Dear Friends,
Before another long hot summer gets under way, there is some essential business that needs our attention! Last week, this week and weeks to come are devoted to school concerts, moving up and graduation ceremonies. These rites of passage help those involved to conclude a chapter of their lives. Teachers, students, and families all have something of which to be proud, and you deserve the recognition of a job well done. But education is a marathon and not a sprint, so before we put away those books and thinking caps, let us prepare for the next chapter.
Summer camp or summer school beckons for some people, whilst hard earned lazy days on the beach or by the lake await others. Travel might be on your agenda at some point, or perhaps caring duties mean that those who are travelling will be coming to you.
Whatever the summer holds, it will probably mean a change of or break in routine. Some of us will enjoy a complete break from any structure, apart from sleeping, waking, and eating, but most of us will experience something different especially if we are parents.
I am so thankful for summer schools, camps, and Vacation Bible Schools. Grateful that the children will continue in some kind of educational and or physical activity. It all adds to their continuing education, growth, and development. But what about the rest of us?
When it comes to our spiritual and physical health, we grown-ups are at risk of neglecting ourselves if we take a complete break from any routine at all. We still need the structure and stimulation that our daily routine gives us. On the other hand, it may be that a change in routine could open up opportunities for reflection and prayer that our busy lives had previously prevented. Therefore, I invite you to insert a new spiritual practice to break up the routine of normality and freshen your devotional and spiritual growth. I hope and pray that the change will be better than a rest and give you opportunities to grow closer to God in your walk with Christ Jesus our Lord. So whether you find that chance for change in your garden room, on a beach chair, on a forest walk, or the open road, I wish you the blessing in the weeks and miles ahead this summer.
Pastor Cliff