, but it wouldn’t have filled an entire post. And for a little bit longer, I have a quota to meet. (Thank you, by the way, to tmatt for putting up with me and my weird sense of humor all these years!)

Bailey’s story opens with this compelling scene:

After 30 years of preaching more than 5,000 sermons, the Rev. Howard-John Wesley stood in front of his congregation on Dec. 1 and admitted he needed a break from the Lord’s work. In an address shared widely this week on social media by others in ministry, Wesley made his admission: “I am tired in my soul.”

Wesley, 47, has been pastor of the historic Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Va., for the past 11 years, leading four services every weekend, averaging 4,500 in attendance and 50,000 viewers online.

“There’s a weight a pastor bears in their soul and their emotions that is inescapable,” he said in the sermon. “There’s not been a day in these past 11 years that I have not woken up and knew that there’s something I had to do for the church, that I have to be available for a call, that I journey with people through the highs and the lows of life, through the great moments of celebration and in the valley of death.”

He said he has been on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but will be on sabbatical from Jan. 1 to April 12, returning on Easter.

When preparing for his sermons, he told his congregants, “I wrestle with God, and it leaves me tired." He estimated that he has preached at least 5,000 times, including in front of Barack and Michelle Obama, who attended his church on some Easter Sundays.

“How many Sundays of four worship services do I have?” he said. “It leaves me tired. And a nap ain’t going to fix it.”

I’ll resist the urge to copy and paste the entire story. I don’t want to get GR into copyright trouble in my final few weeks. But since I know tmatt wants me to make a journalism-related point (I’m getting there), here is my advice for young reporters: Study the stories of someone like Bailey, and do what she does.

What makes this story so compelling and worth reading?

For one, Bailey recognizes great quotes. She’s smart enough to write them down and include them in her story. She sprinkles words in the pastor’s own voice throughout this piece. She wouldn’t do that in every case because some people — some pastors — are boring. But this one is not, so she takes advantage of the quote marks on her keyboard.

Also, she is a veteran religion writer, so she knows that a “sabbatical” is not a unique idea for a pastor. So she offers helpful context and expert analysis on that trend.

Plus, she recognizes the special circumstances at play in this scenario. The specific pastor’s role as a black minister brings different expectations than one might find with a white congregation. Again, Bailey’s sourcing confirms her adeptness on what can be an extremely complicated beat.

Bottom line: If the byline says “Sarah Pulliam Bailey,” go ahead and count on an interesting, enlightening story just about every time.