Vacation

So I thought I would reflect on my recent vacation. Seems like a good thing to do as I learn to bank what Jesus is doing in my life. Yeah this is a little serious but it is more for me than the readers anyway.

Vacation was amazing. It was just what I was needing. I love serving and doing all that is required of me, and I was starting to run low. Starting to be tired beyond just physically not getting enough sleep. That was all switched around this last week. I come back both refreshed and refueled. Ready to go.

Some highlights.

1. I got to leave on a really high note. The 10 year anniversary services were great and fun to be a part of. But beyond that, Jesus sent me out with a picture I hadn't had or connected before. The Everything Drama hit me in a new way that Saturday night and had me in tears over it for the first time. I finally put the connection together of watching Wheezy as Jesus holding back the demons as Amber got to rest and worship. Its the first time I connected it to the day I gave my life to Christ and what Jesus very clearly did for me. It was such a visceral part of my story. That snap in my mind when all the voices shut off in my own mind that were trying to tell me I had already done this and was just showing off. This connect left me weeping at the front of the room as I watched it. I got to put that one in my bank quickly and got to leave for vacation on that kind of note.

2. Getting to go on vacation with my boys was great. The 4 of us are about to all be roommates and it was a bit of a good gauge of what it will be like. And Excellent is on its way. I am even more so looking forward to it now. We got a lot of time to have real conversations, stupid conversations, dares, video games, great meals, and just good times with guys being the idiots we are. Couldn't have been better.

3. I have a new found love for Wheezy. I mean I loved DeWayne anyway, but it grew over this trip. He and I got to connect more than we ever had. We got to go down to the beach a few times just the 2 of us and just talk and have a good time. We had talked before but this was different. I don't know if I always looked at him as just my leader before. I don't think I did, but this felt very much like 2 friends really just getting to talk on all kinds of levels. I think it was somewhat indicative to me of my own growth. Starting to recognize that I am not a subordinate but finding equal ground and footing with people around me. Not in a cocky way but it feels in a very pure way of finally letting Jesus really be loud in my ear that I am not worthless or less than. And just getting to be real and friends and have good friend conversation with the guys out there was on a different level for me this week.

4. Lots of inside jokes return from the trip. Some of them a little dirty. Others hilarious. I wont get into them but I get a good laugh just thinking about some of them to myself.

5. I made the easiest $20 of my life thanks to Britt. No one has ever attempted to challenge the limits of what I am willing to do. Standing up and screaming "KAHN!!!" when the credits started rolling in the theatre during the new Star Trek movie was easy. I probably would have done it just on a dare. But $20 was a pretty sweet prize.

6. Movies we saw. First, I would like to say a resounding "I TOLD YOU SO" to Britt. There was no way Fast and Furious was gonna be good. And man it was not. Star Trek on the other hand was amazing. I loved the changes to the story line. I loved the characters. Abrams did a really good job and I am excited to see the next installments. And for those who don't already know, Yes, I am a closet Treky. You can blame my mom.

7. We got a lot of strange looks when we were out there. The "season" hadn't begun yet and I think all the purple hairs were a little upset we were in their space. (By purple hairs, I mean really old people. Think Tammy Faye on TBN and how her hair is so white it has started turning another color.) We still had a good time nonetheless. Didn't let it get to us. There were some really dumb situations from it and obvious people looking down on us, but no skin off our backs.

8. Liz Harrington has a nice car. The drives out and back were quite comfortable. I know they were long, but at least for me they didn't seem terrible.

There might be other things to point out, but I won't. I'll just say I return ready. Feeling good. Feeling re energized. Work sucks as always and when you have had a really good vacation, days at work feel like they take forever. But even that is okay. Jesus really wants to bless me right now and I feel in a much better place to receive and be ready for what He ask of me next. Great week over all. And I even still have 4 or 5 days of vacation time available at work. :)