sabbatical week 3

It is the beginning of the 3rd week of my sabbatical. It has been a great time for family, faith and focusing on refreshing. We are completing our time with Rebecca and Colman in Hawaii. It has been awesome.

You know being on vacation is often a challenging time for what you eat. I have been staying active with running and walking. In fact my goal for our 15 days in Hawaii was 100 miles, and I passed that on Friday. Weight loss and a difference in eating remain important. We have enjoyed some amazing food as we spend time with family.

I finished continue reading two books at this time. Don Wilton’s Saturday’s With Billy and Dean Inserra’s The Unsaved Christian. I’ll be shared a few observations from those books next week and beginning another one.

We have spent time sight seeking, going to the beach and spending time together. These beaches on the island of Oahu are more amazing than we expected. Maybe you have seen some of the pictures I have posted on Instagram or Facebook. Just wow.

Yet one of the great experiences we have had in the last week took place on Friday and Sunday. We visited Pearl Harbor and took in all the history, sights and sounds of that incredibly painful day of December 7, 1941. We visited the USS Bowfin submarine and the museum that goes with it. We toured the battleship USS Missouri. We spent time on the USS Arizona memorial which was sobering. We saw the remains of the USS Utah. We walked through the USS Oklahoma memorial. This is something that we will not soon forget.

So what has God been sharing with me personally? Thanks for asking. It is a lot.

Last week I shared with you several points that I have taken in and will continue to go over. Here are a few more notes I have taken (just the big items):

… We are blessed to have the Bible. It is essential to our lives. Continue to dig in, listen close and keep the Word close to your heart.

Many times I have shared with you how the book of Proverbs each day has been so good. Once again I am spending each day in Proverbs, but I have added Psalms as well as my daily You Version reading to this list. Scripture is coming alive these days.

… We have to stay Gospel centered. All the church does and the work we are part of, sharing with people in need, is intended to be sharing the truth of God. That is is that there is salvation in none other, we must repent and follow Jesus. That must be my commitment as a Jesus follower, as a pastor and as the leader of my home.

… Marriage takes and is worth effort. There’s nothing more fulfilling than serving God together.

“Build each other up. Praise the strength you see in others. We become what other people see in us. That’s how we grow. It’s your job to bring out the best in your spouse. Affirm each other.” Pastor Tom Holladay, Saddleback Church

That us just the beginning of what I am taking in this past week and where I will start for the week ahead. I am grateful for this time away. Please continue to pray for our family.

We will be traveling back to Virginia mid week and continuing our sabbatical from home. I close with some verses that has been on my mind the last couple days:

Proverbs 11:24-25 NLT

Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

Have you heard of EDITH BURNS?

Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in San Antonio, Texas . She was the patient of a doctor by the name of Will Phillips. Dr. Phillips was a gentle doctor who saw patients as people. His favorite patient was Edith Burns. One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart and it was because of Edith Burns. When he walked into that waiting room, there sat Edith with her big black Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a young mother sitting beside her. Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in this way: "Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Then she would explain the meaning of Easter, and many times people would be saved. Dr. Phillips walked into that office and there he saw the head nurse, Beverly. Beverly had first met Edith when she was taking her blood pressure. Edith began by saying,"My name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Beverly said, "Why yes I do." Edith said, "Well, what do you

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