There is nothing like a vacation to send your stress level soaring. My idea was that taking a break was supposed to be relaxing or soothing. I sure hope the soothing part starts at some point. The last two days were anything but relaxing. Do most people do tons of housework leading up to the departure? Do normal folks end up packing and repacking at least three times before being satisfied? Would most people end up worn out from preparing to go rest? Or is it just me?

This is going to be only my second Sunday away in four years. That has to be some type of streak similar to Cal Ripken's in baseball. He played nearly 2300 games in a row. My best guess is that in about 200 Sundays that I will miss two. Do not consider that bragging. Reviewing my sermons for that time period shows there are definitely a few Sundays that a guest speaker would help. Some weeks just didn't contribute to very good messages being delivered. That is why we look to God to do far better than we can do ourselves.

Honestly, my emotions are very mixed about being away. Most of my summer is spent in one on one time with my autistic son. My daughter is still tired from three weeks in a row of being gone. I admit that there are moments that I become weary from always being on call with my youngest. He can occasionally demand lots of attention. But tonight I am not looking forward to being away from him. My source of hope is in getting time with my daughter while we are in Minnesota. She is a sophmore in high school this year so my days of getting that time is gradually drawing to a close. This will be good for me.

Rest is supposed to be good for us. God rested following His acts of creation. He instructed the Old Testament saints to keep one day of rest to be holy to Him. The writer of Hebrews tells of a rest for the New Testament saints. Rest was never intended to be simply an escape or a diversion. The real goal seems to be our focus on God while we take a different approach to daily life. Just traveling across the country is not always restful. The key is in remaining open to God while we are away. My hope is that while we take advantage of the summer months to change our schedule we will also allow God to change our hearts. We may forget to pack something for our trip. Let's not forget God while we are away.

Bro. Trey