During the busy summer season, we’re taking some time to look at some ways we can strive to use our summers intentionally, for the glory of God and the good of others.

Here’s what we’ve covered thus far:

• Don’t Waste Your Summer
• Plan Your Seasons
• 4 Ways To Vacation Well
• Snapshot
• Rest Rightly, Rest Well
• Reliving And Living

___________________

Throughout the book of Deuteronomy God is telling His people to look back, remember and reflect on what God has first and foremost done for His Glory but on His people's behalf. For example [Deuteronomy 5:15; 7:18; 8:2; 8:18; 9:7; 15:15; 16:3; 16:12; 24:9; 24:18; 24:22] to name a few. In these verses we see examples of God calling his people to remember that they were once slaves before God intervened and brought them out of slavery. We also see examples where God calls the Israelites to remember where they once were and who is their true God to trust in who brought them out of slavery.

As Christians we are called to the same reality. To remember where we once were, slaves to our own sinful passions but we are now free because our God brought us out of slavery by the cross of Jesus Christ. This constant remembering that God calls his people to is a wonderful way for us to be humbled under the reality that we did not accomplish where we are now on our own and that our lives are ultimately products of God's beautiful grace in Jesus Christ. 

This summer we spent a significant amount of time writing about ways to not Waste Your Summer. But this blog series we rolled out this summer wasn't only for the season of Summer. These blog posts were written to help anyone, no matter what season of the year it is.

This final blog post we will help you remember where you once were, look at how and where you have grown, and how to plan for the next season of growth.

Where You Once Were

Do you realize that if you are in Christ you are counted as a son or daughter of God? But with that identity, you must remember that you were purchased with a price. A price not paid by you but a price that has been paid in full by Jesus Christ alone. 

We are enslaved sinners by nature and it took a perfect rescue plan by God himself to see to it that humanity would be brought back into a right relationship with him.

"In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son...to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons." - Galatians 4:3-5

As a Christian you must realize before Jesus saved you from your own sin, you were men and women of wrath. You were enemies of God, destined for hell, corrupted by your own sinful passions. 

To be thankful for what you have in Jesus, you must remember where you were before Jesus. How to do this, take some time to reflect on the past. Reflect on where you were before Jesus captured you. Reflect what it would be like not to have Jesus as your King, Ruler & Sustainer. By doing this, you will have a sense of humility and thankfulness towards God because of Jesus Christ.

Where Has God Grown You?

A few years ago, I was dealing with some pretty bad anxiety. I remember getting really worked up when I looked at my life, and would see how I would fail at being a disciple of Jesus. Or get mad when I felt like my payer life was terrible. What I didn't realize is that within these struggles God had been slowly changing who I was. This was evidence of His grace, working to make me look more like Jesus.

Our struggles are usually the first things we look at because they are very present and they affect us deeply. But what often times happens is we forget to look and reflect on how God has been changing us over time. We tend to forget to see the small glimpses of growth happening in our lives. We tend to glaze over the reality that God is forever changing those who are in Christ. Teaching them about their sin, idols, struggles and helping them see their greater need is Jesus.

When you are sitting down and planning out the next season, it is key to first reflect on where you once were before Jesus snatched you up and also reflect on what God has been doing over the years to change you. If you don't reflect, you will always feel discouraged because you will never remember all the times God was working on changing things about you.

Remember to always reflect on the evidences of God's grace.

Plan For The Next Season Of Growth

Now that you have remembered and reflected on where you were before Jesus and what evidences of God's grace show up in your life. It is now time to plan for the next season of growth. I firmly believe that you cannot grow deeply unless you have a plan. When people go on trips, they know their destination. When people have vacations, they know what they want to do for rest and relaxation. Why then, when we look at the next season, do we feel like we don't need to plan? 

The best way I have found to be helpful is find the different areas that I want to grow in. Maybe it's leading my family, maybe it's growing in a specific doctrine, or maybe it's just growing as a friend and write out what you plan on doing to help cultivate these specific areas. Have goals that are quantifiable and reachable. You don't want to say something like, "I want to grow in Scripture memorization!" and your subgoal within that is to memorize the entire Bible word for word in a year. That goal just isn't reachable. But what you can say is "I want to grow in Scripture memorization!" and your subgoal could be something like, memorize one verse every other week for 6 months. You see the difference?

