Fruit Inspection

I heard a great sermon on Sunday morning. Pastor Ronnie even got so worked up that he raised his voice as he walked down the center aisle. Yikes! That always freaks me out a little bit, to hear somebody yelling. I thought I was about to get grounded or something.

It would be impossible for me to wrap up the entire teaching here on my blog. Believe me, I’ve thought about it all day long. But I do want to mention one thing that he said that has stuck with me for the past 4 days. I just can’t stop thinking about it.

When you take a vacation, what are you trying to get away from? Do you take your cell phone? Blackberry? Laptop??? So many of us try to “get away from it all”, but bring most of it with us. On the one hand we want to relax, but on the other, we find ourselves anxious to know what’s going on that we don’t know about!

But the real conviction came in when he asked how many of us take a vacation from God when we decide to take time out for ourselves? If you are on a trip do you get up extra early to spend time with the Lord? Or do you use it as an opportunity to stay up late and sleep in? Has God just become part of the daily grind that you will get back to when you get back home?

WOW! I never thought of it that way. I would have to say that I have fallen prey to the notion that vacations are a time for me to get rested. And maybe get wild enough to stay up late and catch an episode of The Tonight Show. Whoa Mama! Many times I have packed my Bible and study material in the suitcase, but sadly I can’t say that it gets touched until I am at home again and unpacking.

I love this challenge that Ronnie has laid out before me. How will I define my next vacation? Will I spend a week simply resting on a beach, soaking up the sun, thinking if I stay there long enough, it will be sufficient to get me through the whole year? Or will I use it as an opportunity to reconnect with God? Seven days of no phone calls, housework, and committments. Seven days to spend with the Lord. Seven days to commune with Him, the only One who can give me peace and direction for my life.

Now that, my friends, is something to chew on!

And it came at the perfect time. This weekend is my yearly scrapbooking retreat. I leave tomorrow and won’t be home until Sunday. This is a trip I look forward to for 362 days! And in all the years I’ve gone on it, I don’t remember ever taking my Bible. Never having a quiet time while I’m there. Just going with a goal of getting as much done on my books as possible. But this year will be different. Instead of sitting at a table for 10-12 hours straight, cutting up pictures and designing layouts, I will use this time the Lord has given me wisely. We stay at a beautiful state park, with walking trails and a lake. It would be nice to steal some time for me and Him.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” (Even scrapbooking…but first…GOD!)