A quick word search for the words vacation and retirement in the major English translations of the Bible turns up this result:  vacation occurs zero times, and the word retirement once.  The Levites were required to retire in their mid-fifties.  No one else in the Bible was offered or commanded to retire.  So why bring it up?  I've been on vacation this week.  It's been one of those home-away-home vacations, if you know what I mean.

Monday, I invested the day in yard work--a lot of yard work!  Tuesday and Wednesday Emmy and I went to Presque Isle, which was a substitute for a preferred trip to the beach.  Given we only had two days, and the drive to Presque Isle is 2.5 hours compared with 7+ to any beach with an ocean, we made the substitution and had a great time.  Neither of us had been to Presque Isle before, but we'll be going back and taking Nancy!

Thursday through today has been more at home fix cars, visit with Abby--who's home for the final time as our older, single daughter.  Her bridal shower's tomorrow, so we've been preparing for that, too.  Nancy and I also wedged in an evening with Pat, Darren and Kim Fecich to hear Andy Stanley speak at Darren and Kim's church.  Andy was great as always.

Tomorrow I'm still on vacation, so what will I do about worship?  Saturday is usually my "Preparing for Worship" focus, and in a roundabout way it is today as well.  Why?  Because right now I'm talking about what I'm going to do tomorrow about worshiping.  All summer I've been challenging you to worship with some body of Christians on Sunday if you're on vacation.  (Even though it isn't a biblical concept, vacation has a place in our culture, and taking time to be renewed and enjoy time away from our daily routines can be a way to refocus on God!)  So, what will I do?  I'll be at New Life for several reasons:  1) I want to worship with a vital, life-giving,  congregation;  2)  I want to worship with my family and we all want to worship at New Life; and 3) I'm vacationing at home, so there's no church I rather worship with than New Life!

I hope to see you at 8:45 or 10:15.  I know Pastor Brad has a great message for us in our "New" series and we'll be celebrating the Lord's Supper together, which is always special blessing to me.  If you can't join us, because you're on an away vacation, remember: vacation isn't a biblical word, and a vacation from work means an even greater opportunity to be prepared for worship with one another--at New Life, or in some other God-honoring congregation!