Planning is not devoid of the Spirit. God works through many avenues and for my brain when I have goals specifically written down I feel like I won't forget them and I can reach them by God's grace. You see, planning isn't the thing that will grow you, but it is one of many different tools that will help as God continues to grow you. The goal in planning isn't to make yourself better, the goal is to grow more in love with Jesus. 

The fall season is right around the corner, so take some time to look back on where you once were before Jesus. Take some time to remember the many evidences of God's grace that you have seen. And then move forward by planning out your next season. 

photo credit: pierofix via photopin cc

During the busy summer season, we’re taking some time to look at some ways we can strive to use our summers intentionally, for the glory of God and the good of others.

Here’s what we’ve covered thus far:

• Don’t Waste Your Summer
• Plan Your Seasons
• 4 Ways To Vacation Well
• Snapshot
• Rest Rightly, Rest Well
• Reliving And Living

__________________

Supposedly, one of the things about summer that is so enjoyable is the concept of sabbath, a day to recharge with God through worship and rest. 

As I write this, I’m absolutely exhausted. For one, it’s hot. And muggy. I don’t do hot and muggy. I’ve been blessed to travel to, serve in, and attend numerous weddings, with more on the way. Work is busy and getting busier. And in the midst of the busy-ness, I often forget the sabbath, which God instituted for my good.

The sabbath has its origins in the creation narrative in Genesis 1. God created the heavens and the earth, gave the world form and the means to sustain life, and populated it with animals and the first humans. After this, God rested from His labors, to show that the work was done, and that humanity was His crowning achievement – there was no creature to left to create, and He stopped to enjoy it.

When God gave the law to Moses and the Israelites on Mount Sinai (Deuteronomy 5), the third of ten commandments given was “remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy”, and it is contrasted with the days of slavery in Egypt, when rest was not an option for the Israelites.

The sabbath has historically been celebrated on a specific day. To the Israelites, it was a Saturday. The early church began celebrating on Sunday, because of the day of the week of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. 

Because the sabbath has been fulfilled in Christ (Colossians 2, Hebrews 4), the Law no longer binds us to celebrate the sabbath on a particular day. However, God gives us His law for our good, that we would live in such a way that we would prosper.

Here are four things to remember about Sabbath:

1. The Sabbath Points To Jesus

The sabbath is not just a day. Colossians 2 says that the point of the sabbath is not merely rest on a physical level, but points to rest on a spiritual level. Jesus has fulfilled the sabbath (Heb 4), and is the ultimate sabbath; through faith in Christ, we rest in His labor, and are credited as if we had done the work ourselves.

I myself am not much of a sports fan, so one of the strangest things to me is that people have adopted the use the pronoun “we” when discussing the outcome of a game. They aren’t part of the mechanics of the team, or how the game was played. They didn’t score a goal, touchdown, or home run. And yet, they speak, and celebrate, as if they had.

That’s a bit of how it works with Jesus. Even though we didn’t do anything, as far as our own salvation is concerned, God sees us as if we had lived the perfect life that Jesus had, and adopts us into His family as sons and daughters. He did all the work, and we get the benefit of resting and celebrating what He’s done.

2. Sabbath Was Made For You. (Mark 2.27)

When God created the heavens and the earth, He didn’t take a day off because He had to. He took a day off because He chose to.

Humans, on the other hand, were created with limits. Some have more energy than others, to be sure. But all of us suffer without sleep or food or a moment’s respite. When Adam rebelled against God in Genesis 3, he declared through his actions that he desired to be God himself.

The commandment to sabbath serves as a reminder that while we desire to be more than human, we are not. And we can’t be. We all have limitations, and rather than push ourselves to be more than human, we should embrace the way we were made, seeking to enjoy God and the work that he has done in us and for us.

3. The Sabbath Isn’t Necessarily A Day To Do Nothing.

If you read the gospel accounts of Jesus’ ministry, you will find that He was traveling, preaching and teaching, performing miracles, and tending to people in general for the better part of four years. And yet, he kept the sabbath perfectly.

So while we celebrate, enjoy, and rest in what God has done, the sabbath rest is not “doing nothing.” Jesus regularly healed on the sabbath, even traveled long distances. The religious leaders confronted Him on this numerous times, and He continued to do good despite their opposition.

