As a child growing up, summertime was always a fun time for me. We lived on a lake. We were one of the few homes in our neighborhood with a sandy beach, a dock and a raft, rowboats, ski boats, all of which made for great summertime fun.
Summertime raising our children meant visiting parents and grandparents and, in later years, taking a vacation somewhere often involving water activities. Regardless of where we went or what we did, vacation was a time of refreshment away from work and a time to reengage as a family.
God’s word has much to say about times of refreshment.
Psalm 51:10 (NIV) — Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Make vacations a time to grow in the Word. Bring your Bible on vacation. You don’t have to retreat to a monastery but make time for daily prayer.
Do something new this summer. Climb a mountain, take a walk, enjoy a sunrise or a sunset.
1 Timothy 4:4 (NIV) — For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,
Enjoy God’s creation. Don’t wreck creation. Instead, find ways to re-create and enjoy God’s amazing creation.
Remember to worship God.
After last summer, because of COVID-19, so many canceled vacation plans. I hope that changes for everyone this summer. Make this summer a time of refreshment and re-engagement with family, friends, and God’s wondrous creation.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) — Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
Have a refreshing, safe, and blessed summer in Jesus’ name.
Pastor Carl
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