June 8, 2007
One of our Christ Church members, Dave Womack, is fond of saying that our most precious commodity these days is not our money, or our homes, or our retirement accounts, but time. He makes the strong case that discretionary time is, for most of us, the hardest thing to come by in today’s hectic world. And I am in agreement with him.
The first five months of 2007 have probably been the busiest for me since we relocated the church’s buildings during 1996 and 1997. I have pushed hard on a number of fronts, including our Building Committee and some important work that I am doing for the General Church. The time has flown by so fast that I hardly noticed the increasing lack of balance in my personal schedule. There comes a time when one must pay attention to time and the way in which one is using it.
Summer is upon us, and my meeting and travel schedule has slowed, so I have made a commitment to be serious about some “renewal” time: more reading, more Bible study, more time with family, and more “alone” time. I have learned that you must be intentional about that kind of time, or it will slip away or be eaten up by other commitments.
All of this is by way of invitation. We all have our own very personal ways of “vacationing.” I have a friend who once invented the idea of “five minute vacations,” little siestas during the day spent in meditation or prayer. Some people charge hard for a long time, and then need longer blocks of personal time. Whatever works for you, I hereby invite you to use your time this summer in ways that are spiritually productive.
This Sunday I am taking an unscheduled day off, but I will be worshipping with another congregation. That is my way of saying that time spent in congregational worship is always renewal time, wherever you are, and I hope that even when you are on vacation you will not vacation from church. Your most precious commodity is always well spent when it is invested in worship!