We should be willing to help people, to serve, and to give in light of how we’ve been served in Jesus. Do you have to say yes to everything? Certainly not. But it can be easy to pull the “resting” card when you have a friend that is moving and you’re the only one that can help, or your kitchen is dirty and needs to be cleaned, or someone is sick and needs help, but you’d rather go fishing or watch television.

4. The Sabbath Looks Different For Everyone

Figure out what works for you. How do you rest?

People are different, and rest differently. Some may like to spend seven hours reading 18th century English literature. Others may like to get together with 800 people and hang out at the park.

Now, it’s probably not a great idea to do something that is exhausting. Just as the sabbath is not an excuse to do nothing, it’s not an excuse to do whatever you want, either. For the Israelites (and for us, I would suggest), it was “do no work.” God even ordered that a man who was gathering sticks on the sabbath be put to death (Numbers 15.32).

But outside of the Law that Christ fulfilled, there aren’t a ton of rules about the Sabbath, and that’s intentional. The opposition that Jesus encountered over these issues was because He refused to obey the rules that the religious leaders had instituted over time. Whatever you decide to do in remembrance of God on the Sabbath day, spend it enjoying what Jesus has done.

Conclusion

As we enter the last few months of summer, remember to rest in the gospel, to say yes to some things and unafraid to say no to others. Remember the sabbath, and keep it holy.

If you’re interested in going deeper on this topic, check out the sermon "God Works, We Rest" from the Deuteronomy sermon series.

photo credit: Stuck in Customs via photopin cc

During the busy summer season, we’re taking some time to look at some ways we can strive to use our summers intentionally, for the glory of God and the good of others.

Here’s what we’ve covered thus far:

• Don’t Waste Your Summer
• Plan Your Seasons
• 4 Ways To Vacation Well
• Snapshot
• Rest Rightly, Rest Well
• Reliving And Living

____________________

We’ve discussed some ways to be intentional with our summers and to use our vacations well. The days are getting shorter again, and such times call for honest reflection on how well we’ve stewarded our summer thus far.

As we think these things through, don't be discouraged if things don't seem to be going very well. Remember what Jesus has done, and that His perfectly submitted and stewarded life has been credited to you in His life, death, burial, and resurrection. Because of His work in us, we can course-correct if needed, celebrate the wins, and keep going.

Here’s how to evaluate your plans and tweak them as needed.

One practical and over-arching idea before we get started: write things down. I hate writing things down. But I never regret doing it. At the very least, it helps me process what happened. If you choose to do so on paper, you can always throw it away. If you do so digitally, you can always delete it. But the discipline of processing externally always helps.

1. Talk about your plans with someone else.

This is particularly applicable to families. Make it a habit to “debrief” your vacations, trips, and events. 

If you can, talk with someone else about things that you think went well with the event, and things that you didn’t think wen’t so well. If you’re married, talk about how well you connected as a couple and with others

Now, you probably don’t want to debrief your trip to the grocery store to pick up zucchini. But If you undertake to build relationships, discuss what happened on the drive or walk home, listen actively, and make notes if needed.

Then, you’re better equipped to make plans that build relationships in the future.

2. Know Yourself

This may shock you: People are different. 

Earth-shattering news, right? But it’s easy to forget. We so easily compare ourselves to others and the plans they make, then expect to be able to keep up whether we’re able or not.

But you should know how you get energy, and how you lose it. To which kinds of activities do you naturally incline? Do you get energy by being with people, or by being by yourself? Then, evaluate your summer plans with your inclinations and limitations in mind.

Now, the kinds of things you like to do may not be the ones you frequently undertake. For example, I love backpacking. There is a clarity of mind that comes with being out in the woods with my wife, forcing myself up a steep incline to make camp atop a ridge or in a forest. It’s also exhausting, physically and mentally, and takes me away from other responsibilities for a weekend. So, I probably shouldn’t get out every weekend, even if my responsibilities are taken care of.

As you do this, recognize that God created you with limitations, and He did so with divine wisdom. If you and I could do everything we set out to do in our own power, we would be blinded to our spiritual need.

3. Be Honest

It’s not too late to say “No” or “Yes” to some things. Some of us have made ourselves so busy that we’ve missed opportunities to be intentional. On the other hand, some of us have passed by great opportunities to build relationships because we’re not busy enough.

