Vacation

I LOVE vacation. It's not that I don't love my job, I do. But I like to get away and travel. Go to the ocean, camp, relax, eat good food ... Because my wife is a teacher, we have to schedule vacation during her time off (I love taking my wife on vacation with me). This usually means the concentration of our vacation is during the summer. For some reason, it seemed to me, and to others, that I was away most of the summer, even though I wasn't.

Because we have so many projects going on at the church (sealing and striping the parking lot, new roof for the building, etc.), the chair of trustees has had to call me several times to coordinate visits, workers, and schedules. First he called me at Annual Conference (which is NOT vacation, though I am wandering around in shorts and camping in my motor home with my family ... but I do work). The next time he called I was in Myrtle Beach on vacation number 1. Then two weeks later, while on vacation number 2 in Atlanta, jokingly he asked, "How many days of vacation do we give you?" To which I replied, "A bunch, and thank you very much for all of them."

BIT: Vacation does make me feel uncomfortable, perhaps guilty. So many things are left undone each time I leave, no matter how hard I've tried to cover all the bases. Maybe it goes back to the "Historic Examination" questions for ordination. There are 19 powerful questions that we must answer before we can be ordained. Question 17 is "Are you determined to employ all your time in the work of God? Question 19 is "Will you observe the following directions? a) Be diligent. Never unemployed. Never be triflingly employed. Never trifle away time; neither spend any more time at any one place than is strictly necessary."

I get stuck on some of these questions from time to time. Like question 2, "Are you going on to perfection?" Well, some weeks it doesn't feel that way. Some weeks it feels like I'm on the highway to hell (spiritually). But usually questions 3, 4, & 5 can get me back on track, "Do you expect to be made perfect in love in this life? Are you earnestly striving after it (perfection)? Are you resolved to devote yourself wholly to God and his work?"

BITTER: The same is true for question 17 (Are you determined to employ all your time in the work of God?) No, I'm determined to employ some of my time in hanging out in a beach chair, completely unemployed, trifling away time doing absolutely nothing. And, I may spend more time than is strictly necessary doing this.

Of course the argument can be made that I'm doing the work of God while resting and relaxing and recharging my spiritual batteries. Jesus did take time to get away. I don't know if I can make an argument for 4 weeks ... though I might try.

Well, I'm back and ready for a new season at First Farragut. I can answer 17 with a "yes" ... until next summer (maybe if I take all the weeks in a row, no one will notice I'm gone?).