I’m here in beautiful Lake Tahoe closing in on the last full day of a week of “vacation”. I put vacation in quotes because because I spent all day working on the message for this weekend. It’s just the way it worked out, won’t bore you with the details.
Here’s a few highlights & sort of interesting things & a couple of “learngings”
• WIFE’S ‘70s YOUTH GROUP REUNION FROM HER CHURCH – This isn’t really a highlight for me, it was more of a give for my wife, but it had some great parts. Here’s what it was. The people that were in the High School ministry of First Baptist Church of Los Altos put together a reunion of the kids involved in the ministry from the 70s (mostly mid-70s). There are a lot of fascinating things & observations. I really had one thing I wanted to do other than support my wife: I wanted to thank her youth pastor for the impact the ministry had on her. This is what God used to make her a serious follower of Jesus. His name is Jerry Moses & I’m grateful for him & how God used him.
• STAYING WITH KEN & JANET PEREZ – My wife’s life-long best friend was involved with her in planning aforementioned event. We stayed with them at their house in Menlo Park. I’ve become friends with the man Janet married. Ken is the president of John Stott Ministries I love the great conversations I have with him whenever we are together. It was great seeing their great kids.
• LAKE TAHOE IS BEAUTIFUL BUT… When we 1st arrived on Sunday there was so much haze from the fires you couldn’t even see across the lake. It rained hard (very unusual here in the summer) yesterday & today was much better.
• SEEING OUR EXTENDED FAMILY – This whole trip is compliments of Linda’s parents who are setting us up in these rockin’ condos. All her siblings & their spouses & their kids are great. Our times together are too seldom. There are kids from college age all the way down to pre-school. Tonight they had a “big kids party” (12 & up). I popped in & heard uproarious laughter & saw my son with entertaining the crowd & Bethany doing some of her younger cousin’s hair.
• “BLESS THIS FOOD TO OUR BODIES & US TO THY SERVICE” – This is how I’ve heard my father-in-law, Ken Heald, end every prayer around meals for 28 years. I’ve come to believe that just because a prayer is said over & over doesn’t make it any less authentic. When he prayed before dinner tonight, I knew it was coming at the end of the prayer. I knew he meant every word of this prayer. He has lived it.
• CONVO’S WITH MY KIDS – Vacation is when those cool conversations that you normally don’t have time to have happen. The other night we talked at length about the pros & cons of postmodenity & postmodernism (yes there are both). I loved seeing them reason, think, integrate thoughts.
I’m looking forward to being back at Journey this weekend, but I’m sad this week is rapidly coming to a close.