As we look back on our summers, be honest with yourself about where you’ve failed and succeeded, and repent and change as needed. Remember that Jesus stewarded His life perfectly for our inability to do so.

During the busy summer season, we’re taking some time to look at some ways we can strive to use our summers intentionally, for the glory of God and the good of others.

Here’s what we’ve covered thus far:

• Don’t Waste Your Summer
• Plan Your Seasons
• 4 Ways To Vacation Well
• Snapshot
• Rest Rightly, Rest Well
• Reliving And Living

___________________

What is the most exciting thing you look forward to when your on vacation? For some people their answer will be relaxing and reading a book, for others it's making memories with friends and family. But when it comes to vacations, I don't know about you, but I always feel like I do either one of two things. One, our family planned too much to do and I come back feeling more tired than before the vacation. Or two, I didn't plan anything and I come back feeling lazy and unaccomplished. 

Vacationing means a period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel. But lets be honest you cannot suspend everything while your on vacation. Life still goes on and things need to get done. 

In this post from our blog series, "Don't Waste Your Summer," we will give you 4 ways to vacation well. You may have more to add to this list, but hopefully this list will get you in a good place to enjoy your vacation well.

Your Family Gets A Say

When you hear the word family what do you think of? You are probably thinking of your mom, dad, siblings, etc. And yes your right, these people are your family but what about your church family? If we look at what the bible teaches about family, it would include your brothers and sisters in Christ (The Church).

When deciding a place and time of year to go on vacation, why wouldn't you include your church family in on your decision? Here is what I mean, say there is someone in your Gospel Community who is going to be graduating and would really like you to be there for that moment to celebrate with them. Why wouldn't you want to be there to celebrate with them? I guarantee these memories you make with them will out way an hour on the beach on Mexico.

So before you request your vacation time off and plan your trip. Go to your Gospel Community and ask if there is any big event that someone in your GC wants you to be at. For leaving for vacation, you will feel much better about resting by knowing that you were their for the ones you love and care for from your church family.

Plan, Prep, Stop Working

I like working, well that is an understatement. I love being busy and feeling like I am accomplishing things. The problem I find when I go on vacation is I don't plan and prep well enough before I go on vacation. So I end up using some of my vacation to work.

For my job, I have many day to day tasks and many projects that I am constantly doing. If I don't get these things squared away before my vacation, my vacation will turn into work. I don't know about you, but I like to not think about work related things while I am on vacation with my family. My family deserves my full attention.

My suggestion is start planning and prepping way before you have to leave for your vacation. What I like to do is write everything down that I need to get done a month before my vacation. This includes finding people to cover some day to day tasks I normally do. This also includes getting projects done before I leave so I stop thinking about them cause I know they are done. Once your on vacation, put your cell phone away. Stop checking your email. Don't answer the phone. You are on vacation to rest from the very thing you do on a regular basis, so actually vacation. And you can't vacation well unless you prepare well.

Don't Take A Break From Corporate Worship

Sadly in our culture we think we need to vacation from gathering as the church family for corporate worship. When I say corporate worship, I mean hearing God's word preached, taking the sacraments, and joining in singing with the body of Christ. The reason we do these different types of worship towards God is because they remind us of the reality of who God is and reminds us of His grace towards us in Jesus Christ. The truth of the gospel needs to be continually put before us so we may not drift from the gospel. 

When you are planning your vacation, where ever you go, look for healthy gospel centered churches that you can join for a cooperate gathering on a Sunday away from your regular local church. Make it a priority on your vacation to gather amongst God's people. Parents your children will begin to see and learn that being apart of corporate worship is a benefit and an opportunity to be reminded of what God has done and continues to do. Vacation well by not vacationing away from the church.

Here are a few places you can look for good gospel centered churches in the area you plan on vacationing in:

The Gospel Coalition

The Acts 29 Network

The Sojourn Network

Every Moment Is An Opportunity 

Every moment in life is an opportunity to learn or teach something. As a parent, you have opportunities to teach your kids or learn a few things yourself. As a kid or young adult, you have an opportunity to learn from experiences and others. Every moment, whether you're on vacation or not, has an opportunity to be a special moment. 

Great memories of past experiences shape our lives over time. And vacations are a prime opportunity to seize these moments to create memories. Memories are events and moments in life that shapes who we are. Don't use your vacation as a time to not do anything.

