What I Did With My Summer Vacation

Driving in today, the Missus and I were amazed at the amount of traffic - the lines of cars waiting to turn left, the mile-long backup west of Veteran's Parkway, the Starbucks Nation crowded around the doorway of their shrine, eyes glassy, hands jittery, waiting for their morning fix of caffeine and sugar. The picture is much different from last week's, which tells me school must be back in session.

And that means it's time for a post-summer update: What I did with my summer vacation.

Most of June, July, and August went by in a blur; I managed to stay relatively productive with music and ministry. The church made some big decisions and we're carrying them out. There's a good spirit, and though we don't know all the details, we're comfortable with what God is doing.

My band, Bright Red Tie, played at the big Father's Day Car Show in Eagle and had a great time. We even picked up a couple of new fans who signed up for our mailing list. Due to drummer problems we had to cancel a few gigs, but we're up and running again, with a couple of cool things coming up soon (more about that next time). The band's website is www.myspace.com/brightredtie if you'd like to check it out.

August 3rd The Missus and I bolted from Boise to the great State of Illinois, where we picked up my mom and her husband and headed to a Family Reunion in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, with side trips to cheese factories, scenic overlooks, and a couple of famous guitar stores. Actually, we didn't drag the parents to all those things; we just limo'd them from the airport to stay with friends of my grandad's, then off to the party a few days later.

The friends-of-grandad's (FOGs) are a really cool couple in their 70s. They are Christians and feel the Lord has given them a ministry of hospitality. In other words, when people come through town (old friends, church speakers, missionaries on furlough) they open their doors and invite people into their own informal, no-cost B&B. George (the husband FOG) told me "This is the Lord's house; we just operate it for Him." What a great attitude! And one more person for me to aspire to be like when I grow up.

Speaking of B&Bs, after journeying through Sheboygen and Green Bay (where the Missus took pictures of Brett Favre while I ate creamsickles) we stayed at The Inn at Timber Cove, a converted estate on the shores of Lake Superior, with Brian and Tina. B & T were missionaries in Brazil, and two of the nicest people you'll ever meet. The food was great, as was the conversation, and the setting was peaceful (20 acres of woods and berry patches will do that!). If you're ever in Ashland, look them up. Oh, one disappointment - we saw the deer, but not the bear, so we may have to go back. Then we started the meandering drive back to Chicago (home of the dandy Brookfield Zoo), and our flight home.

So did I learn anything? I mean, besides that I need a real vacation more than once every three years? Yep. Sometimes we get very focused on our lives, too focused maybe. Even though we might be dealing with international people, affairs, planning, we're near sighted. But meeting the FOGs and Brian and Tina, seeing the first Baptist church in Wisconsin, clambering the shore of Lake Michigan, running into an old friend at a church in Bloomington, MN (HEY, WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING HERE????), and seeing a BUNCH of cows and corn, reminded me that God is working everywhere I go. He's active. He's not localized. He's on the mooooooove (sorry, Wisconsin joke). At all times, in all places, He is God, and He is dealing with people in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota just as He is with people here.

That means I can relax a little and let Him do it. It's all in good hands, so lighten up, David! News Flash: God can handle the world. It's my job to hang with Him wherever I am, and follow Jesus the best I can. And if I'm with Him, then Idaho, Kinshasa, Rio de Janeiro, or wherever, it's home.