Eager to Go and Happy to be Home.

…..and, We're back!

My Honey and I took a much-needed short vacation. It was difficult to drive away from the hounds as they sat on the back porch watching. It's funny how they always sense when we are leaving and three sets of wondering eyes follow our every move. Alyson, our twelve-year-old neighbor, came over twice a day to love them. She and the hounds are familiar with each other, so they would welcome her visits. We felt better knowing they were getting hugged everyday. Still, leaving our four-legged kids brought an element of guilt regardless of how much we need to get away.

People in ministry expend a great deal of physical and spiritual energy. The time you see them on Sunday mornings is but the tip of the iceberg. Many pastors take Mondays off just to recharge after the pouring out on Sundays. Without regular periods of refreshing and restoring the mind, spirit and body, people in ministry are susceptible to burnout. Statistics say 1500 pastors leave the ministry a month, a MONTH, due to burnout, moral failure, and contention within their church. Seventy percent of the pastors polled said they constantly fight depression. Only fifty-five percent said they were involved with an accountability group for pastors and seventy percent said they do not have someone they consider a close friend. The service without the replenishing is a dangerous combination!

These are but a few of the statistics listed and gathered from a variety of sources including Focus on the Family regarding pastors at risk. When you think about it, how often do you see a pastor being fed spiritually rather than feeding the congregation? Not often, I assure you. Preparing for a Sunday service or teaching is work, hard work. As a Christian writer, I have to say God isn't going to let me get away with just throwing something out there, not if I am to be true to the calling He has placed on me.

Jesus took himself and his followers off away from people to rest after pouring out spiritually. It is vital. You cannot pour out what you do not have and your own spiritual well needs refilling and refreshing. This is true for everyone.

We were able to sit in a spirit-filled church service with our friends while we were away and it blessed us very much. We went back for the Sunday night service. The pastor asked if we would allow them to pray for us. Prayers and prophesies swarmed around us as one after another prayed over us. Total strangers that morning were now sharing spiritual insights that could only come from God. It was an intense spiritual encounter with our Lord and we needed it much more than we knew. The fresh spiritual eyes of our new friends in Christ were willing ministers to our weary souls.

God knew people would need rest and planned for it, setting aside one day a week for physical rest and spiritual renewal. We are instructed in the Ten Commandments to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. God made this a commandment for our benefit, not as a restriction to your activity and fun. Not many people today honor the Sabbath as God intended. Weekend warriors cram in as many activities as they can all in the name of fun. Working moms and dads use this time to maintain their homes only to find they show up at work on Monday morning feeling just as worn out as they did Friday afternoon. Families shuffle from one activity to another, juggling schedules and energy as if both were inexhaustible. They would benefit greatly from down time at home with all parties present…really present, plugged –in, not just physically there. Any family Bible time in your home? As much as the pastors and church teachers want to give, all teaching should begin in the home with the parents as the established spiritual leaders. Do your children see you reading the Bible? Are there any discussions of Jesus over the dinner table or snuggled on the couch? Does Jesus live in your home or simply visit on occasion? Is He invited in at all?

My Honey and I benefited from our get away very much. Blessed with time and fellowship with our good friends, we met new family and friends in Christ, were dazzled by the beauty of the northern New Mexico Mountains, and took time to simply sit in God's handiwork and soak up its glory! We came home ready to jump back into our normal life with renewed zeal and enthusiasm with our hounds by our sides! All is well with our souls. Thank you, Jesus! It's good to home.