Parents your main call is to disciple your children. Your not raising children, your raising adults. Embrace the moments that a family vacation provides you and create those lasting memories with them. 

Kids and Young Adults, embrace the opportunities that are provided on vacations with your families or friends to seek to grow. 

You will vacation well if you intentionally take moments to create lasting memories along your vacation. 

To Conclude

Vacationing isn't a time to stop life in its tracks. Life continues to move forward whether we like it or not. From this list you have an opportunity to plan, prepare and pursue lasting memories on a joyous vacation with those you love and at the same time not neglecting the life you left back home. Enjoy your vacation!

photo credit: shchukin via photopin cc

During the busy summer season, we’re taking some time to look at some ways we can strive to use our summers intentionally, for the glory of God and the good of others.

Here’s what we’ve covered thus far:

• Don’t Waste Your Summer
• Plan Your Seasons
• 4 Ways To Vacation Well
• Snapshot
• Rest Rightly, Rest Well
• Reliving And Living

___________________

Does your summer ever feel like it flies by and you didn't get a chance to accomplish any of the projects that are on your list of things to do? Or, do you ever feel like your summer flies by but you didn't get a chance to rest and rejuvenate before the upcoming year starts up again because you had to much on your schedule?

Sadly, these two instances are exactly how our culture handles summer. 

My hope from this blog post is that you would get a clear picture to how you can plan the different seasons of your life, specifically summer. But first, we’re going to look at some common objections to planning in general. There may be more, but these are two of the most common.

Objection #1: I Don't Want To Be Tied Down To Any Plans

When you hear someone say to you, "I don't like to be tied down to plans." What they are saying is they don't like to think about their next move. Unfortunately in this day and age, you can not throw care to the wind and wing everything. Everything in this world requires a plan. For example, children's school year is planned, college students are working for a degree that is planned out, parents who stay at home with their kids need plans to keep sane and lastly people who work in the business world know that if you don't have a plan you don't go anywhere.

Everyone plans, and I mean everyone. No one ever can just wing life. But plans you make show off your priorities. 

Objection #2: I Am So Busy

Some people really love having a busy schedule, and when they're not busy, they don't know what to do with themselves. 

We all want to be fruitful in our lives. Fruitful literally means producing good or helpful results. But before we can be fruitful in anything, we first need to be faithful. Faithful literally means loyal, constant, and steadfast. 

Do you know what spheres God has given you to be faithful in?

If you don't know what spheres God has called you to, then it will be hard for you to determine what areas you are suppose to be faithful in. So make sure to write them down. Tell them to someone, so that they can keep you accountable. 

Gospel Oriented Faithfulness Then Fruitfulness

Exert taken from a book "The Gospel At Work" by Sebastian Traeger & Greg Gilbert pg. 91 -92

"Every sphere that you have in your life, you can find in the Bible both a minimum standard for faithfulness and operating principles for pursing fruitfulness. By a minimum standard for faithfulness, we mean the basic requirements Scripture gives to our different spheres of our lives. If you are not accomplishing the basic requirements of your different spheres, then you are not being faithful in this area. Most of the time, this means you need to double-down on your attention there before looking anywhere else.

By principles for pursuing further fruitfulness, we mean those ways in which you can grow beyond this minimum expectation of faithfulness. Once you think you're meeting the Bible's standard of faithfulness in all your assignments, you are free to dream and consider how you can best invest your extra time and energy.

On either side of faithfulness and fruitfulness we will find the two pitfalls that tend to define the sinful patterns associated with our work (or spheres) - idolatry and idleness. Fail to meet the minimum requirements of faithfulness, and you fall into idleness. Push beyond fruitfulness, and you fall into idolatry. 

So here's the guiding principle: pursue faithfulness, then fruitfulness, but not idolatry." 

So, here are some things to think about when planning out your season:

1. Pray and ask God to help you list your spheres He has called you to.

2. List Your Top 5 Spheres (Example: God, Family, Church, Work...etc.)

3. Make a list from the different spheres in your life that God is calling you to be faithful in and write down what the baseline expectations are for you to meet these different spheres. 

4. Determine if you're being faithful in the priorities within the spheres

5. Consider where you might be able to invest for greater fruitfulness

6. Avoid the trap of idolatry, where you are measured by your work instead of serving the Lord.

Accomplish And Rest

Yes this blog post is geared towards the summer time but you can take these principles into any season of your life and be able to plan well so that you can stay faithful to the calling God has for you. 

