On Vacation!

Well, I hope that you didn’t give up on this blog or me over the past month. Many of you already know this, but I took my family back to California for 3 weeks. Yes, a real vacation!

I’m told that’s what you’re supposed to do during the summer. In fact, we are conditioned from the time we enter school as a child to understand that there are certain pauses in the routine. There’s a short one in December that used to be called “Christmas Break;” that’s now “Winter Break.” There’s another short one in March or April that used to be called “Easter Break” but now is “Spring Break.” And the biggie is SUMMER VACATION!

But what happens on vacation when you’re a pastor? Does ministry stop? Does it stop in Lancaster County when I leave? Is it nonexistent wherever I go, visiting my family in CA or Shawna’s in AZ? Can I just turn it off and say, “Hey! I’m on vacation!”

Well, in CA, we reconnected with family and friends and found that ministry opportunities were abundant. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re in the midst of a marvelous economy where people are losing jobs and homes and healthcare. So we headed to Phoenix over July 4 weekend and guess what? Yep, the same story only a little worse. You see, when money dries up and things go away, you’re left with relationships and if those are awful, maybe you’re noticing how miserable you really are, maybe for the very first time. When the intoxication of things and activities wears off, maybe you realize that you really hate your life. Guess what? Ministry opportunities abound there!

Can you go on vacation from being a Christian? What would that look like? “What happens on vacation, stays on vacation!!!” Hopefully you recognize my rhetorical questions. Hopefully you’re struggling with the concepts here. Because, during the summer, groups tend to go dormant. It’s cultural! We are so programmed to see summer as a time to take a break, and we view group life as a weekly event rather than a lifestyle. Therefore, it makes sense that we should take a break. But what would it look like in your marriage if each summer your husband said, “Wow! I’ve been waiting for this a long time! Thought I’d never make it! Well, see you in 3 months. I’m off to Jamaica, baby!”

Certainly, group life looks radically different in the summer months. But, if we were to be brutally honest, we’d have to admit that we actually have more available time during summer. Days are longer. Kids are out of school. Most school sports take some kind of break.

So what do you say? Maybe you set the studies aside for the break you need. How about getting together for a BBQ or two? You could invite neighbors whom you might want to ask to group or church in the future. Maybe plan a service project, either for this summer or something for the holiday season, if you plan big. Maybe you could dream about what God really wants to do in and with your group.

That’s what my group is going to do now that we’re back home. I’m going to talk Ed into sparking up the fire pit and we’re going to get around the flames and talk about life. We’ll discuss the struggles in our lives. We’ll share hopes, dreams, and prayer requests. We’ll encourage one another with stories of where God has met us most recently. And we’ll discuss how He’s calling us right now to live life to the full.

You see, it’s easy to slip into a life of numbness and routine, to be robbed of good things and to settle for an imitation. But God is calling you to an intentional life of thrills and challenges and ultimately, significance. And don’t you want your life to be about something more than a few weeks under a palm frond umbrella?

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:10