As Christians, we are not called to be idle, but we are also called not to make things we do our idols. Applying these principles will help you to plan well and also rest well. And as always  remember that the priorities that you accomplish will never make you right with God, it is through Jesus perfect righteousness and obedience that anyone will be right with God. The priorities that you try and accomplish are simply principles that God has called you to be obedient to do but rest well in the finish work of Jesus on your behalf.

photo credit: Jasmic via photopin cc

During the busy summer season, we’re taking some time to look at some ways we can strive to use our summers intentionally, for the glory of God and the good of others.

Here’s what we’ve covered thus far:

• Don’t Waste Your Summer
• Plan Your Seasons
• 4 Ways To Vacation Well
• Snapshot
• Rest Rightly, Rest Well
• Reliving And Living

___________________

One of the things I love about living in Bellingham is the weather. Yeah. I know. I’ve either been here too long, or I’m crazy. Or both. But, we do have four distinct seasons, with four distinct weather patterns. Having lived in places where it’s either “hot” or “cold” I appreciate the change of pace that the seasons bring.

Fall is a time for reflection, looking back at the year past. In winter, we plan for the year ahead and look forward to the sun’s return. Spring is a time for growth, as the flowers bloom and birds return to singing.

When summer returns, we rejoice: The “Orb” has returned! But even as it spreads its warmth, it keeps moving. It’s difficult to remember that summer is not a pause button on normality. Our lives keep going, just like the sun does.

In the midst of this fantastic season of the year, we face the temptation to pause the “normal” lives we lead, prone to either complete independence or overload. As we discuss these, prayerfully consider where you fall on the spectrum, and to which side you are inclined. It may be a mixture of both, or it could be one or the other. The goal here is not to incite defiance or guilt. Rather, our desire is for you to have a fantastic and fruitful summer, making the most of every day as it is given, whether spent in labor or rest.

Independence

When I was in grade-school, summer vacation was about me. I fought every chore I was given, every errand I ran. Looking back, I see that these things were in place to keep me from wasting my summer, providing much needed structure to our family of five. But I didn’t care. After nine months of school, summer vacation was something I had earned, and no one should be able to tell me how to use it.

Certainly, we have many demands of our effort and on our time. After laboring in what feels like a perpetual freezing mist for the dark months of winter, we can feel like we have a right to spend our sunny days however we desire.

In some respects, we do have a right to spend our days as we want. But, if you belong to Jesus, everything in your life is His. Every day He gives is grace to you. And because we’re His people and His witnesses, to only think of summer days as license to lives free of responsibility is a denial of our mission statement: “Go, therefore, making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you”. (Matt 28.19ff)

As tempting as it is to make this time of year all about us, it’s just as easy for us to only ever look for the next thing to do, rather than taking the time to recharge.

Overload

There is always something going on in the summertime. Barbecues, weddings, parties, vacations, day trips, picnics, on and on the list goes. Often, we approach the summer with the mindset that we must seize every opportunity. So we overload our schedules, and we look back at the end of summer having had a lot of fun, but exhausted and unsure of where all the time went.

Whatever the reason for the breakneck speed, when we overload our schedules this way we tell ourselves that we can handle more than we can handle. We forget that we, too, need rest.

Maybe we’re afraid we’re going to miss out on great memories, or that we’ll hurt the feelings of a friend or loved one. And either of those things may be true, perhaps both of them. But we must remember that as our lives belong to Jesus, so does our time. Certainly He wants us to work hard. He also wants us to rest.

Now, everyone’s different, and can handle differing flows of activity. Some, hearing that they must rest will embrace it, even to the point of unintentional laziness. Some will fight it and press on, simply preferring the faster pace of life. Where do you land on this spectrum?

Don’t Waste Your Summer

Due to these proclivities, it can be a challenge to use our summers intentionally. Whatever our response, we need to remember that while summer does offer a new rhythm of life, it does not put the rest of life on hold. 

In the coming weeks, we’ll be discussing some ways to prepare for the summer season and to plan to the best of your ability so that we can learn to use summers our wisely, for the glory of God and the good of others. We don’t just want good memories from our summers, but God-given growth as well.

We pray that as you enter and leave this season, you can reflect and see evidence of God’s work in our lives as we look to the future.

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